Rock N' Roll Theatre – Details, episodes & analysis

KISS were at their commercial peak when they brought KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park to television screens in 1978. To be a little more accurate, the second-highest rated made-for-TV movie of 1978. Co-hosts Jon and Mark dissect the mysterious on-goings at a theme park run amok by the creations of the (recently fired) mastermind Mr. Devereaux. With rock n' roll, kung-fu, talismans, and the ability to fly, only the real KISS can save the day.

You wanted the best... but you got this instead! 

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

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• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
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Welcome to the Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast! Co-hosts Jon and Mark kick-off their new series exploring movies that rock. Each episode will cover theatrical release information, memorable scenes, soundtracks, critical reception, and the lasting legacy for every hit or miss on the big screen. 

Episodes available now!

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

Prince and the Revolution unleashed Purple Rain onto the big screen in 1984. Co-hosts Jon and Mark try to make sense of some of the more bizarre scenes found alongside the rocking club footage at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Was The Kid really just making music for himself? Could they really compete with Morris Day leading the Time? What about that water gun guitar solo at the end? 

Dearly beloved, the elevator may have broken down...  

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

The first episode of Rock N' Roll Theatre covers the 1979 classic cult film Rock N' Roll High School starring the Ramones. Co-hosts Jon and Mark discuss everything from Marky Ramone playing invisible drums on the sidewalk to exploding white mice in Principal Togar's Rock-o-Meter lab experiment. Let's not forget that ripping live set at The Roxy either. Includes a full breakdown of the official soundtrack and a few fun facts about this piece of cinematic punk history.

Hey! Ho! Vince Lombardi high, let's go! 

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

Metallica entered the early 2000s at a crossroads. Without a bass player and without a sense of direction, the remaining members forged on with a therapy coach and a documentary film crew in their quest to complete the 2003 album "St. Anger." The result was the overly long, reality TV-vibe induced, Some Kind of Monster. Co-hosts Jon and Mark make their way through this journey from the military barracks at Presidio to the stage at MTV Icon.

This monster lives... but he's in therapy!

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

That Thing You Do! was Tom Hanks' debut as a writer and director that chronicled the rise and fall of a fictional garage rock band called The Wonders in 1964. Climbing the charts with their hit single that doubles as the namesake of the film, the band went from local talent shows to Hollywood prime-time TV in only a matter of months. Co-hosts Jon and Mark revisit this hurricane of 1960's rock stardom led by Hanks himself as Mr. White.

Are you alone in your principles?

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

Eminem's debut on the big screen was in 2002 with the semi-autobiographical movie called 8 Mile. Not only did the film open at number one on the U.S. box office, its soundtrack clinched the number spot on the U.S. Billboard 200, and the track "Lose Yourself" notched his first number one U.S. single. That's a lot of number ones. Co-hosts Jon and Mark journey through the inner Detroit rap battle scene to see how Rabbit and his crew got the last laugh on Papa Doc and the Free World.

Join us for a long walk all the way back to the trailer park. Just watch out for those paintball guns.

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
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• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

In 1982, Bruce Springsteen released a self-recorded, lo-fi album with no press called "Nebraska". In 2025, Jeremy Allen White starred in Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere and delivered a strong performance that chronicled the struggles Springsteen was facing while making the album. Co-hosts Jon and Mark ride through the highs and lows of this rocking biopic that ends up leaving a little gas in the tank.

The Boss might be lost, but do you know who you are?! That makes one of us.

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

The real-life story of Mike and Claire Sardina as Lightning & Thunder was brought to the big screen in 2025 with Song Sung Blue. These life-long musicians teamed up to deliver the hits of Neil Diamond to audiences in the Milwaukee area in the 1980s and 1990s. Join co-hosts Jon and Mark as they venture through this musical-drama crossover and uncover a film with two very different halves.

Welcome to a Neil Diamond experience!

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
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• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod

The Spice Girls brought 90s Brit-pop to the big screen with Spice World. Filled with musical numbers, celebrity cameos, and a whole lot of confusion, this film had the band tear through London in a double-decker bus with that evil paparazzi in hot pursuit. Join co-hosts Jon and Mark as they do their best to follow along.

It's time to spice up your life!

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Rock N' Roll Theatre Podcast

• Website: rnrtheatrepod.com
• Instagram: @rnrtheatre
• TikTok: @rnrtheatrepod
• YouTube: @rnrtheatrepod