Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music
by Mick and the Phatman
Join Mick and Jeff as they talk about artists, albums and music genres with passion that comes from personal connection. They’ve seen artists in concert at venues that don’t even exist today, bought albums when they were released on vinyl and, in some cases, met the artists. Sometimes they love the artist or music they're talking about. Sometimes they don’t. But, without fail, you'll always hear something you didn’t know.
Episodes
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The Saddest Songs of All
A rock music standard is the “sad song”. Most commonly these revolve around “love”, but not always! Sometimes they can just be talking about a sad situation. This episode, we look at a grab bag of sad songs and artists who cover “sad” from a range of viewpoints. Keep your tissues close by!! In...
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Roxy Music - One of the most important bands ever!
Over the last 6 years, we’ve often cited Roxy Music amongst our favourite bands, albums or songs. We’ve talked about their albums - covers, lyrics, and so on – and included them amongst “Deep Cuts” that you need to know about. Although Bowie was the first artist we obsessed over in our early…
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Misused Songs
We’ve talked about how people don’t listen to the lyrics before using a song – for advertising, a political rally, or a special event. That's how we end up with Volvo using a song about drug abuse and transvestism to promote their cars, or couples using a song about obsession and stalking as they...
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2026 Golden Jubilee Pt 2 - Great Albums Turning 50
The second half of our look at 1976 - a banner year for music. This time, the boys look at more of their favourites of the “Class of ‘76” and plug in a dynamite playlist to go with it! The conclusion of a romp through one of music’s finest years! We know you’re going to love it. References…
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2026 Golden Jubilee - Great Albums Turning 50
1976 was a banner year for music. Some of the greatest albums of all time were released that year, and Mick & Jeff were there as it happened. This episode, they look at their favourites of the “Class of ‘76” - what was great (and what wasn’t!) & why. In Rock News, the boys check out who’s…
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Kate Bush (with a bit of The Birthday Party thrown in!)
This episode’s a bit schizophrenic! Firstly, we look at Kate Bush, whose first single “Wuthering Heights” was released against the wishes of her record company – too long and too weird, they said. We all know how wrong they were, don’t we? Our Album You Must Hear Before You Die is "Junkyard" by…
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Early hits - Anthem or albatross? Radiohead & others
This episode we look at the phenomena of hugely successful artists refusing to play the songs that made them! First among these is Radiohead, whose “Creep” launched them onto the world stage. Others include The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Madonna. Our Album You Must Hear...
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What does outrageous look and sound like? The Skyhooks episode.
In the mid-70's, one of our most outrageous bands burst out of Melbourne ready to shock a relatively conservative Australian society. With wild costumes & makeup, songs touching on drugs, sexuality and masturbation, and Red’s four-letter word chants, what's not for teenagers to love? We certainly...
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Split Enz – One of Australia's favourite New Zealand bands
One of NZ’s best-ever band exports is Split Enz. Formed in the 70’s, Split Enz’ intelligent pop music made them one of our top bands for over a decade, and still beloved today. We look at how they got started and some highlights of their career and recordings. We also talk about our annual trip…
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Great Guest Appearances - Live and recorded!
This episode, we look at guest appearances. From Duane Allman playing the famous lead on “Layla”, to Bob Seger doing backing vocals on The Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight”. It’s all here, from a moment in the studio to creation of an inspirational piece of music It’s a chock-a-block episode. “Knockin’...
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One Album Wonders
Sometimes, bands release only one album – no follow-up, no nothing! Some are great. Some, not so much. This episode, we look at a bunch of what we’re calling “One-Album-Wonders". In 1975, Aerosmith released their breakthrough album, “Toys in the Attic”. Did we like it then? Do we like it now? In...
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Linda Ronstadt - A 70s' Rock Goddess
Linda Ronstadt has been described as the most successful and certainly the most durable and most gifted woman rock singer of her era. We look at her impact on music (and us!). Our "Album You Must Listen to Before You Die" is 10cc’s “Sheet Music”, their 2nd album which announced to the world that...
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The Changing Role of Soundtracks
When we watch movies & shows at the movies or, increasingly, on TV, the soundtrack is ever-present to set the mood and enhance the story. But we never stop to consider its’ role, how it’s changed over the years, and how it interacts with other elements, such as the title sequence. This episode we...
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Great double albums of the 80’s
In Season 5 (2025), we talked about how double albums came about, and talked about some of the best double albums of the 70’s. This episode, we look at some of the best double albums of the 80’s. Our Album You Must Listen to Before You Die is “Out of the Blue”, by ELO. It WAS a huge hit in the...
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Supergroups - who and what they are
We’re back again for another year and kicking off by looking at supergroups – that “elite” class of rock bands made up of members of other top bands! What they are, how they form, and shining examples! Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Cream’s 1967 album, “Disraeli Gears”, a stunning…
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Oh No! Not Christmas music again!!
A quick final episode to see out the year! Christmas is many things to many people. To us, it’s a chance to talk about themed music, or, in this case, movies that fit the theme. We talk about Phil Spector’s “A Christmas gift for You”, which is nowhere near as bad as it could be with that title....
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100 Episodes of facts and opinions!!
Well, we made it! 100 episodes & still going strong! (Except for a bit of a medical interlude for both of us.) Who’d have thought the views of a pair of opinionated Aussie music fans could have entertained so many for so long? In this episode, we celebrate the artists, music & events we’ve…
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Stop Your Sobbin’ - The Pretenders
In this episode, we look at The Pretenders – where they started (& before they started!), the tragedies, and what’s happening these days. From the Kent State shootings to mid-70's punk, it’s a fascinating ride! In Rock News, we look at David Gilmour’s new live concert film, Jimmy Page in court...
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Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
A special episode today to look at the huge amount of people who’ve recently died. Obviously, Ozzy Osbourne is the most well-known, but there’s gonna be a queue a mile long at the Pearly Gates as they try to process everyone! Let’s look at some highlights, such as Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, Aussie...
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The Rise of the Double Album!
Is a double album a record label cash grab, or a way to deliver great music that can't be contained within the usual confines of a single LP? The double album has been both. This episode, we look at how the double album came to be, and some of the greatest double albums from the 70’s. Most of…
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Deep Cuts we think you'll love
A “Deep Cut” is something that is recognisable or familiar to passionate fans but not usually to others. As a special treat this week, we’ve delved into our collections to give you some deep cuts from our favourites – things like Queen, Bowie, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave and TISM. We think you’ll love...
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The Tall Poppy Syndrome
Just because you’re successful doesn’t mean everyone likes you. In fact, success can often draw criticisms that might not be given to other performers. In Australia, we call that the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, where people look for reasons to bring successful people down! We look at some criticisms...
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Warren Zevon – Finally inducted into the Hall of Fame!!
A while back, we talked at length about Warren Zevon, one of the great American songwriters and one of our idols. So, this year, Warren Zevon has been inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, along with Bad Company and Cyndi Lauper, and we thought that was a perfect excuse to close the loop on...
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Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Come Up and See My early music!
The late Steve Harley was most famous for his 1975 hit Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), but there’s much more to the story than one good single. We look at the band’s early albums and Steve Harley's career around and after that single and the band's break up. As usual, Mick says their early...
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How we developed our musical tastes.
Why do you like the music you do? Is it as simple as “It’s what I heard on the radio”? Or something deeper? People with elder siblings may be exposed to music earlier than first children. Jeff had an older brother, so was exposed earlier to cool music - Beatles, Janis, Hendrix, and so on. Mick…
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Legendary Women of Rock – Patti Smith & Marianne Faithfull
This episode, we look back at two hugely influential women artists – Patti Smith, whose 1975 “Horses” album inspired so many artists, and Marianne Faithfull, whose passing in January, 2025, is a huge loss. “Horses”, with its confrontational approach - “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not…
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More of our Rob Younger interview (with better sound) (#2)
Part 2 of our fascinating conversation with Radio Birdman's Rob Younger. From music production styles, to why some people can't keep it in their pants, and the disgraceful lack of credit given to Stevie Wright for the success of The Easybeats, there's never a dull moment in this wide-ranging...
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A conversation with Radio Birdman's Rob Younger
A special treat for you this episode! Rob Younger, lead singer of legendary Australian group, Radio /Birdman, joins us in the studio to give us his thoughts on everything from music production to the influence of the Beatles on all rock music. Rob’s near-encyclopedic knowledge of the rock era is...
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Who's brave enough to cover Bowie's "Heroes"?
In case you hadn’t noticed, we love a good cover version! This episode, we’re looking at covers - staples, covers from strange sources, and some songs that have had a LOT of covers, including a bunch of covers of David Bowie's “Heroes”, one of Mick's favourite songs of all time. Our Album You…
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Great Debut Albums
Every band/artist has to have a first album. Sometimes those albums are good, sometimes they’re not, and sometimes they just show potential. This episode, we look at some first albums over the gamut of the rock era that we regard as great, including some Australian albums. You've probably heard…
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2024 - Wrapping up another year of great stories & music!
Well, this is the last episode of Season 4, and once again, it’s been a ball of fun (and music). 4 years and still going strong – bigger and better than ever! We look back at “Knockin’ on Heaven's Door” and "Rock News", as well as some of our favourite episodes. We recall some of the albums we’ve...
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Creedence Clearwater Revival – what really happened?
Everyone knows and loves Creedence Clearwater Revival. Their run of hits at the end of the '60’s, and their enduring popularity, has rarely been equaled. Not so well-known is the story of the clashes that caused their run to end so abruptly. We take a look at how the band split and the many...
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Were the 80’s really that bad? (Hint: Not all of them)
The 80's is a decade with many musical failings. But they produced some great music, too. This episode, we look at what Rolling Stone magazine considers to be the best songs of the 80’s. We have criticised Rolling Stone in the past for the quality of their lists, and this time is no different....
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Nick Lowe - What's so funny?
This episode spends time with Nick Lowe, a British performer, who started out with pub rock band, Brinsley Schwarz, and Dave Edmunds’ Rockpile. Lowe’s solo career has produced a huge bunch of great songs – many of which you’ve heard, even if you’ve not heard of him - which have been hits for him...
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"Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" - David Bowie's last great album
David Bowie’s “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” is, for many fans, his last great album. Mick regards it as one of Bowie’s best, while “Ashes to Ashes” is Bowie's confession to a decade of hedonism. Mick and Jeff talk through what makes this album great, and look at the music environment as...
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Albums we regret buying
As we grew up, music was the most important thing there was. As part of that, we bought some albums that weren’t great, and time has generally proven our assessments right! This episode, we talk about some of those "dud" albums, by artists like Bowie, U2, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Neil Young,...
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Down the Rabbit Hole - Things we find on the Web
In today’s episode, we look at how social media gives us a grab-bag of people’s memories of stars and some who weren’t quite so successful, or scarcely successful at all. Nonetheless, they are remembered by some and lionised on social media. The other side of "on-line" is the channels that…
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The strange ways some bands got their names
All bands need a name, but the process of getting that name is different for each band. This episode, we look at how a bunch of well-known bands got their names. Some are amusing, some are horrifying, some are dark or seedy – be ready for surprises! Our “album you must listen to before you die”…
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Bands who changed their sound mid-career
It’s not unusual for bands to change their sound or style as they move through their career. We take a look at bands that changed their sound substantially (or started a completely new sound) for a whole lot of reasons - from The Beatles, Bowie and Dylan and Black Sabbath through to Japan, The…
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Nick Cave – From "Shivers" to 2024 solo piano & bass
Nick Cave. After a career that would exhaust a lesser man, he’s still recording and performing breathtaking work. Mick’s just seen him live with only his piano, and a bass guitar, and can’t stop raving! We look at how he started and the difference between his performances and attitudes then and...
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Weird & Wonderful Collaborations
Musicians love to collaborate. We thought we'd have a look at some that are just great, some that are weird, and some that are simply awful! As usual, some you'll know, and some you won’t. Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Pet Sounds, by The Beach Boys (1966). Long revered by musicians...
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Jethro Tull - killer riffs and a flute player standing on one leg
Jethro Tull is one of the stranger turns taken by rock music over more than 50 years. Mick and Jeff look back at some of the band’s best work, and, maybe, some of their strangest. The “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Queen II, a sensational album released the year before Queen took over…
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Jarrah McCleary/Panama - how artists earn money today - live interview
This week, something a little different for you – our first live interview! Jarrah McCleary is an Australian musician - writer, songwriter & producer - whose music, a mix of synth-heavy sounds and beats to smooth electronica, is sometimes evocative of a smoky Fifties restaurant, and at other…
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Johnny Cash – A grand cornerstone of rock music
This episode looks at Johnny Cash’s “The American Recordings”, a series of 6 albums released on American Records between 1994 and 2010. By 1994, when he signed to Rick Rubin’s American Records, it looked like Cash’s career was all but done. However, Rubin had other ideas and, over the next 10...
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"Songs for Drella" - Lou Reed & John Cale's moving tribute to Andy Warhol
“Songs for Drella”, Lou Reed & John Cale’s marvelous 1990 posthumous tribute to Andy Warhol, offers an intensely personal view of Warhol with songs and playing that rank among the finest in either man’s career. Their first collaboration since The Velvet Underground, nearly 20 years earlier, led…
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Outrageous Tour Demands – You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!
We all know that rock and pop stars live in a different universe to us mere mortals. Many make strange demands for things that must be provided before they’ll perform a show. Today, we look at stars’ demands – whether extreme or reasonable, or blindingly hilarious! You won’t believe some of them....
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Husker Du, Sugar and Bob Mould
Bob Mould is the founding member of Husker Du, one of the most influential guitar bands of the 80’s. Husker Du’s wall-of-sound guitar approach was as influential as REM in creating alternative rock, and created an environment which allowed Nirvana, The Pixies and The Foo Fighters to succeed. In…
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Brilliant albums poorly reviewed. How do critics get it so wrong?
Have you ever NOT bought an album based on a poor review? You’re not the only one! Would it shock you to learn that the critics likely know less than you about music? This episode, we look at how often (supposed) expert critics got it so wrong with some of the best albums of our time. Victims of...
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Stars that threw it all away with dumb decisions
This week, we talk about successful artists who blew it all with dumb decisions. Youth, fame and amazing amounts of money – what could go wrong? Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is the wonderful Aladdin Sane, by David Bowie. The cover artwork, featuring a lightning bolt across his face is...
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Rolling Stone's "250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time" (well, some of them anyway!)
Rolling Stone just released “The 250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time”. Naturally, we take issue with the list, who's on it, who’s been left out, the balance, and everything else! We’re back for another season of opinionated comment on all things from the golden era of rock’n’roll. Hold on & enjoy...
About this show
Join Mick and Jeff as they talk about artists, albums and music genres with passion that comes from personal connection. They’ve seen artists in concert at venues that don’t even exist today, bought albums when they were released on vinyl and, in some cases, met the artists.
Sometimes they love the artist or music they're talking about. Sometimes they don’t. But, without fail, you'll always hear something you didn’t know.
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Mick and the Phatman
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