Stars: 4/5

Do you like to laugh? Do you like listening to music and/or podcasts? If you have answered yes to either of those questions, you should listen to R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME? 

“R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME?” is the newest absurdist comedy-meets-music anaylsis podcast baby from Adam Scott and Scott Aukerman. Their previous collaboration was called “U Talkin’ U2 To Me?” Both are currently free and available on Earwolf.

Scott and Aukerman, dubbed as the superfan “Adam Scott Aukerman,” talk about everything and nothing concerning R.E.M. Each episode features an analysis of R.E.M. albums in chronological order, starting with the band’s first EP, “Chronic Town.” They dissect each individual track and talk about their own personal connections to the music. 
The show is not strictly limited to R.E.M., though. The podcast is filled with the kind of absurdist yet intellectual humor Aukerman and Scott are best known for.
Aukerman is an experienced actor and comedian who performed with the Upright Citizens’ Brigade in 2005 and now has his own IFC show, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” He is also an Emmy-award winning writer – his collaboration on Zach Galifianakis’s absurd talk show “Between Two Ferns” included directing and producing the episode that featured former President Barack Obama. The episode won the 2014 Emmy for Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Program.

Scott is most known for his role as Ben Wyatt in the hit NBC show “Parks and Recreation,” but has worked on other projects in film and TV. He played Reese Witherspoon’s love interest in HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” executive produced and starred in “A.C.O.D.,” which premiered at Sundance. Scott has been featured in comedy television shows like “Angie Tribeca,” “American Dad” and “Robot Chicken.” He now has his own show with Craig Robinson on FOX. 

You know these two are funny.

Absurdist humor can alienate listeners, but since the show is cemented around discussing R.E.M.’s music, the zany quality of the show is channeled and made much easier to understand. The humor never strays too far from the subject matter and the hosts constantly try to tie their tangents back to R.E.M. 

It may not be cool to dig R.E.M., but I shamelessly do. The tracks they’ve chosen from “Reckoning” and “Chronic Town” are indisputably good. They sound like tracks cool radio stations are spinning now, over 25 years later. They still bring up smash radio hits but they focus more on the deep cuts. It gives another dimension to a show that could otherwise become stale.

I highly recommend this podcast. I think its funny, witty and cool. If you’re looking for a show to keep you entertained on a long car ride or an all-nighter, look no further than “R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME?”