Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music

Mick and the Phatman
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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. 

  1. Sep 27

    Why We Love Roxy Music

    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 teens, Roxy Music was the most important. This episode, we’d like to talk about how, in many ways, Roxy Music was a perfect answer to the world in the 70’s and a major influence on so much that came later.  In “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, we celebrate Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who died 25 August 2026.  Not rock, you say?  Well, she played Glastonbury in 2014, and told Elvis he couldn’t cover her song, “I Will Always Love You”. Not bad by any standards!  Our “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is “One World” by John Martyn, a fascinating mix of folk, blues, rock and jazz produced by Chris Blackwell.   Definitely one of the most interesting albums you’ll ever hear.  We liked it.  Another great episode!    Playlist – all the music & artists we talked about in this episode    References:  John Martyn, One World, Chris Blackwell, Island Records, Echoplex, Nick Drake, Paul Kossoff, Dolly Parton, “Jolene”, “I Will Always Love You”, Glastonbury, Elvis Presley, “Here You Come Again”, “After The Goldrush”, Bryan Ferry, Graham Simpson, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson, Brian Eno, Eddie Jobson, Curved Air,  The Angels, Angel City, “On Some Faraway Beach”, David Sheppard, Clarence Clemons, Concrete Blonde, “Bloodletting”, “Caroline”, “Joey”, “Tomorrow, Wendy”, Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall”, “Oblique Strategies”, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, Rainbow Theatre, Bowie, “Virginia Plain”, The BoB Medley, “Roxy Music”, “For Your Pleasure”, “In Every Dream Home a Heartache", John Lydon, “The Bogus Man”, “Street Life”, Colombia, “Stranded”, “Amazona”, “Over You”, Flesh and Blood, Hipgnosis, “More than This”, Yanick Etienne, “Avalon”, Toyah Wilcox, Robert Fripp, “Remake/Remodel”, “Julia”, Pavlov's Dog  Sunday Roast Sunday Roast – Fripp/Wilcox - “Nevermind”  Dolly, Linda & Emmylou - After the Goldrush  Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  2. Sep 13

    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 recite their wedding vows, or Iggy Pop’s ode to his heroin addiction to promote a luxury ocean cruise, to name but a few!  We look at these and other examples of “Didn't you listen to the lyrics first?!”     Our Album you Must Listen to Before You Die is Cafe Bleu, by Style Council, in Paul Weller’s first outing after leaving The Jam.  What a wonderful album!!    There’s lots more, including Pavlov’s Dog, The Smiths, Bon Jovi, Paul Simon, and heaps more!!    Enjoy!  References:  Pavlov’s Dog, Abbie Steiling, “Berlin”, Pampered Menial, Globite, The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead, Bon Jovi, Slippery When Wet, Paul Simon, Graceland, Google Gemini, Café Bleu, The Style Council, Paul Weller, Robert Dimery, “A Town Called Malice”, Tracey Thorn, Everything but the Girl, “You’re the Best Thing”, The Jam, “Walk on the Wild Side”, "Lust for Life", Iggy Pop, Ray Manzarek, Johnny Yen, “Trainspotting”, The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love”, Phil Collins, "Help!", The Beatles, Ford Lincoln-Mercury, "Revolution", The Beatles, Nike, John Lennon, "Perfect Day", Lou Reed, AT&T, BBC, heroin, "London Calling", The Clash, 2012 London Olympic Games, Political Campaigns & Rallies, ”Born in the U.S.A.", Bruce Springsteen, Ronald Reagan, "Fortunate Son", Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Rockin' in the Free World", Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y, "Pink Houses", John Mellencamp, The American Dream, "Every Breath You Take", The Police, Trudy Styler, obsession, Sting, Stewart Copepland, "One", U2, Bono, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)", Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Amanda, "Brown Sugar", The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, "Imagine", John Lennon, Steely Dan, “Only a Fool Would Say That”, Macarena, Los Del Río, YMCA, Village People  Playlist – Misused Songs  Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  3. Aug 9

    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: Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life, “Isn’t she lovely”, “Sir Duke”, Andy Williams, R&B, Rhythm & Blues, The Eagles, Hotel California, “Life in the Fast Lane”, “New Kid in Town”, “Victim of Love”, Joe Walsh, Led Zeppelin, “Presence”, “The Song Remains the Same”, Achilles Last Stand,  Moroccan influence, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine”, “For your life”, “Candy Store Rock”, Peter Grant, The Ramones, The Ramones, “Beat on the Brat”, “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “I Wanna be your Boyfriend”, Spin magazine, Rolling Stone, "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", Music from the Penguin Cafe, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Simon Jeffes, Station to Station, David Bowie, The Thin White Duke, Kether, Malkuth, “Golden Years”, “TVC15”, Howzat, Sherbet, Hurstville Civic Centre, Bo Diddley, Cold Chisel, “Summer Love”, The Doors, High Voltage, AC/DC, “T.N.T.”, “It’s a Long Way to the Top”, “High Voltage”, “Can I Sit Next to you Girl?”, Daceyville Police Boys Club, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, “Jailbreak”, Ol' 55, Take It Greasy, "On the Prowl", Frankie J Holden (FJ), Wilbur Wilde, Supernaut, “I like it both ways”, Ian “Molly” Meldrum, Alan Parsons Project, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Billy Joel, Turnstiles, Bob Dylan, Hard Rain, Bryan Ferry, Let's Stick Together, ELO (Electric Light Orchestra), A New World Record, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Genesis, A Trick of the Tail, Jeff Beck, Wired, Jethro Tull, Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll: Too Young to Die, Joe Walsh, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind, Linda Ronstadt, Hasten Down the Wind, Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby, Pavlov’s Dog, At the Sound of the Bell, Queen, A Day at the Races, Rod Stewart, A Night on the Town, Steely Dan, The Royal Scam, Steve Miller Band, Fly Like an Eagle, Warren Zevon, ABBA, Arrival, Wings, Wings Over America    Playlist - The music & artists we discussed during this episode Flutist Reacts to Jethro Tull Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  4. Jul 26

    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 touring, and what aged care arrangements are in place!  Their “Album You Must Hear Before You Die” is Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, which brought African street music to Western radios and stereos.    A wide-ranging romp through one of music’s finest years!  We think you'll love it.      References:  1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Robert Dimery, The Eagles, Las Vegas Sphere, Journey, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Yes, Graceland, Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, South Africa cultural sanctions, Los Lobos, Steve Berlin, The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue,  Jagger/Richards, The Glimmer Twins, Ron Wood, Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins, Billy Preston, “Do You Love Me?”, “I’m Black & Blue from The Rolling Stones”, The Modern Lovers, “The Modern Lovers”, John Cale, “Roadrunner”, “Pablo Picasso”, “Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers”, Joan Armatrading, “Joan Armatrading”, “Down to Zero”, “Love and Affection”, Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention), Kenney Jones (Faces), Boz Scaggs, State Theatre Sydney, Silk Degrees, David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate, Toto, “What Can I Say?”, “Lowdown”, “Lido Shuffle”, Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive!, "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do?”, George Harrison , talk box, Boston, “Boston”, Tom Scholz, "More than a feeling”, Fleetwood Mac, “Rumours”, Lindsey Buckingham, Bob Welch, Mick Fleetwood, “Buckingham Nicks”, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, “Desire”, “Blood on the Tracks”, “Hurricane”, “Mozambique”, “Joey”, Rolling Thunder Revue, Emmylou Harris, violinist Scarlett Rivera, guitarist Dave Mason, “Hard Rain”, The Saints, (I'm) Stranded, Bob Geldof, Nick Cave, Fatal Records, EMI, Ed Kuepper, “Also Sprach the King of Euro-Disco", “Thus Spake Zarathustra”,   Playlist (all the artists and music we talk about in this episode) The Queen of Pub Choirs Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  5. Jul 5

    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 The Birthday Party, a band who embodied chaotic, confrontational music.  This is as far as you can get from Kate Bush! As you can guess, Mick loves them!  Knockin’ on Heaven's Door looks at Mike Vernon, Denis Locorriere (of Dr Hook fame), and members of Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Motorhead.    Enjoy!    References:  Kate Bush, Dennis Locorriere, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, "Sylvia's Mother", “The Cover of 'Rolling Stone', Ray Sawyer, Shel Silverstein, abortion, Mike Vernon, David Bowie, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (featuring Eric Clapton), Fleetwood Mac, “Albatross”, Bo Diddley, Storyteller.  The Complete anthology 1964-1990, Rod Stewart, David Clayton-Thomas, Carl Georg Viktor "Jojje" Wadenius, Phil Campbell, Lemmy, Hawkwind, Robert Dimery, The Birthday Party, Junkyard, Tony Cohen, Nick Launay, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Rat Fink, Nick Cave, Bad Seeds, “The Firstborn is Dead”, “Tupelo”, “From Her to Eternity”, “Mutiny in Heaven”, Caulfield Grammar School, Mick Harvey, Phill Calvert, Rowland S. Howard, "Big-Jesus-Trash-Can", "She's Hit", "6" Gold Blade", Tracy Pew, Midnight Oil, “Half Deaf and Completely Mad”, Tony Cohen, David Gilmour, EMI, Ricky Hopper, "The Kick Inside”, KT Bush Band, Andrew Powell, Emily Brontë, Lindsay Kemp, Lionheart, Stuart Elliott, Cockney Rebel, Fear of Flying, Before the Dawn, “Kite”, “The Man with the Child in his Eyes”, “James and the Cold Gun”, "Wuthering Heights", “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”, Hounds of Love, "Running Up That Hill", "Cloudbusting", Stranger Things, Aerial, "Bertie", 50 Words for Snow, Peter Gabriel, “Games without Frontiers”, “Don’t Give Up”      Playlist - All the music and artists we talked about in this episode   Kate Bush Interview    Kate Bush Intro - 1978  Kate Bush with David Gilmour   Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  6. May 17

    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 Before You Die is The Stranglers’ 1977 debut, the excellent “Rattus Norvegicus”, yet another punk record from the mid-70s. Mick loves this album for its energy and refusal to bow down to supposed “punk” rules.  We also look at some of the highlights of The Stranglers’ outrageous career to this day.   In Rock News, Jeff examines the success (or otherwise) of a Quebec band called Angine de Poitrine, known for their complex, “microtonal” compositions and absurdist public image, featuring oversized papier-mâché masks and black-and-white polka-dotted costumes. Imagine!  Jeff also has a look at this year's inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including Iron Maiden, Phil Collins, and Joy Division, and our Rod Stewart moment looks at his relaxed attitude towards death.   Plenty there for everyone!    References:  1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die, Robert Dimery, The Stranglers, Rattus Norvegicus, Hugh Cornwell, JJ Burnel, sexism & misogyny, “(Get a) Grip (on yourself)”, “Peaches”, “Down in the Sewer”, Deep Purple, “Strange Kind of Woman”, ice cream van, "Golden Brown", harpsichord, Battersea Park Big Top Festival strippers, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway, Pablo Honey, Electioneering, Just, “Rolling Stone’s 250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time”, “OK Computer”, Nick Cave, “Creep”, “Pavlov’s Dog”, “Julia”, AC/DC, “It’s a Long Way to the Top”, Bon Scott, Pat Benatar, “Hit me with your Best Shot”, Beastie Boys, “Fight for Your Right (to Party)”, Billy Joel , “Tell Her About It”, Weird Al Jankovic, “Eat It”, Rolling Stones, “Brown Sugar”, Madonna, Dylan, “Hurricane”, Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven", Eric Clapton, "Tears in Heaven”, George Harrison, "My Sweet Lord", "He's So Fine"    Playlist (all the music & artists we referred to in this episode)  Angine de Potrine  Hugh Cornwell  Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  7. May 3

    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 did!  Mick just got a new book covering the life of American guitarist Dick Wagner.  With a career that included some of our favourite artists and music, including Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Peter Gabriel, he thinks this book could fuel a new episode sometime soon.  Our Album you Must Hear Before You Die is “Oxygene” by Jean-Michel Jarre.  Very much at one end of our taste spectrum, this album really sorts the “listeners” from the “headbangers.”  We know you’ll really enjoy this episode!  References:  Steve Hunter & Dick Wagner, “Not Only Women Bleed”, Globite, Countdown, "Michael”, Antoine Fuqua, John Logan, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, “1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die”, Robert Dimery, Skyhooks, Graham “Shirley” Strachan, Greg Macainsh, Red Symons, Freddie Strauks, Bob “Bongo” Starkie, White cowboy suit, “Polaroid in Concert”, concert at Dawes Point, “Living in the 70’s”, “Smut”, "whipping the dripping”, "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good in Bed", Double Jay, “Ego is not a Dirty Word”, “Shirl’s Neighbourhood”, Our House, The Party Boys, helicopter crash, “Hey Hey, It’s Saturday”, “Red Faces”, APRA    Playlist - all the music and artists we talk about in this episode “Michael” - Trailer    Paris expresses her views on the movie.    Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

  8. Apr 22

    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 to Bali, where we discovered a local band that played Pink Floyd's  “Wish You Were Here” (yes, really!!)  Radiohead's “Creep”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and a stack of other songs straight from our episode playlists. Yep, sure surprised us!    Our “Album You must Hear Before You Die” is Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s self-titled album from 1976 – an experience for an open mind!      References:  Bali, Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”, Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire”, The Bee Gees, “To Love Somebody”, Nick Cave & Shane McGowan, “What a Wonderful World”, Radiohead, “Creep”, “Love is all around us”, The Troggs, “Love Actually”, Bill Nighy, Jonny Greenwood, Michael’s Bar in Legian,  “Wedding songs, and other disasters”, New Zealand, Auckland, Split Enz, Coachella 26, David Lee Roth, Teddy Swims, Justin Bieber, Robert Dimery, 1001 Albums you must hear before you die, ”Penguin Cafe Orchestra”, Simon Jeffes, Steve Nye, Eno, Obscure, “Music For a Found Harmonium”, “The Sound of Someone you Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter”, 101ers, Joe Strummer, Malcolm McLaren, Sid Vicious, "My Way", The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle, Tim Finn, Phil Judd, APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time, Finn Brothers, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Paul Hester, “The Mullanes”,  Countdown, Michael Jackson, MTV, “Mental Notes”, Phil Manzanera, “Second Thoughts”, “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”, “The Swingers”, “Counting the Beat”, ENZSO, “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”, Aotearoa”, Māori, Falklands crisis, The Wiggles, “Wiggly Version”, REM      Playlist – all the music & artists we talked about in this episode  Send us a message, so we know what you're thinking!

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About

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. 

Information

  • Creator
    Mick and the Phatman
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    115
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music
  • Show Website
    Mick and the PhatMan Talking Music