Riffology Podcast

Welcome to Riffology Podcast! We’re a (mostly) weekly music podcast that focuses on rock albums from the 80s and 90’s, maybe a few from the 70s and 2000s too.

We are Neil and Chris, we’re both embracing the joys of steadily growing older and enjoying going back to the albums of our youth. Sometimes we ask our listeners to pick the albums from a chosen year and sometimes we pick our own favourites. Sometimes, they are albums we loved and sometimes albums that passed us by and we revisit them to see what all the fuss was about.

This is a celebration of incredible music from a time when albums were meaningful and important to us.

RIFF075 - The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

When a guitar tone becomes a time machine Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~89 minutes Release: 05 January 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris finally tackle The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream, an album that hits like a personal memory as much as a rock record. For Chris, it is a private-room, ...

RIFF074 - Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip

When Evil Disco Becomes a Genre Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~96 minutes Release: 3 January 2025 Episode Description Static-X's 1999 debut Wisconsin Death Trip marked a pivotal moment in industrial metal, blending crushing riffs with techno grooves to create what Wayne Static called "evil disco." N...

RIFF073 - Prong - Cleansing

When the Sound Guy Becomes the Sound Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~98 minutes Release: 15 December 2025 Episode Description Before Tommy Victor was crafting some of the heaviest riffs in industrial metal, he was the guy behind the mixing desk at CBGB's, watching the entire New York hardcore scene u...

RIFF072 - Suicidal Tendencies - Lights, Camera, Revolution!

Where Skate Punk Grew Up and Got a Grammy Nod Episode 72 | Suicidal Tendencies, Lights, Camera, Revolution (1990) | Duration: ~84 minutes | Release: 8 December 2025 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into one of Neil's all-time decorating records, a 1990 album that transformed LA's banned skate...

RIFF071 - L7 - Bricks Are Heavy

When Tuning Your Guitar Became Revolutionary Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~80 minutes Release: 24 November 2025 Episode Description Neil and Chris tackle L7's breakthrough 1992 album Bricks Are Heavy, the record that proved you could be authentically punk, unapologetically feminist, and radio-frien...

RIFF070 - Bush - Sixteen Stone

When everyone said no, radio said yes Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~92 minutes Release: 17 November 2025 Episode Description Bush's Sixteen Stone shouldn't exist. Dropped by their first label for having "no singles and no album tracks," Gavin Rossdale went back to painting dentists' offices while h...

Podcast Episodes

Riffology: Iconic Rock Albums Podcast

Remember when payday meant choosing which CD or vinyl you were blowing it on? Standing in HMV doing the mental maths, convincing yourself two albums was basically essential. Riffology is Neil and Chris chasing that feeling again, one classic record at a time.

This is a show about the albums that raised us —
Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Motley Crue, Def Leppard,
Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, Radiohead,
Skunk Anansie, Gojira, Soulfly and the rest.
If it’s 25+ years old, loud and iconic, we’re in.

Each episode is two Gen X mates diving into studio sessions, producer chaos and band drama plus the joy of taped-over cassettes, dodgy car stereos and sitting on the floor with a record sleeve.

We nerd out when we should: Albini vs Vig, room-miked vs close-miked,
Neve consoles, dynamic-range disasters and those “how did this get approved?” moments.

If you grew up when albums were events, this is your place. Some weeks it’s an old favourite; other weeks it’s something you abandoned in ’94. Either way, Riffology’s here to talk rubbish, tell stories and remind you why these records mattered.

When a guitar tone becomes a time machine

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~89 minutes
Release: 05 January 2026

Episode Description

Neil and Chris finally tackle The Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream, an album that hits like a personal memory as much as a rock record. For Chris, it is a private-room, headphones-on relationship, the kind where the opening of “Cherub Rock” can still trigger a lump in the throat. For Neil, it’s a later-life discovery that only gets deeper the more you learn about the chaos behind it.

Pulling in long-form interview clips (with a very open admiration for Rick Beato’s world), they unpack how this record was made under pressure, dysfunction and near-collapse, then somehow emerged as a layered, melodic, analog monster. From Butch Vig’s post-Nevermind gravity to Billy Corgan’s perfectionism, it’s a story about obsession paying off, even when everyone involved is barely holding it together.

What You’ll Hear:

The band’s fragile, combustible state heading into the sessions, including breakups, addiction and Billy’s darkest period
Why Butch Vig mattered here, and the “you stole my guitar sound” Nirvana shadow
The case for “overproduced” as a compliment, and what “overproduced” meant in an analog, tape-based workflow
Billy’s “vision” mindset, including the reality of re-recording band parts to chase the idea
The lore and truth behind the iconic cover photo, and how it became a myth

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

Key songs get spotlighted for both meaning and mechanics, including “Today” (written after deciding not to die), the orchestral punch and pop ambition of “Disarm” (plus its BBC controversy), and the emotional weight of “Spaceboy.” They also dig into “Mayonaise” as a fan-beloved deep cut, and how the album’s guitar layering became so complex it required diagrams just to navigate.

There’s also love for Jimmy Chamberlin’s drumming as a melodic voice, not just timekeeping, the kind of playing that makes the entire band feel alive and unpredictable.

Tangential Gold:

A nostalgic detour into Bo’ Selecta, Craig David and unintended career damage
A quick, pointed detour into AI as a “vision amplifier” versus “slop generator”
A surprise chat on YUNGBLUD’s “Zombie” collaboration with the Pumpkins
Cold-weather suffering, parkrun logistics, and the reality of aging into needing a heated blanket
Next week’s pick, Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here

Why This Matters:

Siamese Dream is more than a 90s classic, it’s a blueprint for making something huge without sounding generic. This episode frames it as a record born from pressure, rivalry, and meticulous craft, then asks the bigger question, what happens when an artist like Billy Corgan has no one left to push back?

Perfect for: Smashing Pumpkins lifers, 90s alt-rock obsessives, producers and guitar nerds, and anyone who loves albums with messy backstories and immaculate sound.