

What Is Music?: A Music Podcast About Arctic Monkeys
Adam Scott Glasspool, Steve Murphy, Lucas Way
A podcast that dives deep into discographies - one artist per season. Hosts Adam, Steve, and Lucas go album by album, track by track, exploring how context shapes our experience of music, why fans become obsessed, and what music really is. With three hosts coming from wildly different levels of musical knowledge, expect sharp analysis, wild tangents, hot takes, and more information about the artists (and the hosts) than you ever asked for. Currently exploring the discography of Arctic Monkeys. Previous seasons featured Manic Street Preachers, Muse, Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, and R.E.M.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 13, 2021 • 3h 22min
Muse: Final Thoughts
The Big Mates discuss kindergarten, Radiohead, U2, Recess, drum and bass, fanbases, Stan culture, art, Coldplay, Saturday Night Live, pantomime, dad rock, cultural impact, Stath Lets Flats, how the general public listen to music, Every Time I Die, aurora borealis, R.E.M., Beyonce, legacy, The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, The Who, Radiohead again, Manic Street Preachers and offer their final thoughts on Muse.Adam, Steve, and Lucas look back on the last year of musical examination, place the career of Muse into context, and discuss their feelings and opinions on it. They also find time to discuss their album rankings, final scores, and their Top 10 Muse songs. Does context affect the way we listen to music? Does knowing the history of an artist give you a better appreciation of their output? And, more importantly, are you amused? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?Join us next week for our special Xmas episode!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Dec 6, 2021 • 3h 28min
Muse Music Videos
The Big Mates discuss Pokemon, Halloween, cowboys, and watch every music video by Muse.Adam, Steve, and Lucas embark on an epic jounrey and watch all of the Muse videos in one sitting and offer comments, opinion, and general musings on them. It is long, rambly, and hopefully a lot of fun! How do the music videos hold up? Will they even make it all the way through?! Find out on this episode of What Is Music?Next week - we offer our FINAL THOUGHTS on Muse and Season 2 comes to an end!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!Do You Love Us? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://doyouloveus.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Nov 29, 2021 • 1h 57min
Cryosleep
The Big Mates discuss Jaws, Paul Simon, Game of Thrones, and Cryosleep, the solo album by Matt Bellamy.Adam, Steve, and Lucas talk about the context and release of the first (and so far only) solo album by Bellamy, exploring the context behind the album, how it was recorded, and then going track-by-track, discussing the music, lyrics, themes, and everything inbetween! What does a Matt Bellamy solo album sound like? What is the role of art in society? What if they did a movie of Tron? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Nov 22, 2021 • 1h 55min
Interview with Marc Burrows
Adam goes solo and is joined by author, critic, musician, and comic, Marc Burrows to discuss Chrstimas songs, music criticism, and Marc's new book, "Manic Street Preachers: Album-by-Album," to which Adam also contributed a chapter.Adam and Marc talk about Manic Street Preachers, their career, and how the book came to be. They also find time to discuss music generally, whether criticism should form a part of the creative process, and the legacy of the band. You can buy "Manic Street Preachers: Album-by-Album" and check out all of Marc's work by heading to: https://www.marcburrows.co.uk/Next week - we explore Cryosleep by Matt Bellamy!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Nov 15, 2021 • 1h 56min
Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire 2017 Commentary
The Big Mates provide insightful commentary for Muse Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire 2017.Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the show as put together by some fantastic bootleggers!Head to YouTube to watch along here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JUx5zXUttIOr don't - the episode is designed to work without it!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Nov 8, 2021 • 2h 8min
Muse B-Sides & Rarities
The Big Mates discuss Blink-182, Helping You Back to Work Vol. 1, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and a selection of b-sides by Muse.Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss some b-sides and rarities from across the band's career, discussing the content and recording process. Adam and Steve also attempt to guess which era each b-side is from! Which songs have been included? Who will score the most points? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Nov 1, 2021 • 2h 29min
Manic Street Preachers Tour Report 2021
In this very special episode The Big Mates discuss reaction videos, service stations, slang, and the recent Manic Street Preachers tour.Adam, Steve, and Lucas reminisce on their experiences of The Ultra Vivid Lament tour, which saw them take in two Manics shows - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (just Steve and Adam) and Brighton Dome (with Lucas too!) Get the lowdown on the songs played and get a taste of the atmosphere. IF that wasn't enough, The Big Mates are joined by Emily, Jennifer, Ilona, Ian, Cazzy, Liz, David, and Tony, who all give their views on the Manics, the tour, and much more!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show (https://ko-fi.com/whatismusic)Support the show

Oct 24, 2021 • 1h 30min
Fandom and Devotion 3 (with @takeunobow)
The Big Mates are joined by @takeunobow (real name Emma) to talk about representation in films, vomiting at gigs, musical theatre, and much more!Adam, Steve, and Lucas chat to Emma about Muse, the fanbase, her artwork, stan twitter, problematic musicians, hyperfixation, and Emma shares her Top 10 Muse songs! What takes the top spot? Where does this episode fit in the timeline? Where are all the films for straight white men?! Find out on this episode of What Is Music? New episode NEXT WEEK - B-sides!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Oct 17, 2021 • 1h 52min
Simulation Theory Film Commentary
The Big Mates provide insightful commentary for the Simulation Theory Film by Muse.Adam, Steve, and Lucas discuss the narrative/concert film as released in cinemas and onto Blu-Ray/streaming platforms.Watch along here by buying or renting! Watching along not strictly necessary!You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show

Oct 10, 2021 • 1h 53min
Simulation Theory (Disk 2)
The Big Mates discuss TikTok, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Greek alphabet, and Disk 2 of the deluxe edition of Simulation Theory by Muse.Adam, Steve, and Lucas take a look at the disc of bonus content that came packaged with deluxe editions of Simulation Theory. They go track-by-track to examine these new versions, alternate mixes, and instrumentals. How does it match up to the album proper? Which version of reality are we in? Does Steve have his finger anywhere near the pulse of the nation? Find out on this episode of What Is Music?You can now wear your fandom on your (literal) sleeve!What Is Music? now has a RedBubble shop with lots of cool and stupid designs. You can get the designs on basically any product you like, from t-shirts and mugs, to bath mats and jigsaws, via clocks and phone cases! Head to https://whatismusicpod.redbubble.comIf you'd like a different way to donate to usYou can do so at https://ko-fi.com/whatismusicAny donations very gratefully received and go towards our running costs!Join the conversation on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatismusicpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatismusicpodE-mail: whatismusicpod@gmail.comhttp://whatismusic.buzzsprout.com/Support the show