Last Updated on January 16, 2026
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.
Expect:
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A semi-academic breakdown of The Cure’s “Lovecats”
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A loving rant about Citric Dummies reviving Dr. Sam’s faith in punk
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The Stray Cats (who aren’t British, but fooled us all)
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Psychobilly hair, ska that doesn’t suck, and why Jules Holland might secretly be a dog person
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A jazz track from 1931 that the BBC had to rename because it was “too rude” (spoiler: it wasn’t about a cat, but we’re pretending it was)
Andrew’s website gets cyber-attacked mid-show (presumably by a Japanese feline overlord), and we waste far too much time translating song titles through every Nordic and Baltic language available. We also discover the only way to pick a cat from a rehoming café is to let it slap you in the face.
It’s a mess. It’s musical. It’s got Matt Berry rubbing a snail on his face. It’s Beat Motel at its most confusingly brilliant.
### Riffs of the week
#### Dr Sam’s Riff
– Citric Dummies – I Am Your Napkin
#### Andrew’s Riff
– vildhjarta – + byta ut alla stjärnor på himlen mot plustecken +
### Dr Sam’s track choices
1. Spongebob – Gary’s Song
2. Stray Cats – Stray Cat Strut
3. Queen – Cool Cat
4. Presidents of the United States of America – Kitty
### Andrew’s track choices
1. The Cure – Love cats
2. Squeeze – Cool for cats
3. The Slackers – El Gato
4. Harry Roy & His Bat Club Boys – My girl’s pussy
Email us – beatmotel@lawsie.com
