As the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum On Route 66 prepares for its 5th annual Hall Of Fame awards ceremony in Chicago on September 27th, Janda had a chat with founder and CEO Ron Romero to talk about this year’s inductees and what a privilege it is to preserve the rich musical history of Illinois. The Drive will be the radio station honored with an induction in this year’s event, and the show will include performances by Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, Jim Peterik of Styx, The Boyzz, The Flock, members of American Breed, Plain White T’s, Hot Mix 5, and the family of the late Koko Taylor. Listen in on this lively chat in the new episode of the Behind The Song podcast!

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In this bonus episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda pays tribute to the late, great Tim Curry. Beyond his iconic role in the Rocky Horror Picture show and his other roles as an actor, he had an almost-forgotten career as a rock musician. Janda digs into how his overlooked solo albums had a big impact on none other than Joe Bonamossa, who launched his own musical career with an obscure deep cut from Curry.  

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In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda digs in to “London Calling” by The Clash, a song that called an alarm about what was going on in London and the world in the late 70’s, with “S.O.S.” in Morse code buried right in the track. Follow the story of how The Clash became more than just a broke punk band with the London Calling album, now considered one of the greatest albums ever made. 

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In this bonus episode of Behind The Song, Janda pays tribute to the late Dolly Parton. More than just a country singer, entertainer, or her late-in-life role as a surprise rock star, Dolly spent her life helping others, even when the cameras weren’t rolling. That philanthropy is her true legacy. Janda traces her story from a one-room cabin in Tennessee to becoming one of the most inspirational people in the world, high heels, wigs, rhinestones and all. 

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Fifty years ago this week, Boston released one of the best-selling debut albums in rock history. In the new bonus episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda flips through the class of ‘76 yearbook in classic rock, a year stacked with albums that still shape what we listen to today: Boston’s debut, Led Zeppelin's Presence, Rush's 2112, Aerosmith's Rocks, Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle, Blue Öyster Cult's Agents of Fortune, Bob Seger's Night Moves, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' debut. It was more than just a good year, it set the stage for what classic rock would become. Listen in and pick your own valedictorian from the Class of 1976! 

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In 1976, an exhausted AC/DC wrote "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" between tour stops, built around a line Angus Young lifted from a cartoon villain's business card. What followed was stranger than the song itself: an Illinois couple harassed for years because their real phone number matched the lyrics, a U.S. label that shelved the album for nearly five years and almost dropped the band, and a chart-topping American release that landed over a year after Bon Scott's death — competing directly with AC/DC's own new record at the time. In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda traces Bon Scott's wild backstory, the humor and heartbreak in his lyrics, and how this scrappy, nearly-buried album became a platinum classic on two different timelines.

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It started with literal spit! Roger Waters, spitting on a fan mid-concert in 1977. That moment was the inspiration behind one of rock's most ambitious concept albums, Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In this episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda dives into the chaotic making of the album, the four-city stage show too expensive to take anywhere else, and the courtroom battle over who actually got to be Pink Floyd — including the pettiest lawsuit workaround in rock history, involving an inflatable pig!

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Every year from August 1st to August 9th, Deadheads mark the “Days Between" — the span between Jerry Garcia's birth and death. In this bonus episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda digs into how a deep-cut song title that was only played 41 times by the band became the name of what has evolved into a high holy week for an entire community of Grateful Dead fans.

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Don Henley's “The Boys Of Summer” is a song with lyrical roots that trace back to the poet Dylan Thomas, but it got its musical start from a demo Mike Campbell played for Tom Petty -- who passed on it!  In an updated episode of the Behind The Song podcast, Janda takes a look at how “The Boys OF Summer” fits into the Eagles' story as the band winds down its farewell tour.  With Henley hinting this could be the Eagles' final year, this song about looking back has never felt more timely.

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Janda recaps night one of Rush's Fifty Something tour in Chicago on July 16, 2026— a show few fans thought they'd ever see after Neil Peart's passing in 2020. The episode covers drummer Anika Nilles winning over skeptics with a show-stopping "Tom Sawyer," the emotional Peart tributes, a full 2112 suite, a surprise nod to founding drummer John Rutsey, and the joy of watching Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson carry the band's legacy forward.

Part concert review, part love letter to five decades of Rush fandom — a reminder of why live music still hits like magic.

Spoiler alert: full setlist and show details discussed.

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