May 2000 - Interview with Thom Yorke of Radiohead....
above: an old picture by rankin
below: an emailed exchange, between thom and me
When Thom offered to do an interview, I thought he was joking, but just in case
he wasn't I sent some questions. After a long wait, and several lost emails, I got
the reply which you can read here. I received it in May, so as far as I know it
was the first interview this year, before the new album was named, before the
live shows and before the treadmill of promotion started again...
1. In your 'absence' you seem to have been becoming noticeably more politically
vocal (on world debt; about the inadequacy of Tony the Teeth's government generally;
and the WTO, Reclaim the streets, among other things in your website postings) is
this going to be particularly reflected on the new record? or is it time that
everyone got more angry and active considering the state we're in? (should Alistair
Campbell get (more) worried?)
it all got tied up with encountering reality for the first time in 10 years.
i get motivated by the issues you mention. it is not a re-action to anything
else i dont suppose, but im sure thered be plenty of people who can excuse it
as such.
maybe id had enough of feeling helpless and dwelling in my existential and
now highly profitable angst. i woke up in disgust one morning having had the
light revealed to me and light said stop being so thick, wake up this is
being done and you are just as responsible as anyone. jesus lord amen i see
light at the end of the tunnel.
its the old manufacturing consent thing.
2. On that note, although I'm not looking to set a reading list, is there anything
that you would recommend people to investigate to make themselves more politically
responsible (aside from Chomsky)?
"profit over people" is a good yarn.
3. With Radiohead.com and WASTE, would you agree that you seem a lot closer to
controlling the public perception of the band ? does it feel like you have more
creative freedom? Or does it all end up as fodder for badly put together articles
in Select magazine whatever your efforts?
i think we were really lucky to gain control of our website at all there
seems to be a rash of record company bullying going on at the moment, i heard
that massive attack had terrible trouble trying to gain control of their own
website, the record company trying to claim it was theirs!!!
at one point we had this ridiculous consortium of managers from big bands
working themselves up into a www froth and offering to give us millions of
quid to put a link at the front of our site to their superdooper big bands
site. then presumably they were going to make a killing floating it on a
gullible stock exchange...
we said no and went home early that day.
we laughed and we laughed when the Select thing came out.
i dont think were closer to controlling what goes on but its a way of
answering bACK which obviously is HANDY.
4. When the new record comes out are you hoping that all the lunacy of 'the best
album in the world ever' polls that OK Computer got thrown at it will have been
put aside? (well we can dream!)
YEP. We are in the lab currently developing new genetic strains to this
purpose.
5. At the moment on my stereo: Laika, ADF, Black Box Recorder, Clinic, Mira
Calix /Third Eye Foundation ( and other stuff that should be filed under 'sinister'),
Radio Four and any old Dionne Warwick sings Burt Bacarach, that I can find.
How about yours?
I was a bit let down by the Mira Calix record. Im astonished to find myself
really liking the delgadoes album. and squarepusher selection sixteen.
christophe de babalon on fat cat with kid606. also process on fat cat.
6. Does it make you laugh that so many new bands are being touted as the new
radiohead, by record companies and lazy music hacks? Have you heard any of them
and if so what do you reckon?
we were thinking of booking them as supports so they could play all the old
songs for us.
7. After seeing the film (meeting people is easy) it struck me that you might
think hard before embarking on a world tour of that scale again. should we be
worried that you will jack in playing live after this round?
Or will you be sticking to smaller gigs?
Or does the whole thing just scare you silly?
i have been through the worst of the fear now. we will never again to the
world tour thing. that was a condition of carrying on at all. we are gonna
break it all up. and live life a little. but that doesnt mean we wont go to
these places and crawl around wherever we feel like whenever and watch colin
devouring squeeling seefood.
8. Are you big enough and U2 enough these days to not have to do the press and
promo treadmill on the scale of the OK Computer tour? Or does being away for so
long mean that you are going to have to explain/ flog yourselves even more?
we have done all we can. i have done all i can.
i owe you nothing, nnnothing nnnnothing at all.(rpt)
9.The Meltdown gig. Maybe you can get Scott Walker to cheer up at last? Great
opportunity to get the orchestra behind you, like in his recordings? Any thoughts yet?
no orchestra. mild panic. no extended guitar solos. probably just really loud
and fast with no senstivity or art at all.
10. I remember early in the development of the Bends you described it as 'Love
out of Concrete '(which I've always thought was perfect) and OK Computer was
suitable for the 'insides of huge white shopping malls' any similar thoughts for
'the long awaited fourth album'?
black brown silver pen and ink.
11. The author of one of the 'unauthorised radiohead biographies' published last
year has asked me to elicit an opinion on them from you. he is a fan.
that's his excuse. any thoughts?
ask for money, otherwise dont talk. there is money to be had thats the only
reason these buggers are doing it.
[Lucy Brouwer 2000]