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.

RIFF079 - Nirvana - MTV Unplugged

When the Funeral Flowers Were Real and Nobody Knew It Yet Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~77 minutes Release: Not scheduled Episode Description Neil and Chris sit down with one of the most quietly devastating records ever committed to tape: Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York, recorded on 18th Novemb...

RIFF078 - 3 Doors Down - The Better Life

When Mississippi Kids Storm the Stratosphere Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~98 minutes Release: February 2026 Episode Description This week, Neil and Chris dive into Three Doors Down's 2000 debut The Better Life, an album that captured American radio rock at its peak. Released just as the CD era cre...

RIFF078 - Extreme - Extreme

When a 22-Year-Old Guitar Wizard Caught Lightning Before Grunge Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~72 minutes Release: 9 February 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Extreme's 1989 self-titled debut, a record that arrived at the worst possible moment for hair metal, yet showcased one of ro...

RIFF077 - Metallica - Master of Puppets

When eight-minute songs feel like three-minute punches Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~124 minutes Release: Not scheduled Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Metallica’s Master of Puppets, not just as a landmark metal record, but as a moment-in-time document, the “perfect storm” of pow...

RIFF076 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

When a black shrink wrap hides the most emotional record in the rack Hosts: Neil & Chris Duration: ~101 minutes Release: 12 January 2026 Episode Description Neil and Chris dive into Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, a record that feels less like a set of songs and more like a single long thought, d...

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, ...

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 the Funeral Flowers Were Real and Nobody Knew It Yet

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~77 minutes
Release: Not scheduled

Episode Description

Neil and Chris sit down with one of the most quietly devastating records ever committed to tape: Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, recorded on 18th November 1993 and released almost a year later, after Kurt Cobain was already gone. What was supposed to be a reluctant, contractually awkward TV taping became something nobody in that room fully understood until much later. This episode digs into exactly why that happened, and why it still matters.

The hosts explore the full context behind the recording, from Kurt’s repeated refusals and the day-before drug comedown that nearly killed the show, to the single-take performance that no other MTV Unplugged artist ever managed. Neil and Chris talk about what it means that Kurt got everything he asked for, the meat puppets, the funeral flowers, the office chair, the hidden amp, and still thought it was a disaster when it was over.

What You’ll Hear:

Why Kurt despised the MTV Unplugged format and what it took to get him there at all
The deliberate choice to play almost no Nevermind material, and what that says about where Kurt’s head was
Dave Grohl’s struggles with playing quietly enough, and how a pair of brushes solved it
The Martin D18 guitar’s journey from a $5,000 purchase to a $6 million auction result, now in the Royal College of Music
The green cardigan, the wrong-name cello introduction, and the hidden Fender Twin Reverb masquerading as a monitor
Why the audience’s stunned silence after the final song convinced Kurt the whole thing had flopped

Featured Tracks and Analysis:

Neil and Chris move through key moments including Dumb, Polly, Come As You Are, and the closing Where Did You Sleep Last Night, noting how the stripped-back format transforms Kurt’s voice into something rawer and more exposed than any studio record allowed. The deliberate choice to sing Meat Puppets covers in uncomfortably high keys is discussed as entirely intentional, a decision to make the strain audible. Chris also flags Kurt’s use of chorus effect, which somehow managed to be cool in a way nobody else has quite pulled off since.

Tangential Gold:

Italian cars, Ducatis, and the unique personality of machines that look beautiful but won’t start in cold weather
A detour into Little Angels reuniting, why they never broke America, and why that still stings
A suspected ATM ram-raid at the local garage that prevented the purchase of Bongo Cokes
Neil’s son alphabetising the vinyl collection and having strong feelings about box sets
A spirited debate about which REM album to cover next, with Out of Time emerging as the likely winner

Why This Matters:

This record sits in a category that very few albums ever reach. It is not just a live document or an acoustic reimagining. It is a time capsule, a last testament, and an accidental self-portrait of an artist who thought the night had gone badly. Neil puts it plainly: this one transcends the usual question of how much you like an album. It just does something else entirely.

Perfect for: Anyone who owns this on vinyl and loses 45 minutes every time they put it on, fans curious about the chaos behind the recording, and anyone who wants to understand why a single office chair and a hidden amplifier ended up mattering quite so much to music history.