The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast
The Ugly American Werewolf in London is a weekly podcast about classic rock, hard rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, early MTV, 80s music, UK vs. US chart success and all things rock! Hosted by The Wolf and Action Jackson, who interview rock legends, review classic albums and concerts of their favorite classic rock bands each week. Once a month, they welcome musicians, writers and fans to First Concert Memories to tell about one particular night where a live concert changed their life. Action & The Wolf have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of rock music and its history - tune in to hear what they're passionate about! Proud part of Pantheon Podcasts!
Episodes
November 6, 2025 • 83 mins
Every metalhead knows Motorhead for their all out attack playing style with raunchy lyrics that bounces you from one three minute bludgeoning to the next. When Lemmy Kilmister (gravely vocals and lead bass), "Fast" Eddie Clark (lead guitar), and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor recorded Ace of Spades in 1980, the band were hot. 1979 saw the release of Overkill and Bomber, two beloved classics in their catalog, the latter of which goi...
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November 1, 2025 • 48 mins
On a very special First Concert Memories we welcome two extraordinary guests to not only tell us all about a series of concerts from 50 years ago but for an upcoming show that will celebrate a very special tour in music history.
The enchanting Scarlet Rivera, a world renowned violinist who toured with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in the 1970s's and played the haunting violin on Hurricane, is teaming up with Stu Allen to c...
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October 30, 2025 • 80 mins
1982 saw supergroup Asia reach the top of the charts with their self-titled debut which would go onto be the #1 selling album in the US that year. Smash hit Heat of the Moment hit #1 on the rock charts and so Geffen pushed them back into the studio for 1983's follow up Alpha which went platinum. To take advantage of this momentum, Geffen Records put together Asia in Asia in late 1983 - the first satellite concert broadcast via MT...
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October 23, 2025 • 70 mins
By 1985, Simple Minds were coming off a #1 album in the UK with Sparkle in the Rain and sales from all around the world. But it only went to #64 in the US and they needed something to spark greater interest across the pond. When Don't You Forget About Me from The Breakfast Club Soundtrack hit #1 in May 1985, a song they originally resisted, they had that spark and built on that success with memorable performance at Live Aid in Ph...
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October 16, 2025 • 53 mins
Long time listeners know that Rush is one of The Wolf's top 3 favorite bands of all time. The Wolf & Action Jackson camped out to see Rush on the Roll The Bones Tour and The Wolf has seen them 12x live. After reviews of Fly By Night and Caress of Steel at 50 plus an interview with longtime collaborator Hugh Syme on the 250th and a First Concert Memories show on the mini-tour between Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures, we figured...
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October 9, 2025 • 76 mins
Mark Knopfler is a celebrated guitar player and songwriter. And while his voice may not win awards for being pretty, his world-weary story songs fit his oakey-mellow vocals perfectly. Sultans of Swing of Dire Straits eponymous debut in 1978 catapulted Mark and the band to stardom with gold and platinum sales around the world. Though their 1979 follow up also sold well it didn't sell nearly as well as the first. So the band made...
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October 2, 2025 • 80 mins
By 1980, The Police were really on a roll. Their first two albums, Outlandos d'Amour and Regatta de Blanc had introduced their punk/reggae stylings to the world and had earned platinum awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Their success meant they were in demand - as a live act around the world and in the studio by A&M records. Also due to their success, they had to record outside of the UK and chose Wisseloord Studio in the Net...
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October 1, 2025 • 62 mins
As teenagers, The Wolf & Action Jackson dreamed of seeing Led Zeppelin live. However, the boys came of age in the 1980s after the band had broken up following the death of John Bonham. They were forced to live with ill-fated one-off reunions like Live Aid, Atlantic Records 40th and Knebworth. While they jumped at the chance to see Page/Plant in the mid-90s doing reworked versions of Zeppelin classics, they knew it would never be...
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September 25, 2025 • 70 mins
1975 found Genesis in a time of transition. After coming off a lengthy and technically difficult tour for their 1974 album The Lamb LIes Down On Broadway, most everyone was a little burned out. Peter Gabriel ended up leaving the band to embark on a solo career (one that would land him in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame) and the band were left with a lengthy audition process to replace him. Meanwhile, guitarist Steve Hackett had bee...
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September 18, 2025 • 81 mins
Longtime listeners of our show know that The Wolf is an unabashed American Oasis fan. Though he wasn't onboard from the jump, once he discovered the melodies and lyrics of Noel Gallagher, he became a true believer ready to fly the Oasis flag in an attempt to convert more US fans. But Oasis were more of a phenomenon in the UK thanks to a new liberal government, the rise of Brit Pop and Cool Britannia while they were just a couple ...
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September 11, 2025 • 87 mins
In late 1975, Rush were feeling confident. Their previous album Fly By Night had taken a step forward from their eponymous debut and new drummer Neil Peart had not only set a new standard for drumming but was ready to become the band's lyricist thanks to his voracious appetite for reading. Thanks to Neil, the lyrics could become more introspective while also walking into a fantastic fantasy world of conquering heroes and their j...
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September 4, 2025 • 74 mins
We at The Wolf are excited to present our 250th episode of UAWIL and want to take a moment to thank all our loyal listeners & social media followers. Building this show and the community of fellow rock fans has been such a fun and sometimes magical adventure around the world these past 5 years. We want to express our sincere thanks for coming on the journey with us.
Also, we like to do big guests on our 50th shows - Ryan Conda...
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September 1, 2025 • 64 mins
On the 26th edition of First Concert Memories, we go back to 1986 to hear the story of one young rock fan's first ever Van Halen concert. Our Pantheon Podcasts brother Ilan Fong of What's Hot in the Strip Clubs was only 8 or 9 years old when he heard his older sister playing Van Halen I on her stereo. From that moment, his life was changed and was always curious about the music coming from the rooms of his older siblings. He'd w...
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August 28, 2025 • 84 mins
By 1985, The Replacements had seen and done a few things. They'd recorded a couple of records (see our review of Let It Be at 40) and been out on some tours. They'd made enough noise that they were signed to major label Sire and were ready to take on the world with bigger shows, music videos and tv appearances. But wait, were they?
The boys were still drinking heavily thanks to Bob Stinson and Paul Westerberg's crippling stag...
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August 21, 2025 • 66 mins
The Wolf has had a complicated relationship with The Black Crowes. As a young man, he felt the music industry had conspired to anoint the Crowes as the next big thing in rock. MTV, rock radio, Rolling Stone, etc all seemed to be on the Crowes bandwagon and were shoving them down our throats (or that's what it seemed like). The fact that their first single was a cover and Chris Robinson's cocky attitude just didn't jibe with what...
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August 14, 2025 • 71 mins
It's hard to imagine being in Pink Floyd in 1975. 1973's Dark Side of the Moon had not only achieved high praise from the critics but had sold better than most any album ever recorded. Nick Mason, Rick Wright, Roger Waters and David Gilmour had soared to extraordinary heights thanks to their balance of technological experimentation, their examination of modern capitalistic life and Waters' biting lyrics. They had plenty of money...
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August 7, 2025 • 75 mins
Queensryche were always different from their hard rock & hair metal brethren in the 80s & 90s. Based out of Seattle, Geoff Tate (vocals), Chris DeGarmo (lead guitar), Michael Wilton (lead & rhythm guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) created a more prog rock sound akin to that of Rush or Dream Theater. Tate's soaring vocals against the brilliant guitar work and fiesty rhythm section gave them a sound all th...
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August 1, 2025 • 61 mins
As we start our 3rd year of First Concert Memories, the monthly sidecast from your friends at The Ugly American Werewolf in London, we welcome our friend Richard Evans to tell the tale of seeing Bruce Springsteen live in 1980. Richard is the head writer of Rock N Roll Archeology, one of the great podcasts in the Pantheon Podcasts family, which is hosted by Pantheon CEO & Co-Founder Christian Swain. Richard & Christian have been f...
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July 31, 2025 • 60 mins
1969 was a big year for Carlos Santana. He played Woodstock one week before his debut album was released and he saw it rise the charts and sell millions in the US. With the wind at his back, he and his band came back with momentum and on September 23, 1970 they released Abraxas which would go onto sell over 5 million copies. To some, it was an introduction to the fusion that Santana and his band created by blending jazz, rock, b...
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July 24, 2025 • 80 mins
Most casual Yes fans aren't familiar with their 1980 release Drama. After 8 years of gold and platinum releases, Drama failed to sell as well as its 70s prog counterparts like Close To The Edge or Fragile. When they went to the south of France to record in late 1979, it was the most celebrated Yes lineup of Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (Bass), Steve Howe (guitars), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and Alan White (drums), Coming ...
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