Inspired by the experience of a failed screen test for a film about one of the most controversial comedians of the 20th century, Lenny Bruce…superstar singer-songwriter Neil Diamond composed the most personally challenging song of his illustrious career. I Am… I Said…. It took him 4 months to write. It was a daily battle to put that song on paper that drained him emotionally. But when it was completed, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling songs he had ever written. It came from therapy sessions he was having at the time. However, one lyric about a chair inspired a famous journalist to write a scathing book about Bad Songs, Wherein he ripped this Neil Diamond and This 70s classic to Shreds…However, the fans struck back and the hate mail was so insurmountable the journalist had to write a public apology. The story of this climatic song and the incredible journey to stardom by its legendary author is NEXT….on Professor of Rock.

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Brandon Fugal

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Jaredt M, Jerry Smith, Jason Walker, SRoth, Eric Casella, Sherill Thatcher, Christina Root

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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember trying to draw a masterpiece with your etch and sketch and settling for a bunch of wavy lines… You’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia make sure to, subscribe below right now. I promise that you are going to love this channel. We also have a Patreon you'll want to check out. There you’ll find an additional catalog of exclusive content and you can even become an honorary producer to help us curate this music history.

Ya know… It’s interesting to look back at fellow classmates from your school days and observe their respective journeys into adulthood. Occasionally, you recall someone who consistently held a leadership role – perhaps the class president, head of a club, or valedictorian. Upon discovering that they've achieved significant success in their career, you say to yourself, “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me.” Then you reflect back on kids who were painfully shy, or reclusive. It’s easy to predict that those classmates remained in the background as adults, just as they were in their youth.

Noah Kaminsky, more famously known as Neil Leslie Diamond, was one of those painfully shy kids. He was extremely awkward, especially with members of the opposite sex. When I learned that about Neil, I’ve wondered what his classmates thought would happen to him. Did any of his peers imagine that he would be in the spotlight as an entertainer? Many probably couldn’t even remember the name ‘Noah Kaminsky.’ As a boy, Neil may not have been able to find the courage to speak out and express himself, but there was much going on inside that young mind and soul of his, just waiting to be liberated.

Neil harbored a reservoir of pent-up emotions, and writing became his outlet for releasing those frustrations. Transitioning from not writing to a perpetual state of penning lyrics, he found himself jotting down words everywhere – at home, in school, on a subway – the location didn't matter; he was constantly writing. The future superstar wrote with such intensity that he often ran out of paper. He soon discovered that he had a gift for writing poetry, and he used that skill to write love letters to girls he had a crush on. It proved to be a very effective way to