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The Devil and Rock Music

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio
Published May 5, 2014 at 5:50 PM MDT
The name of the metal band KISS was rumored to stand for "Knight's in Satan's Service."

In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, there were a lot of rumors about the dangers of rock music. If you played The White Album backwards, was John Lennon really saying "turn me on dead man"? Did Led Zeppelin have hidden messages in Stairway to Heaven? Ministers preached and albums were burned to protect against communism, secret societies, and the occult. Tuesday, we're talking with folklorist Lynne McNeill and journalist Jesse Walker about the era of backmasking paranoia and asking what it reveals about our fears.

Lynne McNeill teaches folklore at Utah State University. She's the author of Folklore Rules [Amazon|Indiebound]

Jesse Walker is a senior editor at Reason magazine and Reason.com. He's the author of The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory [Amazon|Indiebound]
Curiosities
Doug Fabrizio
Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
See stories by Doug Fabrizio