Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music

Everybody knows Cyndi Lauper’s big hit, “Girls Just want to have Fun”, but not so well-known is her career since then - a star-turn on “We are the World”, a string of great albums including Billboard's Blues Album of the Year, and writing “Kinky Boots”, a hit Broadway musical, all contribute to her story.    Our album "To Listen To Before You Die" this week – Leonard Cohen’s “Songs...

We live in a time of dramatic change, in music as much as anything else - what we listen to, how we collect it and how we consume it. The Walkman and the iPod have come and gone, and the record collection is a thing of memory.   The boys look at how much has changed during the rock era, for good or ill.  Our “Before You Die” album this episode is “The Madcap Laughs” by Syd Barrett, ex-Pink Floyd. ...

Alice Cooper - a story of intrigue, drugs and great stage shows.  While influencing The Sex Pistols, Kiss, Bowie, the movie, “A Clockwork Orange” and Australia’s Jimmy and the Boys, Alice Cooper morphed from a band to an individual, and left an enormous legacy in today’s rock world.  This week’s “Before You Die” album is Marc Bolan’s “Electric Warrior”, which didn’t impress the boys at all, despit...

We listen to songs all the time and think we know what they’re about.  But do we really?  Mick and The Phatman look at songs that have hidden meanings, or it’s not clear what they’re about or, to quote The Princess Bride, “I don’t think it means what you think it means”. Our “Before You Die” album is “Cosmo’s Factory” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, an album loaded with hits, and talk about why C...

Rock stars generally are made almost completely of ego. They believe they are fantastic, and anyone who disagrees with must be wrong. Combine that with a bad attitude, or drugs and alcohol, and you’ve got a problem. The boys this week talk about some of the most famous feuds in rock, including Oasis, who could start a fight in an empty room. On top of that, this week's feature album is "...

 We've all seen rock music on screen – movies, TV, documentaries, cable/streaming - purely rock music and musicians or simply featuring music or a notable performance. Sometimes it’s rock music as the soundtrack – setting the mood, making a comment.  Mick and Jeff have a look at some fun examples - both good and bad! We take an in-depth look at "Sticky Fingers" by The Stones, and ta...

Who is most responsible for creating your favourite music?  This episode, we look at the role of the record producer, and talk about some of the most successful producers of the rock era. We also take a look at another great album you should hear. In 1973, Lou Reed released "Berlin” , which has since come to be critically acclaimed, and regarded by many fans as Reed's best work.  It&apos...

"Best of" lists can be subjective, depending on who is surveyed, and what they were asked. There’s a huge difference between popular and “all-time great”, and great music needs to stand the test of time.  So, we’ve had a look back at Aussie albums over the years and decided we’d talk about some albums we regard as the "best of all time".     References:  Fleetwood Mac, Rumours,...

Cars and motorbikes have forever been a key part of rock’n’roll songs and lifestyle. In the Western world, kids had cars, sometimes borrowed from their parents but increasingly their own.   Cars offered status, escape from daily life, and, of course, a means to sex!! When you’re in your car, you want to hear songs about cars and driving, and rock'n'roll was happy to deliver.   In this ep...

Australian music tells the world who we are, who we think we are, about our landscape and history. In this episode, we talk about the songs that define Australia and look at some myths as we go.  We also address the critical question: “ Where would we be without sugar cane?”  References:  Free, Bad Company, Paul Rodgers, The Go-Betweens, Peter Grant, Swan Song, Gangajang, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes,...

Welshman John Cale is a founder member of The Velvet Underground and a prolific solo artist. Over a career spanning seven decades, he sings and plays a multitude of instruments (viola, piano, guitar, et al), always questing for something new.  His work, though sometimes challenging, has moments of rare beauty and musical virtuosity. Mick and the Phatman discuss the breadth of Cale’s career, pointi...

What IS a cover version?  Why do artists cover other artists' songs?  Who has had the most songs covered?  Has there ever been a cover version better than the original?  Mick and the Phatman talk about these and other pressing issues to kick off Season 2 with a bang!    References:  COVID immunity, Crowded House, “Woodface”, “1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die”, Robert Dimery, “Here Com...

After banging around the Australian Outback, the Globite school bag has turned red with a white furry fringe.  Mick opened it and out erupted tinsel, mistletoe, snow angels, Santa hats, and around 3 tons of glittery baubles!   It’s Christmas and Mick and the Phatman look at songs that fit the season.    References:  Patti Labelle, The Chipmunks, The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl, Bing Crosby, David Bowie...

Episode 23 - Pub Rock – Mi-Sex, INXS and other stories  Mi-Sex burst onto the Aussie pub rock scene scene in the late-70's and early-80's with a fantastic first album, but gradually declined over the next 3 albums. We talk about their career, and touch on a whole bunch of bands from that period, including INXS before they became a huge stadium band. This podcast is the best way to hear a...

Before streaming, one of the great pleasures of rock music was looking at the record cover.  The record cover was often an artistic statement by itself, sometimes featuring award-winning art, great photographs and creating an image for the artist. Mick and The Phatman talk through some highlights of that era and ask, "What's your favourite record cover?" Features:   "The Great&...

In mid-70's London, the Sex Pistols released their first and only album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols". After the controversy, the legal battles, and the arguments, we're left with one of the best rock-n-roll albums ever.  Mick and the Phatman talk about the band, where they came from, and why the album is so great. References: Uluru, Red Sands Motel, M...

During COVID lockdown, Facebook challenged people to list the albums that influenced them most, one per day.  Today, the boys talk about what they posted, and what makes those albums the best. With a list including Roxy Music's "Stranded", Television's "Marquee Moon", "The Queen is Dead" by The Smiths, Neil Young's "Rust Never Sleeps", Bowie&a...

 An inevitable feature of life is that it ends. The same applies to rock stars.  Is death a good career move?  Is there such a thing as a cursed band?  We talk about famous stars who’ve died, from Elvis through to the New York Dolls, with some interesting detours along the way.   References:  Elvis, The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dragon Bob Evans Pearl: Janis Joplin Jim Croce Send us a message, so w...

Rolling Stone is one of the oldest and most respected rock music publications in the world.   They have just released a list called the "Top 500 Songs of all Time". Hard to believe, but Mick & the Phatman have some thoughts on this list - how good it is; what Rolling Stone got right; what they got wrong; and talk about some real "What were they thinking?" moments. Plus the...

From Roxy Music in the 70's, through to producing some of the most influential music of the rock era, Brian Eno stands high as an artist for the ages.  40 years later, his four art/pop solo albums stand as testaments to his innovative spirit, while he has gone on to help create some of the strongest work of giants such as Bowie, Fripp, Talking Heads, Ultravox, U2 and Coldplay. Mick and the Ph...

Episode 16 – Songs about Heroin   We look at how pervasive heroin has been in the world of rock music.  Some songs, like "Heroin" by The Velvet Underground, are clearly about the drug, but there are many more that aren't so obvious.  Australia, too, also has its share of songs with drug references, and the human cost of lives lost. Songs, movies and lives have all been influenced by...

Genesis, Selling England by the Pound, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Ramones, Mr Mercedes, Rick Rubin, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Bowie, Elton John, Brian Eno Welcome to Episode 15. Mick and P. have moved to Byron Bay, where they are social distancing while trying out the local supply of avocadoes.   Mick, 's been listening to the soundtrack of “Mr. Mercedes”, produced by S...

The Angels are close to the best of the 80’s Aussie Guitar Bands.  Their shows were a non-stop blast of high energy, with twin guitarists, Rick and John Brewster, standing totally still in sunglasses, while movement on stage was centred around Doc Neeson.  Most Angels songs featured a solid riff over a pounding rhythm line underpinning Neeson's rapid-fire/machine gun/perfect diction vocal del...

We’re in lockdown, so we look back at our first dozen episodes, including some lovely feedback that called us a “rollicking podcast (fuelled by) decades-worth of accumulated music knowledge (and) deceptively casual banter.”  Another said that “there’s no hiding the expertise of Mick and Jeff, as they poke and prod into obscure music trivia”.  Nice.  This podcast allows us to share our excitement f...

There's so much to Warren Zevon's story that we needed to split him over 2 episodes. The story of Zevon, hailed by Bruce Springsteen as “one of the great, great American songwriters”, is like a Greek tragedy, where everything that could happen to him, happened - and it was all his own fault!  Zevon, an American based in LA, was a musician's songwriter.  His songs seemed simple but w...