Rock School
Collection Summary
The Rock School special collection includes 915 episodes of KSLU’s long-running radio series The Rock School Radio Show. Episodes date back to 2007, when the series began, and continue to the present. Created by Dr. Joe Burns, a professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University, Rock School features music tracks and deep dives into the history, theory, and legal aspects of popular music.
Rock School has produced a new show each week for nearly two decades. Some episodes focus on unconventional genre categories, such as funny songs, songs with frequently misheard lyrics, covers with changed lyrics, diss songs, and songs about the end of the world. Several episodes highlight music from popular film and television, including the films of Quentin Tarantino and John Hughes, the James Bond film series, and the television show WKRP in Cincinnati.
Over the years, Joe Burns and his co-hosts have devoted episodes to specific bands and musical artists, including Van Halen, Jimmy Page, and The Doors. In some episodes, Burns and his co-hosts discuss the little-known details of famous concerts in rock history, such as the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair and the 1969 Altamont Speedway Free Concert. Several episodes focus on music showcasing specific instruments, from guitars to whammy bars.
Rock School has gained critical and popular acclaim for episodes such as “American Pie,” a two-part investigation into the meaning of the lyrics to Don McLean’s most famous song. The series has won several Communicator Awards, including the top prize for the episode “Jackson-McCartney and the ATV Catalog” in the longform radio, production, and news writing categories. Episodes on copyright law, the “American Music Fairness Act,” and artificial intelligence address the impact of legislation and AI on broadcasting and the music industry.
Collection Background
KSLU–also known as 90.9 The Lion–is the campus radio station of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. On the air since 1974, the station became part of Southeastern Athletics in 2023. KSLU airs local talk shows, coverage of campus and community events, news, and sports. Music programming focuses on album-oriented rock during the day and blues and R&B in the evenings.
In 2007, one of Joe Burns’ students invited him to do a segment on the air. The segment proved popular with listeners, prompting Burns to expand it into a weekly series. Rock School is currently hosted by Burns and his wife Tammy and is distributed by PRX.
