About this episode
Today’s featured artist is one of the most mysterious frontmen you could ever meet. Legally changing his name to a symbol and he did it before Prince! He claimed to be a time traveler from another planet… And he also says that he’s lived a past life on prehistoric Earth, back when the dinosaurs were roaming around. So I guess it’s no surprise that the name of his band came from a cult classic 1950s Japanese science fiction film featuring aliens in capes. It’s one of the biggest one-hit wonders ever… Question Mark and the Mysterians with the 1966 classic 96 Tears. Lead singer Question Mark was always hidden behind dark sunglasses, he led his band out of nowhere to the top of the charts with one of the most unexpected songs of the rock era… Paving the way for an army of garage rockers ever after and even inspiring the phrase punk rock… This #1 hit has an inescapable organ riff that defined an era. No one knew who the singer really was for decades… Let's try to find out next on Professor of Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .