The Big Mates provide sparkling and artistic audio commentary for Perfect Square, the live video release by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the film as originally presented on DVD and also dig into how it was made, how R.E.M. have progressed as a live band, and explore the whole 2003 World Tour. Dig out those official DVDs to watch along... Or don't - the episode works fine either way! Our next episode comes out Monday December 9th! Join the conversation on:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatismusicpod.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@whatismusicpod Instagram: https ..read more

The Big Mates discuss Christmas tree etiquette, goose related nightmares, Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Document by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by finishing up their track-by-track analysis of the band's fifth studio album, released in 1987. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in bet ..read more

The Big Mates discuss writing home, adolescence, compilations and Reveal by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by concluding their analysis of the band's twelfth studio album, released in 2001. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They discuss the summery vibe the band create, the experiment ..read more

The Big Mates discuss blood collection, hot weather, Frutiger Aero, and Reveal by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by starting their analysis of the band's twelfth studio album, released in 2001. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They discuss how the band followed their experimental alb ..read more

The Big Mates provide large and damp audio commentary for R.E.M. at  Glastonbury Festival 1999. Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the band's first headline performance at the legendary festival, as broadcast on the BBC. They also dive into 1999 World Tour. Head here to watch along:https://youtu.be/DurDZkK58VE?si=uo6cKiROHH1kBJVy Or don't - the episode works fine either way! Our next episode comes out Monday November 18th! Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpod E-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.com Try your 30-d ..read more

Adam chats with Peter Ames Carlin to discuss music biographies, legendary musicians, and his new book, The Name Of This Band Is R.E.M.. Peter is an acclaimed author and biographer, known for his deep dives into the lives of music legends like Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Brian Wilson. His books are celebrated for their meticulous research, insightful storytelling, and the way they capture the complex journeys of these iconic artists. Peter has new book out, called The Name Of This Band is R.E.M. It offers an intimate look at the rise, evolution, and legacy of R.E.M. Adam and Peter ..read more

The Big Mates discuss night shifts, Batman, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and Up by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by concluding their analysis of the band's televenth studio album, released in 1998. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They pick up their discussion towards the end ..read more

The Big Mates discuss retrofuturism, The Amazing Spider-man, rude dealers, and Up by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by continuing their analysis of the band's eleventh studio album, released in 1998. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They pick up their discussion near the beginning of ..read more

The Big Mates discuss TikTok podcasts, Clip art, automatic writing, and Up by R.E.M. Adam, Steve, and Lucas continue their deep dive into the career and discography of R.E.M. by starting their analysis of the band's eleventh studio album, released in 1998. They talk about the writing and recording process, the context surrounding the songs, and offer up analysis, opinions, and thoughts from three differing perspectives on music, from being deeply into analysis and music, to not caring for art or critique, and everything in between. They discuss the fallout of a massive period of change ..read more

Join us as we introduce our new show, The WIM Album Club, available exclusively on our Patreon. Head to patreon.com/whatismusicpod and subscribe now at the £5 "Bigger Mates" Tier or higher to get access to this brand new monthly podcast! Every month we're going to explore a new album, randomly selected from a pool of classics, popular albums, albums the hosts have submitted, and albums submitted by you, our subscribers! We'll go into each album, explore its context, and go track-by-track in a classic WIM deep-dive. We'll also include thoughts and discussion from our Patreon subscribers... W ..read more