#55 - Radiohead

Thank you for tuning in!  It's been a bit since I posted my last episode, thank you for your patience and I am so excited to be back! On today's episode we take a deep dive into the band Radiohead, one of the most unique alternative groups of me and my sister's generation.  You will hear the backstory on how they met, their rise to fame and what the group's members are up to today!  

At the beginning of the show, I mention a podcast that I was recently a guest on - it's called the 80s and 90s Uncensored and it's a fantastic podcast!  If you are a fan of this show, you will definitely love this one! You can find them at:  https://the80sand90suncensored.podbean.com/ and all major podcast platforms.  I was a guest on their September 12th episode where we discussed our favorite childhood board games.  It was so much fun! 

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Transcript

Episode #55 Radiohead

Before we get into this week’s episode, I wanted to make sure to give a belated shoutout to the podcast “80s and 90s Uncensored.”  They invited me to be on their show this summer to do sort of a roundtable discussion about some of our favorite or memorable board games from our childhood. I made sure to discuss some of the most ridiculous board games that I remember playing with my sister and at slumber parties, including the Saved by the Bell Game and Girl Talk.  It was a lot of fun and they have a great podcast.  You can learn more about the show on their website:  www.the80sand90s.com/podcast If you like the content of this show, you will definitely love their show as well.  I appreciate that they don’t spend a half hour bantering about the weather or other topics unrelated to their show, they get right to the topic.  So please check it out, Milo and Jamie’s show is fantastic. Now, on with the show-

One of my fondest memories I have with my sister was when we would drive around, late at night, blasting music and jamming out around our childhood town and surrounding areas.  When we were both home for say something like Christmas break from college or some other holiday, we’d hop into my mom’s white Honda accord and would set off for a late night rendezvous.  My sister was a horrible driver, so it was often me behind the wheel with her selecting the music that would soon be the soundtrack for our adventure.  On one occasion we were so enthralled with the music we were listening to that we got a bit lost and ended up at a very sketchy White Castle in a town we had never heard of.  Not sure how we got home as we of course didn’t have GPS or even mapquest at that time, but somehow we got back safe.

We of course listened to all different kinds of music from artists like Tracy Chapman, Phoebe Snow, Tupac and a plethora of alternative music like Bush, The Cure and arguably one of our favorite bands, Radiohead.  

To this day, I absolutely LOVE the song “Let Down” by the band.  I can remember the lead up to the bridge part of the song which me and my sister would be screaming along with as we rounded the curbs in suburbia:  

One day I am gonna grow wings

A chemical reaction

Hysterical and useless

Hysterical and

Let down and hanging around

Crushed like a bug in the ground

Let down and hanging around

Those lyrics still resonate with me today and remind me so much of her so it seemed only appropriate that a show be devoted to Radiohead, one of the greatest alternative rock bands of our generation.  So that is who we will be discussing today.  From the group's early days, to their overwhelming rise to fame as well as where they are today.  So, grab your electric guitar, your pen and paper to write lyrics down and watch out for the Karma Police, here we go!

Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop-culture time machine. You are tuning in to episode #55 - Radiohead, one of the most talented bands to ever grace the stage and ring in our ears.  

I want to apologize for the delay in producing this show.  I think I mentioned this in a few episodes but I have officially started a photography business, Amy Lewis Photography and who knew that starting and owning your own business would be so incredibly time-consuming and would require so much focus and dedication? Geez!  So between that and my family responsibilities I have found myself to be busy from sun up until sun down so it’s been hard to find the time to put together a quality podcast episode.  It’s taken me a while to put together this episode but I never want to release a show that isn’t up to the standards I have for the show.  I hope the wait between episodes is worth it, I truly believe in quality over quantity.  Let’s get back to the show!

The band, Radiohead, actually dates back about 37 years to 1985.  It consists of Thom Yorke, Phil Selway, Ed O’Brien, Colin Greenwood and Jonny Greenwood.  Yorke was born on October 7th, 1968.  His father worked as a Chemical Engineer and was an amateur boxer.  Yorke grew up with a paralyzed left eye and had many unsuccessful surgeries on it growing up.  He was sadly bullied for it a lot during his childhood, however he was not afraid to fight back. Thankfully he found music.  In addition to being the band’s lead singer he also plays the guitar, which he started playing in elementary school.  Phil Selway plays the guitar, he was born on May 13, 1967.  Ed O’Brien is a guitarist, he was born on April 15, 1968.  His family is of Irish descent.  When his parents divorced when he was 10, O’Brien said music became his coping skill.  Colin Greenwood is the band’s bassist, he was born on June 29, 1969 and his little brother, Jonny plays the keyboard and guitar, he was born on November 5, 1971.  Their father was in the army, he was a bomb disposal expert.  Colin bought his first guitar when was just 15 years old.  Jonny’s first instrument was not a piano believe it or not, but a recorder of all things.  They all met at the Abingdon School in Oxfordshire which was an all boys independent school.  A teacher named Terrance Gilmore-James became sort of a mentor to the boys.  He recognized how much they all loved playing music and would often allow them to practice during non-school hours in his classroom.  The music performance area was separate from the rest of the school, so it was really a respite for the boys.  It soon became a safe haven for the boys, they would often play music while waiting to be picked up by their parents from school.  The headmaster was not as compassionate as Mr. Gilmore-James was toward the boys.  He allegedly sent a bill to the boys for the cost of using the entire school property because they used the school music room one day on a Sunday.  

As they played together more, the boys decided to officially start a band.  At first the band’s name was “On A Friday.”  The name comes from the fact that, well, they typically performed on Fridays.  Eventually all of the band members would go on to college but they still continued to play together.  They would perform on weekends, riding around in a van and playing small, stinky and sweaty night clubs.  4 out of the 5 band members would end up with postsecondary degrees.  Jonny Greenwood, for example, is a classically trained musician and he can play pretty much any instrument.   

In 1987, Thom Yorke was in a car accident with his then girlfriend.  As a result, he doesn’t really care to drive much and he has written many songs about cars such as “airbag” and “stupid car,” but more on those songs later.  

And speaking of songs, Radiohead has a very collaborative process for writing their music.  Typically it begins with Thom Yorke mapping out a song and sort of sketching it out.  Johnny sorts out the harmony of the song.  The others sort of take it all in and then each band member works on their part separately.  The group then all works together to put together a song, no one person is in charge.  

They signed a record deal in 1991 and the band changed their name to Radiohead, due to encouragement from the record company.  The inspiration for the band’s name came from a classic Talking Head’s song called, you guessed it, Radiohead.  Phil Selway, the guitarist of the band had recently returned after living in Ireland for some time.  His relationship ended so thankfully he returned to his homeland to join back with the band, just in the nick of time!  Pablo Honey was their debut album which was released in 1993.  This album features the song “Creep” which became a huge hit in the United States.  A DJ at a college radio station in San Fransisco can be thanked for the success of the song.  Originally the song didn’t get a ton of traction, but with him playing it consistently, it really started to pick up momentum that quickly spread.  The song really served as sort of an anthem for the young adult crowd.  The song was inspired by a girl that Thom Yorke was quite fond of, however she rejected him.  I imagine she would eventually regret that, but at least it made for an excellent song.  Here are a few of the song’s memorable lyrics:

You're just like an angel

Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather

In a beautiful world

I wish I was special

You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep

I'm a weirdo

What the hell am I doin' here?

I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts

I wanna have control

I want a perfect body

I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice

When I'm not around

The song was so incredibly popular that it was of course performed by the band hundreds of times.  And as such, they rarely perform the song anymore.

In 1995, the band released the album “The Bends.”  Yorke recorded his vocals for the album right after he saw Jeff Buckley (one of my favorite lead singers of all time) in London.  He was so moved by his incredible voice and falsetto that Yorke knew he needed to record his part immediately.  They toured with REM and Alanis Morrisette to promote the album.  The song “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” became a popular hit song as did “Fake Plastic Trees.”.  It was incredibly poignant that they performed with REM seeing as how the band was an inspiration for Radiohead, along with others like the Pixies.  

So that brings us to the year 1997.  It was the year I started high school, rocking my braces and my ridiculous walking billboard clothing from Abercrombie & Fitch. It also marks the year one of the greatest albums of all time, OK Computer was released.  The album was incredibly popular with songs like “Paranoid Android” blowing up the airwaves and boomboxes all over the world.  The online resource Brittanica described the album best when it said quote: OK Computer is a “pre-millennial version of Pink Floyd’s classic album Dark Side of the Moon.  Huge sounding and chillingly beautiful, with Yorke’s weightless voice enveloped on masterpieces such as “Lucky” by webs of dark, dense textures. In its live performances, Radiohead became one of pop music’s most compelling acts.”  End quote. OK Computer was almost titled:  “Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up with payments.”  Thankfully, that name was rejected. The album has sold over 5.5 million copies. Popular hits on this album include Karma Police, Paranoid Android and No Surprises.  I mentioned a bit ago about how Thom Yorke has a significant fear of driving in cars and one song on the OK Computer album is called Air Bag.  Here are a few of those lyrics:  

In the next world war

In a jackknifed juggernaut

I am born again

In the neon sign scrolling up and down

I am born again

In an interstellar burst

I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent

I am born again

In a fast German car

I'm amazed that I survived

An airbag saved my life

A worldwide tour followed the release of OK Computer, but so too, did burnout.  After the tour, they were on the verge of breaking up.  The fame and crazy schedule had become too overwhelming, to say the least.  

Thankfully, by 1999 Radiohead began recording songs again for albums to come later including Kid A which was released in 2000 and Amnesiac which was released in 2001.  Kid A would be the band’s first #1 album in the United States. With the Kid A album (which is fantastic and the sounds are sort of hanting) the band wanted to change direction a bit.  They didn’t want it to sound like Ok Computer.  So they used unique instruments on this album like modular synthesizers.  

Thom Yorke wrote very conceptual lyrics and then intentionally mixed them up when writing the songs.  The result is truly another masterpiece from Radiohead.  Rollingstone agrees with me as Kid A is on their list of 500 greatest albums of all time.  All of the accolades the album has received are pretty amazing given that Yorke was suffering from a lot of writer’s block during the creation of the album. From 2001-2003 the band again toured extensively. If the band wasn’t busy enough, they released Hail to the Thief in 2003. This album was inspired by the war on terror and then President Bush’s election in 2000.  Yorke had just become a father around this time and was worried about the state of the world.  Some of the more well known songs on this album include 2 + 2 =5, There, There and Go to Sleep. 

The album “In Rainbows” was completed in 2007.  Initially it was only available via download (which for 2007 was pretty darn progressive).  Fans were allowed to pay whatever they could to download it. Over 1.2 million copies were downloaded during its first week of release. Hard copies were available for purchase starting in 2008. Popular songs on this album included Nude and Jigsaw Falling Into Place. 

King of Limbs was released in 2011.  It was available for purchase and download on their website and later as physical copies.  The band toured through the United States, Canada and Mexico to mark the album’s release.  They had not toured in North America for several years prior.  

Moon Shaped Pool was released in 2016.  It was definitely a tough time for the band as during recording, Yorke and his wife had separated and she ultimately passed away from cancer in 2016.  Some of the released singles from this album include “Daydreaming” and “Burn the Witch.”

In 2019, Radiohead was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  It’s crazy to think that by 2019, the group had been a band for almost 25 years.  They were inducted by none other than David Byrne, the lead singer of Talking Heads.  During his speech Byrne said quote: “THEIR MUSIC, THE QUALITY AND CONSTANT INNOVATION...COMPLETELY CHANGED THE MUSIC BUSINESS.”  You're damn right they did.   

In November of 2021, Radiohead released Kid A Mnesia which was an anniversary re-issue of Kid A, but included previously unreleased tracks such as “Follow Me Around” and “If You Say the Word.”  They were supposed to tour that year as well, but the pandemic of course made those plans impossible.  

Several members of the band have gone on to perform with other bands, have done solo projects, have written scores and music for the film industry, and just continue to keep busy when they are not involved with all things Radiohead. 

I hope you have enjoyed this look back on Radiohead, one of the most innovative, creative and influential bands of me and my sister’s generation.  What started out as a few high school kids rocking out in their music teacher’s classroom evolved into an incredible career spanning nearly 3 decades.  

To date, Radiohead has sold well over 30 million records, have earned 3 grammy awards including one for album of the year for OK Computer, multiple MTV video music awards, among many others.  They are also advocates for the environment, equality, independent music labels and music accessibility. Despite a bit more time passing in between albums now than earlier in their career, the group really shows no signs of stopping.  And I’m so grateful for that.

Rollingstone did a poll asking their readers to identify the 10 best Radiohead songs and here are the results:  How to Disappear Completely, Reckoner, There, There, Let Down, Everything in it’s Right Place, Karma Police, Fake Plastic Trees, Creep and Paranoid Android. I’ll repeat those so you can write them down and download them or put them on your spotify playlist.  

If you are enjoying the show, please rate the show on iTunes, and please tell your family and friends about the show.  I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be discussing the Sanrio, the Japanese company behind some memorable characters like Hello Kitty and Keroppi.  Until then, BK, BS and HOTYM.