Mark and Thom explore the alt-rock of Placebo’s 1998 sophomore effort, Without You, I’m Nothing, examining how this British trio found their emotional honesty amid the post-grunge landscape.
Welcome back to Once Every Two Weeks, a podcast where long-time friends, Mark and Tom, take a nostalgic trip back to their high school years to discuss the albums that impacted them and, for better or worse (though mostly for the worse), shaped who they are today.
Before diving into the music, Mark shares his recent concert experiences meeting Not a Surf members Matthew and Daniel, discussing how they reacted to learning about the podcast’s name origin. Tom talks about his upcoming shows, including finally seeing Bush solo after years of confusion about which concerts they attended together. They also touch on the challenge of seeing European bands like Placebo in the States, with Mark recounting his dedicated journey from Houston to Dallas just to catch their rare American tour date.
Then they explore the international upbringing of Placebo, covering Brian Molko’s nomadic childhood across Luxembourg, Lebanon, and London, his dramatic arts education, and the chance tube station encounter that brought him together with Swedish bassist Stefan Olsdal. Listen to how their dysfunctional relationship with producer Steve Osborne at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios somehow resulted in one of the most emotionally honest albums of the late 90s. Mark and Tom discuss the band’s androgynous aesthetic, their defiant stance against Britpop machismo, and how “Pure Morning” became their sole breakthrough in American radio while stronger tracks like “Every You Every Me” were relegated to movie soundtracks.
Thom and Mark examine how Placebo filled the sonic void left by Smashing Pumpkins’ evolution, creating guitar-heavy alternative rock that felt both nostalgic and fresh without falling into tribute band territory. They also discuss the stark difference between American and European critical reception, including a particularly scathing Pitchfork review that completely missed the point.
And, always, Mark & Thom do a play-by-play breakdown of all songs from Without You, I’m Nothing and give you their top 3 songs from the album.
