Experience one of music's big bang moments when 19-year-old Mick Jagger, carrying a handful of RnB albums, ran into Keith Richards on a train platform. Together, they would overcome tragedy, addictions, death and mayhem of all sorts to make it to the top and stay there.  This isn't just the tale of a band, it's the saga of survival, reinvention and rebellion, and at its core, it's the story of two kids from Dartford, Mick and Keith, who led The Stones to became undisputed icons of rock and roll. In Part 1 you'll learn. 

1. How fate intervened to bring all of The Stones together as a band
2. Who really founded The Stones and the strange origins of the band name  
3. The role that two women played in influencing their music 
4. About one of the first famous deaths in rock 
5. The financial mayhem they faced & the role of a mysterious Prince 
6. Some of the factors that drove their dark songs like Gimme Shelter & Sympathy for the Devil

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field". 

In Part 2 of The Story of The Rolling Stones, we journey through the 1970s and ’80s, to experience how The Rolling Stones navigated financial ruin, courtroom battles, and drug-fueled chaos. Their survival and evolution forged their legend—every scar a jewel in the crown they wear today.  In Part 2 you'll learn:

1. How financial problems led to one of their finest albums 
2. About their legendary debaucherous 1972 tour 
3. That the chaos of 1970s New York City played a key role in their sound evolution 
4. Why Mick and Keith's relationship almost came to an end
5. How one of their most famous tunes started as a reggae song
6. The innovation The Stones brought to the concert touring model

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field". 

Incredibly, U2 began as a band of barely-formed teenagers—two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds—at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland. Just 4 years later, they were signed to a major label, and not long after that, they were reshaping rock on a global scale with music driven by faith, politics, and social unrest. U2 would go on to sell more than 175 million albums, never standing still—shifting from raw post-punk urgency to towering arena anthems to daring electronic reinvention. This is a band that survived by constantly changing. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The bizarre early incident that nearly ended U2 before it truly began
• The heartbreaking childhood tragedies that shaped two of its members
• The unlikely spiritual and political roots behind their lyrical mission
• The global live performance the band openly hated—yet became legendary
• The intense internal struggles over where their music should go next
• How a frontman with barely a high school education became a global humanitarian voice

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Guest Bio:
Bradley Morgan, author of U2: Until the End of the World. Bradley also has a book U2's Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America about their breakthrough album, 1987's The Joshua Tree, a release that put them at the top of international album charts,

David Bowie was the ultimate chameleon of rock, constantly reinventing himself throughout his career. This episode starts with his struggles from his multiple failed attempts at stardom.  Despite these challenges, Bowie’s incorporated elements of his eclectic, failed past and created a groundbreaking sound and persona, cementing him as one of the most influential and successful artists in music history. In this episode you'll learn: 

• The early struggles of Bowie as a wedding musician and subsequent career challenges
• How Bowie's older brother influenced his musical tastes and how his eventual mental illness haunted and motivated him
• How his wife helped craft the eccentric stage persona that launched him to fame
• The role his time abroad played in innovating a new wave sound, years before it was mainstream
• How Bowie rescued the life of an influential musician from the 1960s and co-created a new sound with him
• How a famous Beatle played a role in one of Bowie’s most iconic songs 
• How his ever-evolving characters and musical anthems inspired a generation of disillusioned youth

Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt,  journalist & music commentator
Author and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of several books on David Bowie, including Bowie: Album to Album, a retrospective of Bowie’s evolution over his career. Considered one of the foremost experts on Bowie, Paolo has not only written extensively about the artist but has also appeared as a commentator in documentaries on Bowie.

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Our guest, Chris Salewicz, was there at the dawn of punk in 1976 England, witnessing firsthand the birth of The Clash and Sex Pistols. Chris attended the first ever performances of both bands and will share insider stories of their rise and lasting influence over the last 50 years.

In this episode, you’ll discover: 

• The fascinating childhood that shaped Strummer’s persona and The Clash approach
• Why Clash frontman Joe Strummer changed his name
• How guitarist Mick Jones' encyclopedic knowledge of music evolved the band's sound
• Inside stories behind The Clash vs. Sex Pistols rivalry and how Chris compares each band  
• The reason Paul Simonon, a non-musician, joined The Clash
• How The Clash brought reggae to the masses
• The economic realities of the UK that fueled punk’s explosion

Learn how The Clash became the first punk band to experience mass commercial success.  Widely loved by a legion of famous fans including Pete Townshend, U2, Green Day and Nirvana, The Clash combined social conscious lyrics, music genre-bending influences and a fiery on-stage presence to captivate a generation of music fans. The influence of punk on all forms of art has continued to this day.   

Guest Bio - Chris Salewicz
Chris wrote Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer and knew each of the member of The Clash personally. He is the author of several iconic musicians' bios including Bob Marley, Mick Jagger & Keith Richard, Jimmy Page and more. He also was involved in the launch of MTV Europe. 

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Travel back to Northern California of the mid 1960s with a young teenage girl writing poems in her bedroom after enduring countless moves across the country with her family.  From a succession of menial jobs to support herself and her guitarist boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham to a strange twist that catapults her to becoming a mystical, fierce, powerful song writer fronting one of the top bands of the 1970s.  Stevie Nicks has faced serious personal challenges, the kind that could have ended the dreams of many, yet now stands as a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with over 150 million albums sold.  You'll learn:

• How Stevie's musician grandfather formed a musical act with a 5-year-old Stevie 
• How Stevie and Lindsey actually met  
• The fateful incident that led to Stevie and Lindsey joining Fleetwood Mac
• Her unsuccessful attempt to leave Fleetwood Mac to join another famous band 
• How one of her biggest hits was given as a gift to her 
• How she overcame her torturous battle with various drugs 

Episode Guest
Zoë Howe is a writer, broadcaster, musician and artist. She is the author of the biography Vision, Dreams & Rumours: A Portrait of Stevie Nicks. She is an acclaimed music journalist who has written books on a variety of performers.  She joins us from the UK.

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One of the most astonishing transformations in music history began with an earnest, bespectacled pianist named Reginald Kenneth Dwight — a shy kid who dreamed of writing songs for others. Our guest will take us inside that dream that took an unexpected turn when he reinvented himself as Elton John - a name that would soon be synonymous with spectacle, melody, and superstardom - releasing a run of number one albums that redefined pop and rock music. 
 

In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Elton never intended to be a stage performer at all — his plan was to write songs for others 
- The unlikely and almost accidental origins of his ultimate songwriting partner 
- How his very first American concert drew a dozen rock legends into the audience 
- A deep, inside look at the classic albums that made him unstoppable 
- The artists who shaped his sound, his showmanship, and his fearless stage persona 
- And how he evolved into a master of the modern soundtrack — from Broadway to Hollywood 

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Guest Biography
Gillian Garr, author of Elton John, Captain Fantastic on the Yellow Brick Road. She's written extensively on music for a variety of publications, including Rolling Stone, Mojo and Goldmine. Gillian is the author of over 15 music biography books, including books on Green Day, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and the history of women in rock and roll. She joins us from  Seattle.  

This special episode dives into one of the most pivotal moments in rock history. With a new Bruce Springsteen biopic hitting theatres this month, we uncover the real story behind the making of an epic album — and the desperate fight to save his career.  It’s 1974...after two critically acclaimed but commercially disappointing albums, Bruce Springsteen is on the brink of being dropped by Columbia Records. Cornered by doubt and haunted by his past, he pushes himself, his band, and his producers to the breaking point — all in pursuit of the sound that would define him.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The backstory of his troubled childhood and how it affected him for life
• The complicated dichotomy that is Bruce's internal conflict for his entire career
• How the songs Born to Run, Jungleland and others evolved substantially in the studio
• The hidden meanings and themes of key songs on the album 
• A surprising reveal about the album's underlying theme
• The key role of a 22-year-old Born to Run studio sound engineer who would go to become a billionaire

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Guest Bio
Today we'll explore the making of the landmark album Born to Run with Bruce insider Peter Ames Carlin, author of the recently released Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run, which has already become a New York Times bestseller. Peter was on our previous episodes on the Story of R.E.M. and Story of Bruce Springsteen. He's also written definitive biographies on Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. 

From music to hairstyles to the very fabric of pop culture, The Beatles changed everything.  Having interviewed several Beatles himself, guest best-selling author Bob Spitz, (The Beatles: The Biography) shares astonishing, never-before-heard insights into their journey, influence, and the untold stories that shaped the most influential band of all time. Don’t miss this deep dive into Beatlemania like you’ve never heard before! You'll learn:

• The Beatles’ extremely difficult childhoods—and how it affected their personalities
• The fateful meeting that sparked John and Paul’s teenage friendship 
• The wild tour debauchery they kept hidden—until now
• The unexpected influences that shaped their sound
• The Beatles & Bob Dylan’s game-changing impact on each other
• The "biggest mistake that led to their breakup", according to insider Bob Spitz
• John Lennon’s near-tragic spiral into hard drugs and its effect on the group
• How a rock-n-roll outsider created The Beatles’ image 

Guest Bio:
Bob Spitz is a journalist and author of the million-selling book The Beatles: The Biography.  Early in his career,  Bob was a rock insider as manager for Bruce Springsteen and Elton John. He also authored a New York Times best-seller on Led Zeppelin and joined us as a guest on our Story of Led Zeppelin episode.   

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Travel back to the political protests and civil unrest of the late 1960s that spawned the legendary Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — America’s first supergroup comprised of members of previously successful bands. The result: clashing egos, legendary breakups, wild lives, yet timeless harmonies that stunned audiences and influenced The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, and many more that followed. You'll learn:

1. The very different upbringings & personalities of each of the four members 
2. How they played their first ever gig in front of 500,000 people
3. Their incredible creation of a powerful protest song only 3 weeks after an American tragedy
4. The often bitter in-group rivalries that challenged their very existence
5. How one member committed serious federal offences and was jailed   

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Guest Biography for this episode
David Browne is the author of Crosby Stills, Nash and Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup. David is a senior writer at Rolling Stone magazine and a former music critic at Entertainment Weekly. He's profiled legends like Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead and Sonic Youth. He joined us from New York. 

Experience one of music's big bang moments when 19-year-old Mick Jagger, carrying a handful of RnB albums, ran into Keith Richards on a train platform. Together, they would overcome tragedy, addictions, death and mayhem of all sorts to make it to the top and stay there.  This isn't just the tale of a band, it's the saga of survival, reinvention and rebellion, and at its core, it's the story of two kids from Dartford, Mick and Keith, who led The Stones to became undisputed icons of rock and roll. In Part 1 you'll learn. 

1. How fate intervened to bring all of The Stones together as a band
2. Who really founded The Stones and the strange origins of the band name  
3. The role that two women played in influencing their music 
4. About one of the first famous deaths in rock 
5. The financial mayhem they faced & the role of a mysterious Prince 
6. Some of the factors that drove their dark songs like Gimme Shelter & Sympathy for the Devil

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Subscribe to our bonus Garage to Stadium content across our social + web channels

Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field". 

In Part 2, we journey through the 1970s and ’80s, to experience how The Rolling Stones navigated financial ruin, courtroom battles, and drug-fueled chaos. Their survival and evolution forged their legend—every scar a jewel in the crown they wear today.  In Part 2 you'll learn:

1. How financial problems led to one of their finest albums 
2. About their legendary debaucherous 1972 tour 
3. That the chaos of 1970s New York City played a key role in their sound evolution 
4. Why Mick and Keith's relationship almost came to an end
5. How one of their most famous tunes started as a reggae song
6. The innovation The Stones brought to the concert touring model

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field". 

Hop on the wild ride of Led Zeppelin that swings between euphoric triumphs and gut-wrenching tragedies. Delve deep into the Led Zeppelin story with Bob Spitz, the author of Led Zeppelin: The Biography, who sheds light on the band's journey from their humble beginnings in 1968 to their premature demise in 1980.  In this episode, learn:

• How the founder of Zeppelin was a stellar studio musician seeking a new career challenge
• How the lead singer had the same background as the Peaky Blinders 
• How two famous members of the band were unknowns playing in bar bands  
• How Led Zep tours reached levels of sexual debauchery not seen before or since 
• How Zeppelin transformed music styles and concert economics for all artists
• How a 300-pound former wrestler created their innovative marketing strategy
• That one of its members was studying to be an accountant
• How several tragic events changed the band forever 

Led Zeppelin wasn't just a band but a powerhouse of talent. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones weren't your average musicians—they were session legends, popping up on more records than you can shake a drumstick at. From The Who and The Kinks to classical orchestra songs to commercial jingles, these guys played on all of them, bringing a wealth of musical experience to Led Zep recordings. Jimmy Page even seemed destined for prodigy status when, as a 13-year-old guitar player, he appeared on the BBC. 

 
Guest Bio:
Bob Spitz is a journalist and author of the best-selling book Led Zeppelin: The Biography.  Early in his career,  Bob worked as a manager for Bruce Springsteen and Elton John. He also authored a New York Times best-seller on the Beatles.   

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Led Zeppelin's journey was a whirlwind of highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies. Their musical prowess, unmatched charisma, and savvy marketing propelled them to the pinnacle of rock 'n' roll success. Led Zeppelin left an indelible mark on music history, from sold-out stadiums to groundbreaking albums.  Zep even teased everyone with a stellar performance in 2007 reunification in London featuring the three core members plus the son of their deceased drummer. 

Air date: 2024
Host: Dave Anthony

Step into the whirlwind journey of Fleetwood Mac, where relationships intertwine, songwriting flourishes, and musical evolution knows no bounds. We delve deep into the band's captivating narrative. In this rollicking episode, you'll learn:

• The origins of the band in England in the 1960s as a blues band featuring a very different lineup  
• How the founder suffered a severe mental health decline that altered the course of the band
• How the aristocratic son of a Royal Air Force commander went from a window cleaner to Fleetwood Mac leader
• How one band member left the band to join a cult
• How a trip to the grocery store led to the discovery of soon-to-be superstars Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham
• The revealing true meaning of 5 of their most famous songs based on Mark Blake's interviews with the band 

Join host Dave Anthony and Fleetwood Mac author Mark Blake for the fascinating story behind Fleetwood Mac's journey from the pubs of England to become a US and global phenomenon.   Picture this: a plot straight out of a gripping soap opera, where band members forge romantic connections, battle with addiction, weather breakups, and witness a revolving door of musical talent. And at the heart of it all lies Fleetwood Mac, a band synonymous with drama and musical brilliance.

Guest Bio:
Mark Blake is the author of the soon-to-be-released Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac and has interviewed each member of Fleetwood Mac several times over the decades. He has also written books on Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Pink Floyd.

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In this episode, you will experience the sights and sounds of the mid-1960s London scene version of Fleetwood Mac, typified by this performance on the BBC from the era.   Blake reveals the incredibly random way Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were discovered and went from a folk performing duo on their first album to becoming additional band members, contributing powerful songwriting, vocal harmonies, and Buckingham's blazing guitar.  These two were directly responsible for massive hits like Rhiannon, which was seen HERE in a scorching live performance in 1976 on NBC’s music show Midnight Special. 

Fleetwood Mac's journey had its share of challenges amid the musical triumphs. Mark Blake paints a vivid portrait of the band's dynamic personalities, fueled by passion, breakups, tension, drug use and the occasional thrown drink. Yet, from this cauldron of creativity emerged an album born from chaos yet etched into the annals of music history as one of the Top 10 albums of all time.

Original Air Date: 2024

Host: Dave Anthony

Travel back to early 1960s Motown when an 11-year old child prodigy mysteriously appeared on the scene. Stevie Wonder rose from deep poverty, a fractured home and a significant physical disability to become one of the most influential musicians of all time.  As you will hear, he was also a master of innovating new sounds, producing hits across many musical genres - soul, R'n'B, rock, reggae, pop, funk and more. In this episode you'll learn:

1. The incredible story of Stevie's birth and difficult family life 
2. How Motown records was formed by an unexpected source, and then discovered Stevie
3. The ultimatum by a young Stevie that changes his economic situation 
4. How a knock on a random door in New York resulted in Stevie's greatest albums
5. How a terrible accident changed Stevie forever 
6. About his diverse set of hits from various genres

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Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt  has followed Stevie's career for decades. Paulo was a writer for UK music magazines, New Musical Express and Melody Maker, where he both interviewed Stevie Wonder and reviewed several of his albums. Paulo has also written extensively about the hiphop scene and has authored books on several artists. He appeared on two very popular Garage to Stadiums episodes to discuss the careers of David Bowie and Oasis.  
 

Summer's here, time to crank some guitar riffs like only AC/DC can create.  We're revisiting one of our most electrifying episodes: The Story of AC/DC. From gritty Sydney pub gigs to conquering stadiums worldwide, AC/DC's rise is one of rock’s most powerful journeys. Along the way: tragedy, reinvention, and some of the most iconic riffs ever recorded.  This episode dives deep into the real story behind the band’s rise, with song clips from every era. You'll discover:

• The fascinating origins of the band name AC/DC 
• How The Rolling Stones played a role in developing AC/DC’s sound
• How a boyband singer helped evolve AC/DC’s music
• Why guitarist Angus Young created his trademark schoolboy outfit
• How tragedy has impacted and evolved the band
• Who helped the band create one of the Top 5 selling albums of all time

Whether you're a lifelong fan or just cranking "Back in Black" on your summer road trip, this episode hits all the right notes.

Guest Bio:
Martin Popoff has written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music. That number, incredibly, currently stands at 7900 reviews. He has authored 120 books on hard rock, classic rock, and punk. Martin is a sought after researcher having contributed to the various rock documentaries broadcast on VH1.  This interview is based on his recent book AC/DC at 50.

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Original Air Date: 2024

Host: Dave Anthony

One of our most beloved episodes returns—an unforgettable journey into the life of a legend. Discover how Bob Marley rose from the streets of Trenchtown, one of Jamaica’s poorest neighborhoods, to become a global icon whose music and message continue to inspire millions.

Renowned reggae historian John Masouri, author of Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston, joins us to trace Marley’s extraordinary path. From the birth of reggae to his fearless political activism. Tune in to hear his music forever changed the world. You’ll learn:

1. The shocking age gap between Bob Marley’s white father and Black mother — and how being mixed-race shaped Bob’s fight for identity in Jamaica.
2. Bob didn't start with reggae — discover the surprising genre he first chased.
3. How reggae fused American R&B, ska, and island rhythms into a revolutionary new sound.
4. Why gunmen tried to silence Bob — and how he survived an assassination attempt with gunshot wounds.
5. The unexpected African emperor who inspired Bob’s Rastafarian faith — and the dreadlocks that became his signature.
6. The Bob Marley album TIME magazine crowned the greatest music of the 20th century — and why it still resonates today.

Bob Marley is an international superstar who has reached the top of the musical and political worlds. Incredibly, he has won a UN humanitarian award for his political efforts and one of his albums was voted the best album of the 20th Century.

Guest Bio
John Masouri is a distinguished reggae historian and the author of several books on the genre including the definitive text on Bob Marley's life Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston. John is a highly acclaimed author and music journalist specializing in reggae and dancehall genres for more than 35 years. John's work has appeared in Music Week, The Guardian Observer and New Musical Express (NME).  
But his incredibly productive life did not begin this way. Nor did his music career begin with reggae. To hear more about Bob Marley's surprising and uplifting story, listen to this engaging episode to understand how and why he achieved his international superstar status. 

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It's the summer of 2025 & Bruce Springsteen has just released 7 - yes, seven - new albums containing 83 unreleased songs! And he's on a global tour.  Learn his incredible backstory from our classic episode from our archives. Experience his hardscrabble New Jersey childhood to becoming what Bono of U2 called the "John Steinbeck" of music with his lyrics on life in working class towns and the hopes, dreams and struggles of everyday people.  Our guest was Peter Ames Carlin, author of the New York Times bestselling book Bruce and the upcoming book Jungleland, the story of the making of the classic Bruce album Born to Run. 
 
In this episode, you'll hear:  

1. How Bruce grew up poor in a dysfunctional family with significant mental health issues
2. The proto-metal music that he played in a previous band
3. How his record label threatened to cut him unless he delivered a hit - resulting in one the top albums of the 1970's
4. How a Rolling Stone writer not only changed his destiny but became his manager
5. How the characters in his town infused his many poignant songs
6. How he played a vital role in both AIDs awareness and New York's 9/11 recovery 

Guest Bio:
Peter Ames Carlin is a journalist, critic and author of the New York Times best-seller called Bruce and is working on an upcoming book on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run album. His work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and the Times in the UK.

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Written from the everyday person's perspective, Springsteen songs like Born to Run, Thunder Road, Promised Land and Hungry Heart are mini-movies that put you squarely inside the main character's mind as they navigate life. As Bono of U2 said when he inducted Bruce into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, "if John Steinbeck could sing…".

The themes are as familiar as the American fabric: racing cars, highways, run-down factories, failed relationships, hopeful dreams, desperation, and redemption. Bruce helped create the American songbook of the ordinary person facing life milestones and challenges. 

As you will hear, his songwriting was driven home with legendary concert performances that leave audiences in awe, lasting at least three hours and sometimes stretching to four. Bruce's philosophy seems to be: if hard-working people are going to spend hard-earned dollars to see me play, I'll make sure they get their money's worth. His work ethic on stage fits his working-class image. Or, as our guest, Peter Ames Carlin calls him, "a blue-collar troubadour". 

Peter also describes in detail the impact of Bruce's father's mental health challenges on the family, which affected the family's finances and reputation in the community. He also outlines Bruce's later mental health struggles, as Bruce describes in this interview. 

Incredibly 40 years ago this week in July 1985, Queen and Freddie Mercury astonished a global audience at the Live Aid concerts for African famine relief.  An all star cast of the world's greatest bands performed that day, yet this was the moment that Freddie Mercury and crew blew everyone away and demonstrated that they remained one of the best live bands ever.  As part of our summer programming, we are dropping some of our classic episodes and The Story of Queen is one of them. 

Hear the incredible story of how Queen was started by a refugee immigrant and his new English friends and went from college band to stadium juggernaut selling 300 million albums worldwide.  This versatile band moved effortlessly across  genres like heavy rock, sumptuous ballads, funk & dance sounds, and even pop sounds. In this episode: 

• How a family desperately fleeing an African revolution brought the future lead singer to England
• How a astronomer, dentist and engineer each wrote multiple hit songs for the band
• When Freddie's early voice was compared to a "bleating sheep" by a fellow band member
• How Queen was duped into a questionable management contract and the vicious hit song that resulted 
• How one of their biggest hits resulted from a chance encounter with a famous studio visitor
• The backstory of the legendary performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert
• The details of why Freddie Mercury acted as an emergency roadie for David Bowie early in Bowie's career 

Guest Bio - Mark Blake,  journalist & author
Author and music journalist Mark Blake is the author of several books on Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Who.  He is an authority on the band Queen spending countless hours interviewing members of the band for his books Is this the Real Life: The Untold Story of Queen and Magnifico: The A to Z of Queen.

About Garage to Stadiums
One of the Top 5% podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists:  their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between. 

Each episode features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.  If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

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As Oasis hits the road for their global ‘Oasis Live ‘25 Tour’ we revisit the chaos, charisma, and culture-shifting moments of their original rise with this 2024 episode from our archives.  Our guest  is music journalist and author Paolo Hewitt, who had a front-row seat—literally and figuratively—on Oasis’ 1994–1996 world tour. He didn’t just cover the story; he lived it. As Noel Gallagher put it, “Paolo is the only person to speak about what it was like on the road with us because he’s been there. He’s been there, he’s seen it, he’s done it.”

Paolo takes us behind the scenes of the band’s meteoric ascent, sharing what it was really like to be caught in the whirlwind of Noel and Liam Gallagher's unpredictable energy, backstage madness, and the making of rock 'n' roll history.

 In this episode, you'll hear:

1. The incredible challenging childhood that the brothers overcame 
2. The secret formula that allowed Oasis to attract fans across several genres of music
3. How 80's acid house dance music influenced the Oasis sound
4. How they became the hottest band in a matter of months leading the way for the rise of "Britpop" 
5. Insider tales from our guest who witnessed their infamous tours and legendary brother-on-brother arguments 

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Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt, author & journalist
Author and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of 26 books covering a variety of subjects, from music to football to fashion. Two of his biggest sellers are Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis when he spent considerable time with the band during the 1994 to 1996 period and Forever The People, his account of the band's notorious Be Here Now tour in 1997-98. He was even asked to write a poem that appears on the inner sleeve of the (What's the Story) Morning Glory? that sold 22 million copies. 

Oasis has sold an incredible 75 million albums internationally and is now gearing up for its triumphant return to touring.  Oasis is notorious for for its brashness, antics and swagger.  However their talent is clear in the creation of their Britpop sound which was inspired by the music of The Beatles, David Bowie and The Who and more modern influences like The Stone Roses and The Smiths. The result: memorable, melodious stadium-ready songs that dominated the charts, and sound just as current today.