Professor of Rock

Go to https://buyraycon.com/professorofrockBC to get 30% off. Thanks to Raycon for sponsoring! We need this show right now. I have always believed that music is the universal language, it is the thread that weaves our entire civilization together. Songs serve as hallmarks of our history and as the checkpoints of our lives. Think about it. Songs are like time machines that transport us back to the moments that matter most in our lives. And in times of adversity and in our darkest hours, great music can motivate us to rise above anything. Today, I going to count down my 7 picks for the stories of songs that have rescued someone in times of distress, literally saving lives. Including the story of two men trapped in an underground mining disaster, who survived in large part thanks to an iPod loaded with rock music from one specific band: The Foo Fighters. And then Runaway Train and its milk carton-inspired music video became a powerful crime-solving campaign, saving dozens of missing teens around the world. But our countdown starts with a legendary NBA player who sat in his truck with a loaded weapon ready to take his own life. Until this 1 Pearl Jam song started playing and saved his life… He went on to win 3 consecutive NBA Championships. Let’s do it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive Producer Brandon Fugal Honorary Producers SRoth, Eric Casella, Sherill Thatcher, Christina Root, K&K Bosemer, Chris Hedlger ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast Apple: https://apple.co/445fVov Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42JpfvU Amazon: https://amzn.to/44b5D6m iHeartRadio: https://bit.ly/444h8MO ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patreon: http://bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan Merch Store: https://professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com/ Instagram: https://bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock #classicrock #70music #vinylstory #70srock Hey Music Junkies, today I’m doing a special precursor to a documentary series that we are working on called Songs Save Us, with some songs from the past that have literally saved people's lives. At #7 We start with a song that I know means a lot to a lot of people… including one of the NBA’s most notorious players who once sat in a truck with a loaded [weapon], ready to end his life. Distraught and sobbing, he put on his cassette of Pearl Jam's Ten and one of the songs literally saved his life. That song is our #4 pick on the countdown… Black. So who was that NBA star? You might know him by his nickname The Worm or by his flamboyant hairstyles. It’s 5 time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. The man was a magnet for controversy during his career, but whether you loved him or hated him, you can’t deny the man played with passion. As far as his backstory goes, Dennis Rodman grew up without the one thing he needed most. His parents. Both were consistently absent from his life, and that really affected him in a negative way. When Dennis played for the Detroit Pistons, the team really embraced him as one of their own, and that era gave him family for the first time. But after he won 2 NBA titles with Detroit, that chapter came to an end. His coach and father figure Chuck Daly left. Teammates were traded away. And Rodman learned that the NBA was a business first, cold and transactional. For someone who had spent decades searching for belonging, it was a tough pill to swallow. And to make matters worse, Rodman’s marriage was imploding around the same time. Their separation led to his wife moving away with their young daughter, which devastated Dennis. So one night in the early 90s, Rodman drove to the parking lot of the Palace of Auburn Hills and sat in his car… with a loaded weapon on his lap. Also with him, he had a note that explained that he was ready to end it all. But as he sat there in his grief, Rodman he turned on some music. Pearl Jam’s 1991 album Ten came through the speakers… The music was raw and painful. And it resonated with Rodman. And then track five started playing… Black. It was a song about devastating loss it was as beautiful as it was dark. Eddie Vedder’s lyrics and vocals are so agonizing on this one. But as Dennis sat there with a loaded weapon, listening… the racing thoughts in his head slowed down and he actually just fell asleep there in his car. When Dennis woke up, police had surrounded the vehicle, and they were able to de-escalate the situation. Since then, Rodman has spoken about that evening on multiple occasions, and has credited Pearl Jam for coming to his rescue. Dennis explained that he became a fan of the band after getting to meet Vedder. Eddie suggested Dennis check out their album Ten.