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Albums That Feel Like Coming Home (and Other Toilet Mishaps)

Beat Motel Zine

Release Date: 05/19/2025

Bands we respect but don't get show art Bands we respect but don't get

Beat Motel Zine

Ever bought an album just because you should love it... only to file it under “respect, but no thanks”? This week, Andrew Culture and Dr. Sam go full chin-strokey and dive deep into the bands, albums, and entire genres that make them go, “I get it. I just don’t want it.” We’re talking Flux of Pink Indians’ sonic assaults, John Zorn's sex-jazz chaos, Minutemen’s minute-long jazz-punk spasms, and yes, that unholy racket from Merzbow. Along the way we also chat about Damon Albarn’s trouser-based stage antics, Janis Joplin’s wardrobe malfunctions, and what happens when Rick...

info_outline Musicians in films that weren't about them show art Musicians in films that weren't about them

Beat Motel Zine

In this episode, we dive into the slightly baffling and often hilarious world of musicians turning up in films that have absolutely nothing to do with their own music. Some do it well. Some… should’ve just stayed on stage. From Joe Strummer’s pigeon-themed songwriting to Damon Albarn’s dodgy gangster role, we shine a flashlight on cinema’s most unexpected rock star cameos. Expect righteous rambling, questionable facts, and a whole lot of chaos as Andrew and Dr. Sam chew over: Flea appearing in Back to the Future II as a race-happy chancer Joe Strummer pretending a traffic cone is...

info_outline Crazy Crowds show art Crazy Crowds

Beat Motel Zine

info_outline Odd concept albums show art Odd concept albums

Beat Motel Zine

What do stoner-era ZZ Top, a mountain named Billy with a tree girlfriend, and a kid who astral projects into Rasputin’s beard all have in common? Concept albums, mate. And not just any old proggy b*llocks – this week we’re diving into the oddest concept albums we could find (and a few we just wanted to waffle on about anyway). Andrew is joined by first-time Beat Motel guest host James Kindred – a fellow Ipswich musician, longtime mate, and possibly the only person who can explain a Mastodon plotline without crying blood. Together, they take you on a journey through the weird, the...

info_outline How to end side A show art How to end side A

Beat Motel Zine

If you’ve ever flipped a vinyl and thought, “well that was a limp finish,” then this episode is your new religion. Andrew and Dr. Sam dive into the fine art of ending Side A—the lost craft of crafting a sonic cliffhanger that makes you want to flip that record like your nan flips a Digestive into her cuppa. We’ve got: The Clash’s perfectly measured chaos An R.E.M. song even the R.E.M. boys can’t remember Richard Dawson punching you in the feelings A mystery smackhead guitar hero who wandered into a Funkadelic session and laid down one of the greatest solos of all time ...

info_outline Bands That Are Better as a Documentary Than to Listen To show art Bands That Are Better as a Documentary Than to Listen To

Beat Motel Zine

Ever watched a music doc and thought, “Cor, this band’s story is brilliant!” only to press play on their actual music and feel your soul quietly retreat into your ankles? This week, Andrew and co-host Dr. Sam put the needle on the record and realise some bands should’ve stayed in the cutting room. We take a scenic drive through the trainwreck glory of Milli Vanilli, the baffling existential crisis that is Metallica’s St. Anger, and the CIA’s alleged soft-rock psy-op via The Scorpions. Plus, there's a detour through the fever-dream nonsense of Brian Pern, Joan Jett’s bad...

info_outline Cats show art Cats

Beat Motel Zine

This week on Beat Motel, Andrew relives his childhood by rolling down Ed Sheeran’s hill into a pile of dog muck, and Dr. Sam reveals he’s spent more time chasing cheese than dignity. Somewhere along the way, they accidentally remember this is supposed to be a music podcast.

The theme? Cats. That’s it. Not subtle. Not deep. Just cats. From SpongeBob’s snail-pet Gary to the purring sleaze of Queen’s “Cool Cat,” we dig into feline-inspired tunes like they’re buried in a litter tray. info_outline Obscure Genres show art Obscure Genres

Beat Motel Zine

If you’ve ever wondered what a Finnish man in a bedroom with a broken keyboard sounds like, then you’re weird. But also in the right place. This week, Dr. Sam joins Andrew for a dive headfirst into the murky swamp of obscure music genres, where rules don’t matter and the cats are in charge.

Expect tangents galore: from liturgical black metal to folk electronica via squee (yes, it’s a thing), this episode is a chaotic tour of sounds you probably never asked for. Th

info_outline Back to School show art Back to School

Beat Motel Zine

In this nostalgia-drenched episode of Beat Motel, Andrew Culture and voiceover man extraordinaire Martin Whiskin hurl themselves headfirst into the deep, murky swimming pool of school memories—and promptly slip on a Verucca sock.

Expect less of a structured discussion and more of a chaotic ramble through:

More Episodes

This week Andrew is joined by the ever-lovely Dr. Sam to discuss albums that feel like coming home. Naturally, they barely stick to the topic. Expect bowel-related rants, coffee-fuelled enema chat, and Dr. Sam outing himself as the world’s most dangerous urinal misuser.


They dive into the albums that comfort them like a warm blanket (or a familiar loo seat), including Ugly Kid Joe, Black Sheep, The Kinks, and the Charlatans, while getting stuck into the finer points of why Weird Al is the hero we don't deserve, why Led Zeppelin would have been insufferable to drink with, and why toilets in Finland might be the pinnacle of personal hygiene.


There's also a controversial theory connecting Smells Like Teen Spirit to Shangri-La by The Kinks, which is guaranteed to get the comment section frothing.


Expect industrial-grade tangents, as the lads try and fail to stay on musical track but somehow land the plane into the cozy arms of nostalgia—covered in hot sauce and regret.


Stuff we sort of talked about:

Coffee enemas vs garden hoses


Binoculars covered in wee


Funk metal is not dead, it's just pretending to be polite


The joy of albums that teleport you back to awkward teenage years


Why Weird Al might be the gym soundtrack you never knew you needed


Squatting over skatepark-style toilets (yes, really)


If you like your music podcasts barely about music, you're in the right bog.



### Riffs of the week


#### Dr Sam's Riff

- Honningbarna - Schäfer (opening)

#### Andrew's Riff

- BC Camplight - Two Legged Dog ft. Abigail Morris (1:54)


### Dr Sam's track choices

1. Ugly Kid Joe - Everything About You (1.18)

2. Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours (Revisited) (2.20)

3. Wayne Gibson - See You Later, Alligator (0.57)

4. Weird Al - Bohemian Polka (opening)


### Andrew's track choices

1. The Kinks - Shangri La (2:47)

2. The Charlatans - I never want an easy life if me and he were ever to get there

3. Led Zeppelin - Achilles last stand (4:07)

4. Courdroy - Motorhead (1:32)


Email us - beatmotel@lawsie.com