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The Ben Maynard Program

Ben

"Tell Your Story". Everyone has a story. Not just the famous. This is a guest driven program but when we are "guest free", It's just YOU and ME! I love music and we will talk a lot about it.  Enjoy the ride!
#podcast #benmaynardprogram #music #tellyourstory #music #spotify #maynard #videopodcast #thebenmaynardprogram@buzzsprout.com #socialmedia #journey 

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  • 24 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 22 min
  • English

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Episodes 24

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  • May 8 · 1 hr 20 min

    EP. 131 THE BEST OF THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 MAY 7, 1983!

    Send us Fan Mail One week. Forty songs. A whole time machine. We’re building a Billboard Top 40 playlist from May 7, 1983, and the deeper we go, the more you can hear the early 80s music world colliding: rock guitars next to synth hooks, country crossover next to new wave, and the MTV era starting to decide what “big” really means. We start with a quick life update on why I’ve been out of the studio and how much work goes into researching and writing a chart-heavy show. Then I tell the story of catching Olivia Harms live, from the simple trick of sitting near the sound booth to the small, personal moments that remind you why live music still matters. It’s a great reset before we dive into the numbers. From there, it’s a guided countdown packed with context and nostalgia: Journey showing up twice, Culture Club gaining momentum, Duran Duran breaking through, and classic pop craftsmanship from Lionel Richie, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and more. We also talk about “staying power” and why songs used to live on the charts long enough to become part of your life, not just a quick spike. And when we hit the top, the Michael Jackson run is unreal: Billie Jean on the chart, Beat It at No. 1, plus the wild behind-the-scenes connections like Eddie Van Halen’s solo and Toto’s fingerprints all over the Thriller era. If you love Billboard chart history, 1980s pop and rock, and making playlists that actually feel like a story, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who lived it (or needs to hear it), and leave a review with the one song that took you back the fastest. Support the show Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM I also welcome your comments. email: pl8blocker@aol.com

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  • April 18 · 1 hr 1 min

    EP. 130 "FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!" The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Keeps Getting It Wrong

    Send us Fan Mail The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame just dropped its latest class and I’m equal parts pumped and irritated. Some picks feel overdue and undeniable, and others make me wonder what the Hall thinks “rock and roll” even is anymore. So I grabbed my notes, went live on the patio, and did what I always do on Friday Night Live: talk music, tell stories, and say the quiet part out loud. We run through the Rock Hall inductees and I explain why names like Phil Collins, Billy Idol, and Iron Maiden belong in the conversation, plus the strange behind-the-scenes detail most people miss: the Hall doesn’t just honor bands, it decides which members “count.” That leads into Iron Maiden’s lineup history, Blaze Bayley getting added, and why the ceremony can feel disconnected from the artists themselves. Then we hit the other side of the list: who didn’t get in, why the fan vote is way less powerful than people assume, and the snubs that still feel criminal, including INXS. Along the way, I share a recent concert recap with Steve Augeri’s band and a rare soundcheck experience, plus a little nostalgia detour through National Ford Mustang Day and my first car story. If you care about classic rock, music history, rock hall voting, and the artists that shaped everything we listen to now, this one’s for you. Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts, share the episode with a music fan, and leave a review with your pick for the biggest Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame snub. Who should get in next? Support the show Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM I also welcome your comments. email: pl8blocker@aol.com

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  • April 11 · 54 min

    EP. 129 We Build The Ultimate April 1976 Playlist

    Send us Fan Mail April 1976 is one of those weeks where the radio dial feels like an entire universe. We pull up the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 from the first week of April 1976 and react in real time, from songs we wore out as kids to deep cuts we barely recognize until the title jogs the memory. Along the way we talk about what Top 40 radio edits left out, why certain hooks became permanent, and how a track can rise, fall, or hang on for dear life depending on what the culture wanted that week. The chart run turns into a time capsule: disco energy rubbing shoulders with classic rock, soft rock, country crossover, and the kind of pop that only the 1970s could make feel normal on the same list. We hit big landmarks like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Dream On,” and “Dreamweaver,” plus the #1 that still gets everyone singing. If you love building playlists, you’ll have plenty of prompts to make your own “April 1976” set and test which songs still sound alive today. Then we zoom out from singles to albums and dig into a handful of 1976 releases that shaped careers and changed trajectories: Rush taking a massive risk with “2112,” Kansas landing their defining moment with “Leftoverture,” Paul McCartney and Wings firing back with “Silly Love Songs,” Bob Seger breaking through with “Night Moves,” and Journey in the fascinating pre-Steve Perry years on “Look Into The Future.” We close with some current show plans that tie the old music to the live stage right now. If this kind of music history and real-listener commentary is your thing, subscribe on your podcast app, watch on YouTube, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. Support the show Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM I also welcome your comments. email: pl8blocker@aol.com

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  • March 29 · 1 hr 16 min

    EP. 128 Growing Up Under Iran’s Regime And Finding Freedom In America

    Send us Fan Mail Most Americans only meet Iran through a headline, a chant, or a talking head. Then Sormeh walks into our studio and calmly says what almost never makes the news: the Iranian people are not the Iranian regime, and many Iranians don’t hate Americans at all. She grew up in Tehran, lived the fear and the censorship, and still has family there, so this isn’t theory or politics for sport. It’s personal. We talk about what it feels like to be a kid forced to chant “Death to America,” what you can’t say at school, and why families learn to split life into “inside the house” and “outside the house.” Sormeh explains the pressure of internet shutdowns in Iran, why VPNs become normal, and how even a simple phone call to check on relatives can be risky when you assume someone is listening. We also get into the parts that are hard for Americans to picture: bans around music and dancing, fear of hospitals after protests, and the way the IRGC’s control shows up in everyday choices. From there, we zoom out to the bigger questions: why the world ignores certain human rights abuses, what hope looks like for people living under the Islamic Republic, and why many Iranians fear a “ceasefire” if it leaves the same regime in place. We also discuss the Iranian diaspora’s rallies, why you often see American flags there, and what kind of leadership and free elections people are calling for, including mention of Reza Pahlavi. If you care about media literacy, human rights, Iranian protests, or the real story behind US-Iran tension, this conversation adds the missing human element. Subscribe to the Ben Maynard Program, share this with someone who only knows Iran from TV, and leave a review or a comment with what challenged you most.#tellyourstory #familymatters #realstories #humanrights #iran #womenofiran #standwithiran #freeiran #middleeast Support the show Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM I also welcome your comments. email: pl8blocker@aol.com

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Showing 21–24 of 24 episodes