Rankiohead

Walker and Zach close out the first season of Idiotalk by ranking Radiohead's albums and doing some Top Ten lists. They also preview what is in store for Season 2 and discuss everything they've learned about Radiohead and each other. 

Playlist Links (Walker):
Top 10 Radiohead songs Apple Music  or Spotify
Top 10 B-Sides, Solo work, other collaborations Apple Music or Spotify

Playlist Links (Zach):
Top 10 Radiohead songs Apple Music or Spotify
Top 10 B-Sides, Solo work, other collaborations Apple Music or Spotify

Enjoying the show? Please Rate (and) Review wherever you listen to Podcasts! 

Follow us on Instagram for weekly show updates, upcoming special guests, and original artwork idiotalk.podcast

Idiotalk theme song by Walker Glenn 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Walker 0:20

Hey everybody. Welcome to Idiotalk, a Radiohead podcast. I am Walker Glenn. I'm Zach Glenn. Great to see you, Zach. Yeah, it's great to be here. I'm excited. Why are you excited?

Zach 0:33

Well, because we're coming to the end of some things.

Walker 0:35

Yeah, as we have, as we have been for as we've been doing our British exit for several episodes. Yeah. Saying goodbye. Keep on hanging out. But this time, it is with a heavy heart that I say this is our season finale. Now, Zach, did I say season or did I say series? I uh I think you said season. I said season. Okay, right? Uh-huh. Now, when Tony Soprano looked up in the restaurant and it cut to black, that was a series finale. Yeah. But when Tony Soprano ran through the snow from Johnny Sack's house, that was a season finale, wasn't it? Yes. And these are, and I do think these examples are helping our listeners understand the distinction that I'm making here.

Zach 1:24

That's a tough one because a lot I think a lot of uh folks, not necessarily our listeners, were so shocked by the fact that that was the series finale. Um, but hey, mirroring the arc of the band, at least in our examples, a moonshape pool, as you so uh wonderfully put it, like does feel like their optional swan song. And I think The Sopranos does uh the same thing brilliantly. In that, you know, it's kind of like, I know it's done, but is it? Right.

Walker 1:54

Am I stretching? Am I No, I like it. And mirroring the arc of the band, I know we're about to have such a good episode that if this were to be our final if this were to be the series finale, the final episode of Idiotalk ever, we'd be damn proud to go out on this one. And I say that having only done two and a half minutes of the episode.

Zach 2:15

Well, was that I'm sorry, I was daydreaming. Um what was that? I'm sorry.

Walker 2:23

But Zach, point of fact is this is not our series finale.

Zach 2:27

Okay.

Walker 2:28

This is the end of the Radiohead season for now. For now. Ideotalk podcast will continue. There is going to be a season two with a new discography of a different artist or group. I won't say. But we will continue to discuss Radiohead and all Radiohead relevant news as it comes out. We're still gonna be Ideo talk. Heck, we're still gonna be Walker and Zach. We're doing such a better job than Facebook did of like, now we're meta.

Zach 3:02

Sure.

Walker 3:03

Accept us. Or HBO Max now is just Max. This is not like that. This is a We're retaining the name. We're retaining the name. This merger makes sense, and also we're not going to now charge you $20 a month if you don't want commercials on a thing that you haven't had commercials on the entire time.

Zach 3:21

Or be like, hey, you liked episode 20? Well, it's gone forever and we don't know where.

Walker 3:25

Once again, our business acumen surpasses that of anybody involved in the entire corporation of HBO for now, until we just become talk.

Zach 3:39

Sorry, you were saying.

Walker 3:40

Yeah, what I'm saying is we're gonna take some time off and then we're gonna launch season two because I don't want to speak for you, but I love doing this. Yeah. The listeners seem to love listening and engaging, and I think there's a lot more here to discuss. Radiohead has gone quiet for now, but we know these motherfuckers are going to give us a new trail of breadcumbs to pick up at some point. Breadcums. Did I say breadcombs? Yeah. Oh, okay. I would say let's take it again, but I feel like this will be a much-needed humanization of the hosts for the listeners. Sometimes we misspeak. Today, as we close out the Radiohead season, Zach and I want to look back on everything that we've gone through, right? Mm-hmm. Radiohead and the adjacent content, rank our favorite stuff, put things in some man, do I love making lists. I had so much fun doing this, by the way.

Zach 4:39

Yeah. I mean, look at these tabs. You could tell I like a good listener, too.

Walker 4:42

Guys, hopefully there will be some pictures on idiotalk.podcast on Instagram. The level of organization. I I, you know, basically have on me a dance belt and a tube of chapstick. Not a lot to call my own, but Zach has binders full of women, if women were notes about Radiohead.

Zach 5:03

Mitt Romney reference.

Walker 5:05

Yes. Kids. Do you remember Mitt Romney's seismic impact on American political culture?

Zach 5:11

But I love that comparison, but I would more, in a more flattering light, I would compare it to uh do you remember in seven when Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman's characters go into uh Kevin Spacey, John Doe's apartment, and they find those carefully written uh notebooks. Yes. It more looks like that, you know, a little more comforting than the way you describe it.

Walker 5:28

And the content in Zach's notebook is very similar to Kevin Spacey's character. It's all about like uh what's I was on the subway today. Yeah, and it's all very smile talk to me. Travis Bickle. One day a real rain's gonna come, right? It's all it's a lot about pimps and whores and stuff, and it's I'm gonna be honest, it's disquieting. I also should mention Zach has a hastily done mohawk today.

Zach 5:52

Oh, what really?

Walker 5:53

I was uh sorry, I was trying to make it a Travis Bickle show. Oh my god.

Zach 5:58

I'm also embittered about everything and nothing at the same time. Right, exactly.

Walker 6:01

Anyways, yeah, uh hey man, you know, you could really just uh try to learn how to talk to girls and could have saved us a lot of trouble. What am I trying to say? I'm trying to say today is a look back at what we've covered with Radiohead. It's also a look forward to what we'll be covering in the future. But listeners, if you're freaking out right now and you're like, okay, I'm just gonna listen to this. I don't want Idiotalk season one to be over. So I'm just gonna listen until Walker and Zach announce what season two is gonna be, and then I'm gonna turn this thing off because I hate goodbyes, even if they're see a later. Well, tough shit because I'm not gonna say that until the end. So you are locked in. Oh, okay, I'll just fast forward to the end. You don't know when in the end it's going to be. It might be somewhere in the middle.

Zach 6:48

Can I just say? Yes. Uh, and and this is not to say that this is what we'll be doing, but similar to uh this little group um from Liverpool, the B uh the The Beatles. Uh oh, okay, B-E-E-T-C-E-L-E-T-C-E-N. No, no, no, B-E-A. So, like B, like you know, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Anyways.

Walker 7:07

Oh, that's a it's a play on words.

Zach 7:10

Okay. So they have a song called The End on their uh last album in terms of chronology. Um but what comes after The Endwalker? Her Majesty. Right? Couldn't be perfect, those blokes. So I'm not saying that that's how this podcast will be, but don't take the end as the actual reveal of the end.

Walker 7:32

Sure.

Zach 7:32

Yeah.

Walker 7:32

So after Her Majesty, they released Let It Be. Right. Even though chronologically it was recorded before Abbey Road. Which is why it's uh yeah, not as good. It's not as good as Abbe Road, but I gotta tell you, Let It Be has really jumped in my esteem. I know, I love that. I love it. Yeah, it's great. I used to, I think some of the like more throwback bluesy numbers on there used to not do a lot for me, but now I really love, especially the George one. I was just gonna say old blue.

Zach 8:02

Or for yeah, for your blue. Yeah. Old brown shoe is John. Old Brown Shoe is George.

Walker 8:07

I like George, yeah, but it didn't make it onto an alba.

Zach 8:09

I wish it did.

Walker 8:10

I love that one.

Zach 8:11

There's something about it that I love. It just makes the sun come out. Oh. Oh, that didn't work.

Walker 8:17

Go ahead. Uh, I'm not a big old brown shoe guy, and I found the worst lapse in judgment and taste displayed by Paul and John in Get Back in in the footage, is that George plays them all things must pass. I think one of his most beautiful songs, and it's met with a resounding eh, because it's good.

Zach 8:42

Because it's so good.

Walker 8:43

That's what you think that's what it is?

Zach 8:44

You think it's a little bit like I think it's subconscious, but yeah, and I mean I think at that point and get back, I believe that's episode two, but that thing is fucking nine hours long, as you said. Yeah. Uh, I think that that's the moment where John and Paul are really locking in as bros. And they're I don't actually think this listeners, but I do think that there is a subconscious understanding pre-Abbey Road where everyone got an option to shine, and in my opinion, everyone does, including Ringo to the max. Uh, All Things Must Pass listeners remains to this day the only solo Beatles album, so a solo album by a Beatles member that was number one on the charts for as long as it was. Yeah, so imagine um uh Band on the Run, all that they they were highly successful and did hit number one at a point. All Things Must Pass sustained that for the longest and was the first uh beat uh Beatles solo effort to be able to do that.

Walker 9:36

Oh, good for George Awesome. I think that's actually a keen observation though, that subconsciously or maybe even slightly consciously, it's like All Things Must Pass represents a kind of different direction for the band. And so there's like probably like a struggle to maintain control of the side.

Zach 9:53

Well, and John and Paul at that point, even though John did break up the Beatles and so did Paul, and so did they all, but uh John, you know, instigated it. Like, what else would that song be about? None of them were nearing death, you know. Right. So I think they're also like, yeah, fuck that.

Walker 10:06

Right, right, right, right. John's like, I kind of want to do it first on Plastic Ono Band while I'm still in this band.

Zach 10:12

I have a song called It's Over, okay?

Walker 10:14

Yeah. I dude, I've always thought, like, you gotta respect the audacity of John Lennon. What a messy bitch that he puts out an album in 1969 while he's still in the Beatles with like Paul though, McCartney. What? Well, but you didn't let me finish. I know that this looking wig, which is to say, which is to say, that contains disses on the Beatles. Right. It's like if Ice Cube put out no Vaseline like at the same time that straight out of Compton was on the charts.

Zach 10:48

Which is what we're here to talk about today. The very culturally sensitive, awesome song. No Vaseline. Yeah, that song fucking rocks, but it's a little dated.

Walker 10:58

Yeah, no, it's him calling his former bandmates gay for three minutes straight. And uh, don't worry, throws a fun little bit of anti-Semitism in there too. Really covers your bases. Um anyway, all that to say that all things must pass. Sure. Man, I that was not planned, but of course we're talking about all things must pass because this is the finale of the Radiohead season. I think it's also worth noting that Zach and I are sitting across the table from each other. We're in person, and that's a lot of fun. And we wanted to be able to look into each other's eyes as we read each other our rankings of the Radiohead albums, our top 10 Radiohead songs. Yes. And if we have time, our top 10 non-studio album list as well. What does that comprise? What here's what's eligible. So we have the B-sides from all the studio albums, right? Basically, if we talked about it and it's not on a Radiohead studio album, it is eligible for the non-studio album top 10.

Zach 12:06

Killer Cars, if you will.

Walker 12:08

Killer Cars. All the B-sides from the nine studio albums, all four of Tom, sorry, all three of Tom's solo albums, the Adams for Peace album, A Light for Attracting Attention, we've got Ed O'Brien's Shangri-La. We've got Philip Selway's Strange Dance. And he has an album before that, too, that we haven't listened to. No, but those, and I don't mean though, the title, I don't mean the albums. I mean we listened to each of those songs. Yeah, because Shangri-La is just a song from whatever the fuck that album's called, huh? I think that album's just called E.O.B. And Strange Dance is the name of the album, but nothing but the title track is eligible. Right. And I'm sure it would top out both of our lists if it was, based on how we reacted to it. Loved it. And we also have the fake out songs. We have Bring Me to Life by Evan Essence, Break Stuff by Limp Biscuit, How You Remind Me by Nickelback, Last Resort by Papa Roach, Fat Lip by Some41, Shock the Monkey by Peter Gabriel, and Rodney Janderfield's joke about getting no respect. Would it surprise you to know that we also have Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin? So I think that's gonna be a fun list to go through too. What do you say you go first? And should we start start with our ranking of the albums? Yeah, yeah. I would love it. Hit me with it. I'm gonna let you get through it before I say anything, except, you know, I I I can't promise I won't make like a noise of perturbment or agreement, but I'm gonna I'm gonna hold my comments until you've gotten through the thing, and I am not looking. Okay, all right, awesome. Listeners, just in case you think Zach and I are full, we have kept these lists and rankings top secret from each other. There has been no off-pod discussion.

Zach 13:59

Blocked each other from one another's phones. Yeah. Just for safety. It was very complicated uh orchestrating this category. Yeah.

Walker 14:06

Um I I called my parents and asked them to cut Zach out of their will. And as soon as we're done recording, I I just said, you know, I just know his ranking is going to infuriate me, and I don't think he should get shit. All right, starting at number four. I'm just kidding. No, starting at number nine. Okay, so you're going last to first.

Zach 14:30

Yeah.

Walker 14:31

Okay. Does that work for you? That works for me. Just want to be very clear.

Zach 14:34

Okay. Um, and I'm just gonna go through this. Uh, feel free to interject those noises you were talking about, but uh, I'm gonna go nine to one. Coming in at number nine, Pablo Honey. Coming in at number eight, the Benz. Coming in at number seven, a moonshaped pool. Coming in at number six, In Rainbows. Coming in at number five, amnesiac. Amnesiac. Coming in at number four, okay computer. Coming in at number three, the king of limbs. Coming in at number two, hail to the thief. And coming in at number one, kidday.

Walker 15:07

Wow.

Zach 15:08

Yeah, and I have I have some notes on uh my top three. That's all. Okay. And they're they're they're quick. They're not gonna explore each song. We'll get into that, you know, because I think it's interesting because not every song on my top three albums made, you know, it's not my top ten is not comprised of songs from only The King of Limbs, Hill, the Thief, and Kid A, unsurprisingly. For sure. So when putting this together, um, and and I'm really just speaking to Kid A as my number one, there was not uh a whole lot of criteria, pre-planning, as instead of um other than, excuse me, Walker and I saying, let's make a list of our, you know, top uh our top albums and top songs in sequential order. I do just want to quantify um Kid A or explain it in the following way. I think that it is their best album and best executed. I I don't know if it's my favorite, and a little asterisk to all of that, all of this, is that these lists are subject to change, and there won't be a Patreon post about, hey, Zach feels differently. I just we've talked about in Rainbows that Radiohead are more about a vibe and a feeling for me at this point. But there is a lot more method to the madness than just that. Right.

Walker 16:18

This is this is at this time in the year of our lord 2023, Zach's ranking of the Radiohead albums. Yes, and but this is this is a fluid relationship.

Zach 16:29

Well, yeah, and just to be clear, it being the year of our lord, Michael Jordan uh chose the number 23. I have a life size cutout of him in here. He is uh at least for me, I don't want to speak for you.

Walker 16:39

Well, you know, he looms, he's loomed over the entirety of this podcast project. That's the level of excellence we've strived for. I want you to get into your notes. I need to give you my initial reaction to what is shocking to me. Yeah, of course. Low, middle, and top. I am astonished that moon-shaped pool is so low. Uh-huh. Astonished is strong. I'm surprised at how low it is in the ranking. It was number seven, by the way, listeners. I'm actually astonished by where in rainbows is. Totally. And I am flabbergasted that King of Limbs is higher than in Rainbows. Totally. And that's all, but now the floor is yours. But this is this that you said it would be shocking. I expected Hail to the Thief to be high. Uh-huh.

Zach 17:38

I expected you did. Yes, of course. Okay.

Walker 17:41

I expected Moon Shaped Pool to be in the bottom half. I think what I'm more shocked about than anything is that King of Limbs is higher than in Rainbows.

Zach 17:50

And I do want to say, um, to Walker and the listeners too, uh, you know, there's there's been a lot of jokes made about like, you know, the Radiohead Reddit board, uh, of which I am an active poster and and just Radiohead fan community, but all with the the wink and the nod that this is totally subjective and it's under the banner of our favorite band.

Walker 18:09

Absolutely. And something has to be number eight. Right. And number seven.

Zach 18:13

Well, yeah, and also like I don't think it would make for a very interesting podcast if I was like fighting for why Pablo Honey was the best album only the whole time. So there is like obviously a general sense of cohesion. But when putting this list together, like I said, it's subject to change. It's from the heart and it's from the, you know, from the mind too. I really put a great deal of effort and thought into this. But if there is a suspicion that it's just to like be different or be this or that, it's not that different with KA being number one, first of all. But yeah, I'm just kind of, you know, speaking from the heart. Yeah. Not to get a rise out of anybody.

Walker 18:42

So No, and I'm not judging, but I am truly again because I agree. It's like this is a list of we have had both we have both had positive things to say about every single one of these albums. Yeah, oh yeah. I don't think there's a bad one in the lot.

Zach 19:03

No.

Walker 19:04

So like I said, something has got to go at the bottom. Pablo Honey obviously makes sense. And so then it gets into I think that the it's really the number eight and seven that are the more challenging ones to rank, or it was for me, but we're not talking about my list, we're talking about yours.

Zach 19:21

So please uh so yeah, so um, even though I went in uh ascending order, um I started at number nine, went to number one. I'm I am gonna start at number one with my quick notes. And I do want to be brief because we have so much to get through here, but uh, you know, kid A represents what I had previously thought, and actively spoken to uh, you know, anyone who's interested, but kid A previous Kid A represents, excuse me, what I had previously thought qualified Hail to the Thief as Radiohead's best album, or at least as my favorite, right? And the reasons I named, just a quick recap, the reasons I named Hail to the Thief as my favorite is I I said uh the album picks and pulls from the best types of the various styles Radiohead presented to us, you know, up to that point and experimented with throughout the course of their career, up to that point. Um I do stand by that point, and I think that it is a very accurate, generalized summary to someone who is a new fan, or or just if you were just explaining it, you know what I'm saying? Not just in Radiohead context is what I'm gonna is what I was trying to say. The reason why Hail to the Thief is no longer my favorite, nor do I think it is their best, um, is precisely because I don't think a blend of each of those styles and ideas packaged together makes for the best Radiohead album. Sure. Uh moving on from Hail to the Thief, Kidday more or less does the same thing as what I described, what I just described, that I thought and think Hail of the Thief set out to do, but the execution is more precise in my opinion on Kidday. The artistic statement is simultaneously cryptic, but it's more, in my opinion, it's more direct and relevant and long-lasting, I would say. And I'm talking about uh the uh geopolitical critique of the Western world, you know, a small little thing. Um and and you know, so in short, um it's everything the band uh talking about Kid A is everything the band ever could or seek to be, in my opinion. Right. And that's interesting to me, you know. Um so Kid A being my favorite Radiohead album, or what I deem to be the best, the best execution of an album that they made is a bit of a paradox in that only a couple of the tracks represent my all-time favorite songs. More on that later, of course. Right. So anything you want to add to that before I go to my number two?

Walker 21:34

Um, I just want to ask one question. Where was Amnesiac? What number is that? Uh Amnesiac is number five. Number five and number four is okay computer. Yes. Okay. That's I just wanted to. I'm just no, please continue. I just want to kind of keep that fresh in my mind.

Zach 21:50

No, no, totally. So number two is Hilly the Thief. Um, I just want to quickly say I love an adventurous intellectual think piece. You know, even when the ambition out. Outpaces the final product. Sure. There's a lot of examples in film, I think, of that. Music, for whatever reason, I tend to respond a little bit more binarily to, or at least think I feel that way. But I think um musical examples that I wrote down would be Melanchol and the Infinite Sadness that remind me of Hill to the Thief's Ambition.

Walker 22:18

Yeah, yeah.

Zach 22:18

Uh Pink Floyd's the Wall.

Walker 22:20

You respect the scale of the project, even if not it's not 100% successful.

Zach 22:26

Absolutely. I like that. So uh again, I said Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd's the Wall, and The Beatles Sergeant Pepper. Even though Sgt. Pepper is is a lot more densely it's like 11 songs, I want to say. It's a shorter album.

Walker 22:39

And it's kind of their well, I guess the white album is their Hail to the Thief, but don't let me slow you down. No, I wasn't. Have we talked about the Beatles podcast in the iPod though? Yeah.

Zach 22:50

So well well.

Walker 22:51

Should we rank all the Beatles albums while we're here?

Zach 22:54

Uh so you know, Hail to the Thief may be dated in a few aspects technologically, um, but it's also timeless in in a couple others. And again, I'm not talking about ranking of my songs, but I do have just two notes on that. So I think a through composed album opener that is one of the most straight-ahead rock songs the band has ever written, two plus two equal five, um, is a timeless thing. And I just mean to say because of its composition, uh, I don't really think that a lot of modern rock alternative bands will tackle a song, writing a song, uh crafting a song in such a unique way. Um, and then there is the most complete radiohead song ever written. More on this later. And then, you know, there's the song I Will as well. I'm not saying that those are all in my top ten. That's why I wanted to highlight them now. Now I would love to hear anything before I get to number three, the King of Limbs.

Walker 23:42

Nope, please continue. This is this, I mean, I'm dying to know what what you were smoking when you came up with this one.

Zach 23:51

Virginia Slims. Um, so this is a tough pick, um, only because I think there's an implication that I think the King of Limbs is better than okay computer, amnesiac, and rainbows or a moonshaped pool by picking a number three, right? Maybe even more than an implication. I do think those albums are more successful executions internally and externally. So I, you know, that is to say, in Radiohead context or outside, as maybe like a non-fan, you know, um, not somebody who doesn't like Radiohead, but just somebody, maybe a music journalist who can step back and look at the whole. So I acknowledge that fact. Um, that said, The King of Limbs is an album I have totally fallen in love with, and it's so unique in the best possible ways to me. And and again, I'm gonna name some songs, but not go into detail about them. But I just want to say, little by little through Separator, uh is possibly my favorite suite of Radiohead songs, cutting out Faral. And that's you know, that sounds like a make it up. So if the album were different, it would maybe be their third best one. No, no, I'm just saying that Faral is, I I really agree with your objections on it. Listeners, go back and listen to that episode. It that is like a just a tack on to make it make it work, but I'm saying outside of a non-musical, not even instrumental, but like a Radiohead Techno piece, that suite of songs in an eight-song album is possibly my favorite suite in a row, right? I mean, I just talked about two plus two equal five, but then we have what do we have after that, Walker?

Walker 25:19

Uh uh sit down, stand up.

Zach 25:21

Right, right.

Walker 25:21

So that's you know, that sit down, stand up, the parenthetical title, and turn this album off.

Zach 25:26

Yeah, and then we have Sail to the Moon, right? So, anyways, that's what I mean by suite of songs. Yeah. That rounds out my listing and the details that I had on them. So please, uh, please take over.

Walker 25:36

Well, first of all, I just want to thank you for your bravery in presenting this to me, you know, knowing that you could be in for a lambasting. Uh, I'm wondering if maybe at some point we want to throw up on Reddit hot take King of Limbs is Radiohead's third best album. Just because it's just like such a uh like non-statement isolated from everything else. But um here's here's what I feel about what you just told me, Zach. A, I'm genuinely surprised, and so I'm appreciating that. Okay. I'm also appreciating that this list represents a true character arc for the character of Zach Glenn on Ideotaka Radiohead podcast because this is not just confirmation of how you felt going in. You clearly have gone through the Radiohead catalog with an open mind and heart and just willing to like let things speak to you in whatever way they're going to speak to you now at this point in your life and fandom. And so I really like that this list represents, as you said, an evolving and kind of fluid relationship with this band that you love so much. Yeah. As far as the actual content of the list, I guess I'm a free speech absolutist on this one because what I would say is, I hate what you're saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.

Zach 27:10

Well, before we get into what I'm just so excited to hear, which is your list, um, can I, since, you know, sectionally next will be songs, can I uh just tell you in rainbows at number six? Like that would be the one I'm excited to tell you why I placed it there, essentially. Absolutely, because I I that's I mean Is that the one where you had some puzzlement the most?

Walker 27:30

Or did I think that's the one that's like that's the only that's the only take you're presenting me here that I would say I feel strongly enough to object to. Sure. And yeah, why don't you why don't you tell me why that's number six? Well, I mean I to me that means that over this project, I love that King of Limbs has raised in your esteem, but I'm not thrilled about the idea that in Rainbows has fallen in your esteem. I think that's what hurts me about it.

Zach 27:59

Totally. I think you know, and just to to echo what you so sweetly said about like, you know, bleeding uh being like a fluid relationship and there being like an arc, sometimes I feel like I've gotten a little bit too much into like making comparisons so that you know listeners can understand when it's just like just say the thing. But I think in this case it's it's actually a really good use case. So Dark Side of the Moon is not my favorite Pink Floyd album. It's you know, uh probably their best, you know. Uh uh, but I and I think that has to do with when you're presented material of a band that you love and what that material is. And as listeners will recall, because we've talked about it every other episode, if not every episode, Walker so uh awesomely introduced me to Radiohead, a band, you know, who I could name two of their songs at most, you know, right at the release of In Rainbows. So I didn't, well, I didn't then, you know, burn a copy and listen to it on repeat only. That was the one that I was like, oh whoa, this band is amazing and I need to investigate. I did go through chronologically, but like I just know I had heard that one so much. So A, I think I'm sick of it. And uh B, if you look at if if you kind of think about my top three, you know, uh five albums, Kid A being number one, Hill to the Thief being number two, King of Limbs being number three, Okay Computer being number four, and five being Amnesiac, they to me represent more angular Radiohead than more rounded out. And I think in Rainbows, uh like a moonshaped pool are sanded down to perfection, whatever. And I think that there's not a bad song on In Rainbows, but outside of the ones that may or may not make my list, I don't love the presentation of beauty so much in my Radiohead music. And and when I say I don't love it, I mean this list uh of nine albums, you know, six of them would be in my top ten of of albums of all time, my Desert Island discs, if you will. I don't know if that's actually true, but you know what I'm saying? So in rainbows, in radiohead context, that's the only way I'm dinging it. So I think it's just, you know, I need to acknowledge the fact that I'm probably a little tired of it. Just like I'm a little tired of Dark Side of the Moon, yet every time I put it on, I'm like, this is the greatest music ever made. Or what have you. And I I would say a similar feeling comes over me within rainbows. Um, and I'm talking about the sum total, uh, because there are and and I I I just don't love perfection in my Radiohead, hence Hale the Thief being number two. And then is a song that I love off of Kidday, uh, the national anthem, is that rounded out to perfection? Fuck no. So I think that's kind of why I wanted to explain my placement of in rainbows.

Walker 30:46

Okay. I mean, that's insight. That that is very helpful insight into your thinking. It's interesting because the way I take that is that intent is as or maybe even more important to you than impact. Ooh, can you just explain a little more to me? Just what you're saying about like it's it seems like a big part of your factoring in is like what was the approach that the band was taking. What were they, what was kind of the attitude that they were going for with this attitude? Attitude they were going for with this album is as much a criteria for you as how perfect was the result that was achieved. Yeah, yeah.

Zach 31:33

So that's plain away to me, please, because you're no, you're doing a no, I really appreciate that that addition. I uh I do.

Walker 31:39

And also when we get into my list momentarily here, there is a similar uh there is a similar rationalization for me or justification uh rationalization sounds loaded, but for something that is probably the best versus what is my favorite. So I also can relate to that. The other thing I was thinking is we've talked a lot about Fredo and Michael on this on this show. Yeah, exactly. I've placed you as the Michael and me as the Fredo, but what I hear here is that King of Limbs didn't have the baggage for you of being like all you have always been incredibly kind and affirming in how you talk about, you know, me pushing Radiohead. Yeah. And but and grateful. Totally. So, but what I hear here is that King of Limbs was Zach's album for Zach to know how Zach felt about it at the time over the years and now, yeah, right? Not being pushed by an older brother, and in a way, I feel that we have switched roles, and now you're being the Fredo, where I'm asking you, like, why did you betray me? And you're saying, There was something in it for me on my own. Right? Yeah. That's what I think is going on here. And I don't know what to do other than have you take Ollie fishing and uh say Hail Mary.

Zach 33:15

Yeah, I guess drop you at the Sacramento River. Which is uh quite full this time, given all the rain we got. So let's live this out. What movie is that from Dracula? What what are you talking about? The the whole Michael Fredo thing. Is it from Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula?

Walker 33:29

Yeah, his 1992 Dracula. Okay, cool. I just want to make sure his in my opinion. Or Jack.

Zach 33:33

Actually, I think.

Walker 33:34

It's so fucking weird that Francis Ford Coppola directed Jack. Um I I really appreciate all the additional context you're able to supply. Um, I'm very excited that our lists are so different. Oh, really? Okay. I think that's a more interesting podcast and a more interesting conversation.

Zach 33:55

I was this close to writing out uh what I predicted your list to be, and I thought that's just dumb.

Walker 34:00

I I think that mine skews a little more predictable than yours did. I think yours represents more of an arc, but I will say I put a great deal of thought into this, and there have been I'll say it again because I was so pleased with myself the first time, their hanging chads have been hanging out there up until the there were a few recounts, is what I'm saying.

Zach 34:28

And in the end, the machine was Walker, and was he accurate in his counts? Exactly.

Walker 34:33

And in the end, the Supreme Court gave it to the evil guy. So without further ado, um, should I present my list? I don't want to move past you if you have anything to do. Okay.

Zach 34:45

Can I throw in noises during it? Absolutely. They'll be just, yeah, uh smiles.

Walker 34:50

And there are similarly, there are areas that I want to key in on more than others, but I want to, I want, I will be taking any questions. Okay. So I actually would like to go from favorite to least favorite. Please. Um, because I I struggled more with what to rank lowest than what to rank highest. Awesome. So my number one, probably not shocking you, probably not shocking the listeners, is in rainbows. Number two, kid A. Number three, okay computer. Number four, a moon-shaped pool. Oh man. Number five, amnesiac.

Zach 35:37

Oh, okay.

Walker 35:38

Love it. Here's where we might get into Crazy Town a little bit. Number six is the Benz. Number seven is Hail to the Thief. Uh-huh. Number eight is the King of Limbs. Number nine is Pablo Honey. Zach, hit me with your initial reactions, and then I will key in on what I struggled over.

Zach 35:59

My initial reactions is um, I just I don't know.

Walker 36:02

Is it more or less what you thought?

Zach 36:04

Uh yeah, well, yes and no. That's what I was gonna say is that when I thought it would be like a fun, you know, how well do I know my brother who I co-host this podcast with little thing. But then I was like, no, that kind of sucks the fun out of it. I want to be surprised, and there were some surprises. Where I where I felt confident was um, correct me if I'm wrong, okay computer's number three. Yes. And Hail to the Thief is number seven. Mm-hmm. So I felt confident in that because OK Computer um I struggled to put it number four, and I and I just know when that album came into your consciousness, I want to say it was like a th uh 11 or 12-year-old, right?

Walker 36:46

And I I know there was a delayed impact and all that, but just what it represents one of it and an early memory of hearing music that didn't sound like anything I'd ever heard. Yes, I love it. Which is not an experience you get a lot.

Zach 37:00

No, and when it does happen, it's it stays in your consciousness. So I I just had a feeling on that one. I I would have uh if I were to write out Walker's list, that would have been at number three. And then not, I mean, this is not that uh insightful of me. Um, listeners, on our hail to the thief um episode, where we discussed that album, at the Twilight of the episode, you talked about like if I had to rank the albums up to this point. You spoke about how the Benz, despite being maybe a less mature record, would go above Hail to the Thief. So uh I I was a little I I don't know if I would have placed it exactly at seven, but um, those are the ones I felt confident on. I didn't feel 100% that in Rainbows would be your favorite. Um I didn't know where a moonshaped pool would land, so please take over.

Walker 37:48

Yeah, absolutely. Well, so yeah, those are kind of the things that I struggled over the most. And I've been thinking about it for like the last several weeks of recording because again, it's like, you know, it's almost like choosing your favorite children and you just have one shitty one named Pablo, right? Right. And so it's like, okay, well, what you know, we lost that one. Yeah, right. That's the black sheep of the family. But other than that, it's just like, oh my god, I love you all so much, but also I kind of have my favorites. Right.

Zach 38:20

It feels dirt, it feels dirty even just with us conversing about it, because it's like I'm ranking these, but these are all Radiohead albums, right? Right. So it's like just a reminder for myself and anybody listening, this is all in a Radiohead context where, you know, so take over.

Walker 38:35

Which is no, that but that's so what I will say surprised me is the relative low stature of amnesiac. It's five of nine. Same with me. Um the I love that. Uh I definitely okay. Here's what uh here is the part of the rankings that definitely would be different had I done this before we did the podcast. Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. Amnesiac definitely would have been higher than Moon Shaped Pool.

Zach 39:11

Uh-huh.

Walker 39:12

This is a example of not better but personal resonance with me at this point in my life. Totally. So those two felt very hard for me, but it's also the kind of thing where it's just like, I'll have my amnesiac moment again. Right now I'm having my fling with a moonshade pool. And it just, it just Which I am too, by the way.

Zach 39:36

I'm just clinging to what I feel like is is imprinted on my soul with amnesiac.

Walker 39:41

Um so that surprised me, and yeah. So let me talk about the three sections here.

Zach 39:50

So hit me.

Walker 39:51

The lowest ones, Pablo Honey. Okay, let's just move on, right? Good for what it is, but definitely the weakest of their albums. Pretty, pretty um the best title, though, despite the quality. Yes, I wish all their albums had jerky boys references in the title. Um, but yeah, pretty non-controversial opinion there. So let's just move past it. King of Limb versus Hail to the Thief. Now, I really wanted to come out on the other side of this podcast, ranking these two higher, frankly. Yeah, yeah. Because not only was I so pleased with how much more I dig King of Limbs than I thought I did or would. Yeah, I also had such as strong of negative reactions as I have to parts of Hail to the Thief. There were just these like songs that I had not fully considered and that. What about Scatterbrained? Scatterbrained is one of them. I just like the stuff I love, I love so much more than I did when we started this podcast. But as we said, something's gotta be on the bottom three, right? So with these two, King of Limbs or Hail to the Thief, I really struggled which to put second to last because it felt weird to put King of Limbs second to last when I love five of the songs of eight and really like six of the songs of eight.

Zach 41:24

But just having the proximity of the words the King of Limbs next to Pablo Honey when there is what a world of different year difference.

Walker 41:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I so I get it. Exactly. So I like I didn't want to put that second to last. Right. And I didn't want to put Hail to Thief second to last because it's got two plus two equal five. I will, they're there, Scatterbrain, Wolf at the door. I'm just like, how can I put an album with those songs as their like second worst album? Again, it just speaks to the quality of this band. Then I calculated what percentage of these albums do I actually love as I was trying to figure out where to place them. Now, with the King of Limbs, as I said, I love five songs, I like six total. So that means I love about 62.5% of this album. Hail to the thief, I love six songs, but like eight, 14 tracks, I love 43% of Hail to the Thief. So I was like, oh, it was weird because it was kind of like you run a test and then you don't like the result you got. Because I was like, I guess that means I should put Hail to the Thief lower. But then it came into the intangible of I would rather have if I if if I had to send one of these into space, I would rather have the six songs that I love from Hail to the Thief than the five that I love from King of Limbs. Even though I think, and I think King of Limbs is a by this metric, is a much better album. Yeah. But it is what it is. The Benz, Amnesiac, and a Moon Shaped Pool, just three records that I love that are great at what they do.

Zach 43:12

But talking about arcs though, the Benz, I I don't know that you pre-wrote out like your favorite radiohead albums in order prior to the podcast, but the Benz, is it fair to say, was much lower prior to Ben's is higher than I would have thought it would be at the beginning of itself.

Walker 43:25

I just think it's just such a great rock album, and this and a lot of the songs that I kind of thought were throwaway. Uh I Bones. I yeah, it's just like I didn't know how much I loved Bones. Exactly. I didn't know how much I loved um Nice Dream. I've I've kind of since we recorded the episode come around a lot to loving Black Star. Like, oh you know, um it's love it. They they would obviously uh blow it out of the water with what they would do later in their career, but I love it for what it is. Sure. Amnesiac, love it. Just had to go in the mirror. Very vibey though. Yeah. I just had to go in the middle. I love it. Yeah. A moon-shaped pool. Love it. So top three, I just want to explain my thinking on the top three. Okay, computer, I've known for a long time was going to be number three. The reason this is I knew my top three was going to be the only question was would In Rainbows or Kid A be in the number one spot? I knew my top three would be those three albums, Okay Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows. That's been really steadfast for me the whole time. The reason is if I only could have three Radiohead albums, your Desert Island Desk with a K. Those are the three I would want. Yeah. I get, I feel like you get the best representation of everything Radiohead can do with those three albums. And I just love all of them dearly. It feels a little trite immature to have okay computer so high. Get out of here. Amnesiac is is is uh deeper and more mature. It's a smarter, it's a smarter album. But you know what? I'm not a smart guy, so I went with okay computer. Right. Kid A and Rainbows really, really, really, really flip-flopped. The deciding factor for me was, and this is to pur your dark side of the moon example, I do think Kid A is probably the band's most profound artistic statement. And I think that using that as the barometer for what is best, I think it's probably their best album. In Rainbows is in the rarefied air of albums, not just Radiohead albums, but albums, period, that I am always in the mood for, have never gotten sick of, never don't have regularly in my rotation of stuff I listen to. It's the one I fell in love with. It's the one that made me do a deep dive on the rest of the band. And I just gotta, I just gotta go with that. I gotta dance with the girl who brung me. And that's in Rambo's. So that's my list.

Zach 46:19

Well, I love it. And I mean, we've gestured at uh several times that uh, you know, Walker and I, um, along with a a huge portion of America and the Western world, were raised in a uh uh religious household, and that religion holds the idea of the father, the son, and the spirit as the holy training. You're really narrowing down what religion this might be. Yeah, the snake handling religion. Um, but uh I I am being tr attempting to be funny here, but in Radiohead terms of top three, I think yours makes a ton of sense because Okay Computer is Okay Computer not the spirit of Radiohead.

Walker 47:00

Is Kid A not uh And the first major turning point also feels very important to me.

Zach 47:06

Yeah, and and uh uh this doesn't have to line up perfectly, but to me, Okay Computer is the spirit because of like it represents it's not a representation of all of Radiohead, but it is to me, it's kind of the soul of the city.

Walker 47:19

Wait, which one's the spirit?

Zach 47:20

Okay computer. Okay. And then I really like this metaphor because the the son of the uh of like all of what it could be is in Rainbow, uh in Rainbow's not, I'm gonna go non-binary here and say the father or the mother, but is it not just like the beacon of everything? Okay. That and I mean it it's not a perfect metaphor. I am like just joking around, but like I think that your top three in terms of representation of like this band that has gone so many different places is like more cohesive, I would say. You know, it covers all the eras m better than mine does, I would say.

Walker 47:59

Okay. Well, I I I I take the compliment. First of all, I love this game that you have just introduced. I am like delighted right now, and I could barely sit still for like how much I want to tell you which ones I think are the father, son, and holy ghost out of this. Please. We agree on the Holy Ghost.

Zach 48:17

Uh-huh.

Walker 48:18

In Rainbows is the Holy Ghost, because it's just vibes. No, okay, computer is the Holy Ghost. Okay, then we agree on well, we don't disagree. I just I like your yeah, I like your reasons for why I have different reasons. Okay, so the father is kidding A. It's mysterious, scary, yeah, angry, yeah, jealous. Yeah, it's like a vengeful God, right? Okay, computer is the son. God made human. Like it's just like, holy shit, this is God. Yeah. But also it's like kind of like the father, I don't want to die on the cross. Right. There's some white.

Zach 48:55

It's it like a bitchy computer. There's like, okay, computer, I won't sacrifice. It's Isaac. Oh, okay, computer, I won't sacrifice you.

Walker 49:04

Right. There's okay, computer is the son, and it's the Jesus Christ superstar version of Jesus, where he's like being a little bit of like a whiny hoe the whole time. Yeah. All right. And then the Holy Ghost is in Rainbows because it's just like vibes. It's like more ethereal. You can't quite put your finger on exactly what it is, but like, oh boy, when that spirit gets in you and you get slain in that spirit, you're gonna start convulsing on the floor and speaking in tongues.

Zach 49:33

Yeah. Well, I love that you love my metaphor so much, but ascribed albums to different roles, but that's that's awesome.

Walker 49:39

But that's religion, man. That's just all open for interpretation. Oh, I thought religion. I can't tell you how to believe in God.

Zach 49:44

Oh, okay. Wow, what a revolutionary idea.

Walker 49:47

Should we do our songs? Uh, I think so, yeah. So top ten songs, hit me with yours.

Zach 49:55

Uh absolutely. Oh, I must have made a mistake. I have a 45 list song here. Oh, okay.

Walker 50:00

Okay, so let me just listeners, if you're looking at this episode and it's four hours long, uh lucky you, because this is the season finale.

Zach 50:08

I'm just joking. But uh, this was very, very difficult, Walker. Um, so I'm I'm just gonna quickly show you how I categorized.

Walker 50:16

Wow.

Zach 50:16

Um we're gonna maybe we should post. I don't know.

Walker 50:19

We should post it, but blur out the content so listeners have to listen to to get that that sweet juice.

Zach 50:25

So the way I kind of thought about this without going through all 45 songs is I will just say um I forgot to look this up, but I don't know how many uh Radiohead songs there are, um, not including B-sides, just in their sum total of of albums. I'm guessing there's about a little over 90 to 100 songs.

Walker 50:42

Yeah, probably about a hundred.

Zach 50:43

Yeah, so um, when compiling this list, I broke it down into four categories: rock songs, slow jams, uh parentheses rock alternative. So the slower jams that are still in a more normalist vein. So I'll give you one example climbing up the walls? Yes. Okay, so uh yeah, and I also have spirit on there. But that is still a rock alternative band, right? Uh uh-uh-and I picked from each album. Then I have a category called slow jams, still in the rock alternative vein. Then I have a fourth category of uniquely Radiohead, parentheses, genre ambiguous. That totaled, that list totaled 45 songs that Zach cannot live without. Now getting into my top 10. Wow, which I picked from there. Yeah. Because that's kind of how I had to think about it, right? I love Street Spirit, but is it in my top 10? I had to define it in my mind first, you know? Um, I am gonna go in descending order, uh, starting at number 10.

Walker 51:38

Now I know why you were so stressed about baking these whits. I love it, dude. I love your meticulous attention to detail.

Zach 51:48

Well, I mean, trying to understand the way we think when it is something from the heart is a really interesting thing to grapple with, you know? And you have to at the end of the day just go, it is what it is. It's sort of like like I I don't hate it, but when someone makes that argument, a scientist or other, that every single move or thought or action we take in life is driven by sex.

Walker 52:12

Evolutionary impulse.

Zach 52:13

I'm like, fine, fuck it. You're right, I don't care. Like, if you're I don't care if you're right or wrong. I don't operate that way. Right. And maybe I do, but like I prefer to be ignorant and think that I don't. But it is kind of interesting. So in that, in that vein, you have to at a certain point, like, I have to just accept that my favorite songs and my favorite band is an amalgamation of who I am, who exposed me to it, when, and also then within that, that they're from the heart. But thinking about why they speak to me the most is important. So descending order my top ten, these are my definitive favorites. Number 10, optimistic from Kid A. Number nine, uh, well, we talked about this. Number nine is up on the ladder, but I wrote in parentheses electioneering if invalid. Because up on the ladder is invalid because it's from in Rainbow's Disc 2. So I had a contingency plan. Okay. So just to start. So number nine. Number nine, well, uh number ten, optimistic. Number nine, electioneering. Number eight, little by little. Number seven, everything in its right place. Number six, Dex Dark. Number five, two plus two equal five. Oh, fun. Golden birthday for two plus two equals five. Yeah, yeah, yeah. George Orwell is uh rising up from his grave. What's the opposite of rolling over?

Walker 53:27

Yeah. George Orwell's grave is tipping over because his boner is knocking the tombstone. Is ringing the bell.

Zach 53:35

Um, okay, so number five was two plus two equal five. Uh number four. But just guess what number four is.

Walker 53:42

No, I'll have you guessed. No, no, no. I do. I mean, it'll take me a second. I've been thinking about what you've can you tell me, just quickly run through what you have again?

Zach 53:49

Sure. Number ten, optimistic. Number nine, electioneering. Number eight, little by little. Number seven, everything in its right place. Number six, Dex Dark. Number five, two plus two equal five. The fact that this song is number four, again, not the national anthem. No, no, no. Think four. Think four pulses.

Walker 54:10

Oh. Paranoid Android.

Zach 54:11

Oh. Now, yeah. And I did not do this for funsies. This is acting that is my fourth favorite song. Number three, jigsaw falling into place. Talking about that Holy Spirit again, right? Mm-hmm. Uh, number two, they're there. And I I do want you to guess my number one. Number one is I might be wrong. Correct. Uh, here's a little note. Um, this is my definitive favorite list, right? So favorite songs, I'm on a desert island, whatever. But it is intentionally weighted towards songs that are mostly riff-based or fast tempo. I do think that's a it's a more rocking list than I expected. Sure.

Walker 54:47

And you could say, I mean, everything pretty guitar-driven list.

Zach 54:50

Yeah, everything that's right place, Dex Dark sort of being the exception, right? Where was I? Uh so yeah, songs that are mostly riff-based or fast tempo. This type of music tends to be the radiohead I prefer. That said, I do have a secondary list of 10 songs that I we're not gonna pause. I just want to read them to you because I recognize that radiohead are bifurcated. And I just, this is just like honorable mention. If I could take two dozen of this, please.

Walker 55:14

So could I can I just comment on the validity of your list, though? Yeah. Great fucking list, dude. Yes, I love it. There's some but not a lot of overlap in our top tens. And I I guess I shouldn't, you're I mean, um, I know you appreciate the non-guitar-driven radio. This is 10 out of their, you know, around a hundred songs that you're saying are your favorite. Forty-five. No, I I I mean, out of a band with a hundred songs, of which you probably like a majority of. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I am just saying this is not a dismissal of the ones that are not on the top ten. I shouldn't be surprised that it's a little guitar-oriented, but that that is a um that is a fun wrinkle to your list. Well, yeah, because that's and it's more, like I said, you're you're a uh you're a deep thinker, you're like a moody guy, and I mean moody, not like in bad, you know what I mean? You're you're like, you're an introspective guy, and I I feel like this represents that Zach likes to have a little fun as well. It's not this is not a dreary list of dreary Radiohead songs.

Zach 56:18

Interesting. Okay. By Radiohead standards. No, no, I love I love that. And then uh d descending order secondary favorites, and I put secondary just because, like Walker Just Distilled, I tend to prefer the more the more uh guitar-driven, and you'll notice that those songs spanned almost every album. In fact, they don't What albums are not represented? Uh Pablo Honey and the Benz. Okay. I like that. I like that a lot. So descending order secondary favorites. Number ten, you and Whose Army. Number nine, burn the witch. Number eight, codex. Number seven, separator. Number six, oh wait, dang it. Uh Last Flowers, but I didn't have a contingency for that one. Uh, but that's okay. Number six, Last Flowers. Number five, climbing up the walls. Number four, idiotech. Number three, present tense. Number two, lotus flower. Number one, I will. Great. So those are all like kind of a more contained, slower.

Walker 57:10

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. That God, I'll I'll tell you what, that would be a hell of a double-sided album, those two lists. Or a set.

Zach 57:18

Get together, radiohead and play that set. And then my dumb note that I basically already said is these songs represent my top ten radiohead songs from a different mood and perspective. There is no favorite mood. Oh, wow. I like that.

Walker 57:32

You sounds like you were scolding yourself a little bit.

Zach 57:35

I'm just scolding just the idea that things have to be so segmented, which they do for this episode. But as I said, in Rainbows, Radiohead are a vibe and a mood and a positive one at that. Yeah.

Walker 57:45

So yeah, that's the funny thing about, I mean, it's like lists are nonsense, but they're also really fun to do. Absolutely. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Um, I love it. Should I get into mine? I can't wait. I cannot wait. Um, I'm gonna also have you guess my number one. Now, I want to say when I made my list, I did not go about it in as organized of a fashion. What I did was I looked at the track lists of every album, just like kind of like first thought, best thought, like pulled a few favorites from each one, paired that down to what are the 10 that I can't live without, or that I have the most personal connection to similar approach, yeah. Yeah. I also have my honorable mentions. I am going to go from 10 to 1. My number 10 is nude. Number nine is jigsaw falling into place. Number eight, they're there. Number seven, Karma Police. Number six, you and whose army. Number five, everything in its right place. Number four, present tense, number three, the national anthem. Number two, all I need. Would you like to guess my number one favorite Radiohead song? Pyramid song. Close. It's actually anyone can play guitar. Would you like to take one more guess?

Zach 59:14

I would need another album. Because yeah, I'm struggling to remember.

Walker 59:18

Okay, you'll get it if I tell you. It's from Okay Computer.

Zach 59:27

Now I can't remember the name of the song. Not let down, but uh I can't uh, why can't I remember the name?

Walker 59:38

You're correct. It's no surprises. Thank you. And it's no surprise that that is my favorite radio. I'm surprised. That is actually I'm surprised too.

Zach 59:46

Um lists are inverted. You you seem to like a slower. That's true.

Walker 59:54

Yeah, with the exception of We did plan this, listeners. Yeah, you're right. They're there and the national anthem are the only two kind of big loud songs.

Zach 1:00:04

Yeah, and just like mine, everything in its right place in Dex Dark are the ones that I would put in a lower kind of.

Walker 1:00:08

That's interesting. Yeah, I mean, I love Rock Radiohead. Oh, I am and yeah, and and I think a lot more of those songs would be on my top 20, let's say. But yeah, it's just it's it's no surprises. Um is just my favorite approach to songwriting. It's the Beach Boys, it's Randy Newman, it's Elliot Smith. It's a capo on the 12th rep. It's it's ha it's a deeply depressing, weirdly bouncy sounding song. And I just love that. I love the lyrics. And you know something that I meant to point out during our anima episode that I don't think I did is um it's a kind of a fun treat when Tom sings in a lower register. Jigsaw. Yeah, and that song, of course, that song and Don Chorus. Both at the door. Yeah, he doesn't do it a lot, but it's like whenever he sings in that lower register, I always really like it because he has not just a gorgeous falsetto, but like a strong timber to his voice, too. And for that reason, those are my favorites. Not represented on this list is Pablo Honey, the Benz, or the King of Limbs. Sure. My honorable mentions are Scatterbrain, two plus two equal five. These are not in order, by the way. These ones are just ones that I would be on the top 20. Scatterbrain, two plus two equal five, pyramid song, identical, and the a moon-shaped pool version of true love weights. Oh man, I love it. So a couple of these are ones that are in my honorable mentions because they're ones that I found out I love during the podcast. Scatterbrain, uh, true love weights, and even pyramid song, a little bit. I I had a much deeper and lasting appreciation for than I used to from this podcast.

Zach 1:02:06

Man, well, structurally, this might be kind of weird, but hey, what are Radiohead but structurally weird? We were just talking about two plus two.

Walker 1:02:13

Yeah, my list is through compose, by the way.

Zach 1:02:15

No, but um I I just wanted to hear your list so much. I would love it if we could kind of just bounce back and forth to one another on. I just want to quickly talk about uh my top five songs in my top ten. So these are, you know, like we're like I've been saying, like, you know, there is an element that's from the from the soul, and then trying to think about that really hard. So two plus two equal five at number five is, you know, diff once once we're to the top five, it really is a challenge. But I like you just said, you know, it's actually no, I loved that one so much, and I had read Brad Osborne's book, Everything in Its Right Place, Analyzing Radiohead prior to starting the show, but my love for it somehow grew. I can still remember uh, you know, mom and dad, if you're listening, turn off the podcast. But I was uh I had smoked pot for maybe the fourth, third or fourth time in my life when I heard that song. Uh-huh. And it is a a feeling when you're new to something like smoking weed. Um that song still to this day like makes me feel high, you know. And but not just like high on on joy, but like high on like, you know, what's going on, you know? But like in the best possible way.

Walker 1:03:24

Um then number Hey, and when and when you smoke that loud shit, you know, yeah, try to add two plus two and get the right answer. You know what I'm saying? You probably actually think two plus two equals five because you're so big, bruh.

Zach 1:03:39

Yep. Yeah, just like uh uh Winston in uh Animal Farm.

Walker 1:03:45

Yeah, that's right. And that and and honestly, I think both of those books are a metaphor for smoking the dang. I do too, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. George Oral famous donor. Um so famously chill. Yeah.

Zach 1:03:58

Number four at Paranoid Android. I wish I could put this one higher, but uh, you know, again, memory is a funny thing. I'm not pretending this is 100% accurate. Walker showed me some of it in Rainbows. I did then not go to Pablo Honey, I go, but Okay Computer, um, or I'm sorry, Paranoid Android, uh, weirdly, um, my iron lung and street spirit ended up on my iPod shuffle. And like I've said before, I listened to those for an entire summer. The entire summer of 2008. And I, you know, I'm not saying gonna say I'm tired of that song, but it does, it makes sense for it to be number at number four, just like okay computer, because of I love how section changey it is, but they it's very uh there's not it's I feel like it's intentionally aggressive in changing sections and not having a ton of cohesion, but then it does tie it all together. Number three, jigsaw falling into place. I said during our Am Rainbows episode, I think this might be my favorite uh radiohead song of all time. I should have said I might be wrong, but it's not. But I love you were talking about Tom's low register. Here's where I get into a little bit more vulnerable. So they're there. This is really a challenge, but they're there, does a thing, does several things that distill my love of Radiohead, of Tom, Tom's lyrics, um, in so many ways. So when I heard they're there, which was in the year of uh 2008, it was during a period of of you know uh heartbreak. And I'm not heartbroken now, at least not, you know, lovesick or whatever. There are things that make me sad. But I just uh Tom does this thing in his lyrics, and we'll talk about the music in a second if we need to, but that the the the the sectional changes, it it does feel like I want to be careful when I say this, but kind of like a a cold play song, who I who I like, but I think Radiohead are infinitely superior in in a lot of ways, but in that it's bright and upbeat, just because you feel it doesn't mean it's there. It's not wholly sad. It might be like being like maybe maybe he could be saying, like, hey, just because you you know are. Distracted by that thing doesn't mean that it's like something to you know chase after necessarily.

Walker 1:06:05

Right.

Zach 1:06:05

The that feels kind of omniscient narrator, and I love the verses and I love the chorus, but that outro coda, why so green and lonely? Um Heaven sent you to me, we are accidents waiting to happen, but especially why so green and lonely and heaven sent you to me. For me, what it commentates on, and this goes all the way back to the 15 years ago that I think I first heard it, is like I said, I was in a in a season in life in which I was experiencing, you know, some heartbreak and mourning the loss of of like you know several relationships at that point. And you know, I love I and Tom, to my knowledge, I have no idea about his personal life, or you know, whether he and uh his former wife were in a you know a great stage or not. I don't know where the lyrics came from, but what it spoke to me is why are you so green, i.e., jealous and lonely? You have people that love you, there's more fish in the sea or whatever, you know. But then heaven sent you to me. This is a more recent thing I've connected with. I feel like men in particular, I cannot say for women, um, but I am comfortable speaking for all men. Um men do this. I think men subconsciously kind of do this thing. And when I say men, I mean I've felt this and not acted it out, but of implying ownership over a a love, like no, you have to love me, or we have to stay together. And I think people do this alike, but I think that that is just a primal instinct that is negative that men have. And I think some I think we all feel that degree, uh, feel that to a degree if we're being broken up with or whatever, you know, and it's that's not what you want. But it is a thing that I feel like in the form of an omniscient narrator, heaven sent you to me. You belong to me. You know, you were gifted to me. Of course we're supposed to be together. And I and that is something that I I think is very wise to reflect upon as a person, is you weren't given anything, you weren't given any person, you know? Um, and and I don't know if that's what Tom meant. I I who knows, but it like I've been ruminating on it in different from different angles for a decade and a half. And then there's the music. We've talked about that. Listeners go back and listen to our episode on Hill of the Thief. Please go back and listen to our episode with Brad Osborne where we analyze that chord progression. Um, so the music is what brings it to life, the lyrics are what make me think even more. Yeah. And then I might be wrong during our amnesiac episode. I'm not going to recapitulate, but you know, ask my wife. Uh, do I reflect uh every moment that, hey, I might be wrong? You know, no, sometimes I can be a little um uh what is it when you're uh not thick thick headed, but hard-headed? Hard-headed, thank you. Yeah, sometimes I can be that way. In fact, I think that's my instinct. I don't always think I'm right. I don't think I'm a a no-it-all.

Walker 1:09:06

No, but to be fair, it's like if I might be wrong, I might also be right. Right. That's the other part.

Zach 1:09:12

But I said during that uh episode that it's a mantra I repeat every day. I might be wrong. Hey, I could be incorrect. That is true. And I said uh sometimes more effectively or something like that. Sometimes more effective am I able to apply that mantra when I'm having a knee-jerk reaction. But this song lives in two areas. Uh it's the only reason it's my favorite, not the only one of is because of the live version, um, several of them. But even just the album version, we talked so much about it on our amnesiac episode, so please go back and listen. But the fact that it resonates so deeply with me when I first heard it as a 19-year-old, and now being 33, still have a lot more life in front of me than you know the 14 years that I just described. But there are very few things that have resonated so much, and that I think I think I think about that song because it's so cleverly written. It is a drop D Radiohead repetitive uh guitar-driven riff, which I think speaks to the why. But just the the idea as I get older of, hey, I could be incorrect, you know, not and not trying to look at everything from like the political lens of like I'm a Judeo-white Christian. Yeah, that is really important to think about. But it worked.

Walker 1:10:24

Questioning your assumptions.

Zach 1:10:25

Yes, and I brought up you're like, you know, as a joke, like ask my wife, do I say that? No, but in my relationship, you know, it's like that is what I think in relationship, something that's very important, and certainly in in the landscape of America right now. I could I don't I don't want to lecture. I'm only saying how I lecture myself on this, but that song resonates so deeply with me on every single level.

Walker 1:10:47

So those that was all. I love it, man. Well said. And hey, it wouldn't be idio talk if I didn't come in with some dumb rebuttal. So I'll say you might also be wrong about everything that you just said about why I might be wrong resonates with. Although I think the thing that you're probably the least likely to be wrong about is your own feelings. Well, yeah. But even those, even those sometimes are confusing. I mean, hey, we're all accidents waiting to happen. Oh fuck yeah. Should I uh enumerate why that was my top five? I will I really would love that, please. Um, everything in its right place. Pretty simple. It it's their best opener, in my opinion. I've never heard anything like it, quite like it before or since. Yeah. Uh I've heard a lot of things that sound like one element of that song, but not that particular mishmash of genre, sounds, and what is that song? It's a it's a besides great.

Zach 1:11:47

It's a crazy song.

Walker 1:11:49

Um and also it's the introduction of the saying so much with like seven lines lyrically. Uh so that's why that's on there. So well put present tense, more of like a personal connection to the themes on this one. I love it musically. I believe I said in our Moonshape Pool episode the um guitar part, the acoustic guitar part driving the song reminds me of Elliot Smith more than other Radiohead does, which I would I would put Elliot Smith as like basically my other favorite musical artist with Radiohead. Sure. Um, but the lyrics just really hit me. I it's such a personal and resonant description of the feeling of anxiety and experiencing that in your physical form. National anthem, this one's just like fun for me. Um it's I think one of Radiohead's most, if not most, abrasive song. It feels very punk in both its level of aggression, um, the fact that it's like a little bit of a chat, like the off-key nature of what some of the horns are doing, Tom screaming. You know, you can't just like throw this one on and have everyone be like into what you're playing. Unless it's just you and I hanging out. Exactly. It's just it and probably the listeners of this podcast, frankly. But yeah, it feels very punk in terms of its sound and also lyrically, it's it's very fuck all this shit. And it's like an early, I don't remember the moment that this song first resonated with me, but I know that that really appealed to me that Tom is finding a very eloquent way to express discontent with all the bullshit he perceives around him, and I love it.

Zach 1:13:56

Well, can I just say an archive? Of course, though, the way you said, like, I'm barely making it. Yeah. And that, yeah, and I mean, and I think that He's holding on. Well, that yeah, that for me is representative in the final or maybe second to final holding on. Oh, yeah. It's like I picture Tom in his steering wheel when you have that moment of fuck it, you know, if your car won't start, you're at $10 in your bank account, or the state of the world, and then there's the traffic jam to accompany that. So I love it.

Walker 1:14:23

Right. It's almost you're listening to it going like, I'm not sure this guy's holding on, you know. Um number two, all I need, it's just I I it honestly on this one weed it's it's need weed for me. And this um, did we tell that story on the podcast? Sure did. Okay, great. So listeners know know what we're talking about there. Sure do. Um, all I need is my need money for weed of Radiohead, where it's just this song is just so perfectly gorgeous. With that, it's just it's just a pure appra- I I love what he's saying. I love the melody, I love how it sounds, but it's like almost it's more of like an aesthetic marvel of just how beautiful I think this song is. And I already said why I love no surprises. It's because of uh all the reasons I enumerated before. It's it's irony and how it sounds versus what it's saying, um, the kind of tonal shift that it represents for the band's songwriting going forward, and I have maybe loved it the longest out of all of these songs, and so it gets in on kind of legacy as well.

Zach 1:15:36

Well, two things. Um, in my secondary favorite list, because so I had a total of 20 songs, I had Last Flowers um at number six on my secondary list, and then I said, Oh shit, I don't know backup because that's on disc two. I just crossed it out and wrote All I Need. So I, you know, that that one ranks so highly for me as well. I'm curious on uh No Surprises, which I'm just so ashamed and embarrassed that I could not recall the name of a Radiohead song, but I got a lot of radiohead information floating in this whole brain. Um, but uh does the music video enhance your love for it at all? Or is that just a good thing that it's just an additional bonus? It's just a good thing that's gonna be. Because I do think that's one of their better videos that feature the band, if not maybe the best.

Walker 1:16:18

Yeah, I you know, I don't really feel that strongly about it.

Zach 1:16:21

Okay, so it's purely all in the music in the room.

Walker 1:16:23

I'm not a big music video guy. Right. Like when I see music videos, but I think it's come up a few times. I think there's still like a good amount of Radiohead music videos I haven't watched. I don't really like to sit and watch music that often.

Zach 1:16:38

That's what I think they're so great at, though, is that like often you commented in uh the video for daydreaming compared to Karma Police, and to your point that you're not a big music video guy. When we did our okay computer episode, I was referencing the video and you hadn't seen it then. But I I feel like um No Surprises was a video that you were familiar with, that's all. And it's Tom Underwater, which I like, so there's not a whole lot of singing on. You don't have to uh have it compliment. I was just curious because I really enjoy that about it.

Walker 1:17:02

I'm also doubling down because the No Surprises is the song that those asshole idiot talk show hosts to music. Wouldn't want to play this at a one-year-old's birthday party.

Zach 1:17:14

Well, I like this one because he dies.

Walker 1:17:16

Yeah, fuck it. Fuck you. I I hope all of them are dead. Me too. Yeah. Um, so okay, let's do our lists of the eligible material that isn't Radiohead studio album material. Okay.

Zach 1:17:30

Uh number one, the smile, a light for attracting attention. Okay. Number two, Adams for Peace, amuck. Number three, the eraser. Uh though that was really hard decision. I putting Adams for Peace above the eraser. They're they're kind of tied for me. Um, number four, Anima. Number five, through ten, everything else. Yeah. I don't really have like uh a great affection enough for the solo material of Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien, even though I was delightfully pleasantly surprised at the composition of Shane Grilla Law. I don't want to go on and on. But and and and I'm really not trying to be funny. Uh, you know, I have given Phil's music a little bit of a try. Uh, but it's it's not my cup of tea, and I think that he is best in a group, is what I would say in a respectful manner.

Walker 1:18:20

Well, it's not my cup of tea either, because when I have a cup of tea, I want there to be tea in the cup, not shit. Right. We could cut that if you want. No, I loved it.

Zach 1:18:30

I loved it. No, no, it was a tough listen.

Walker 1:18:32

I I just want to say I did not rank the non-Radiohead albums. I I just have uh a top ten of material from all of that stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But do you have a top 10 as well?

Zach 1:18:45

Of the now narrowed down to a songs? To songs? I do.

Walker 1:18:48

To songs, but remember, also eligible are the Batman films.

Zach 1:18:55

Yeah, I didn't include any. What are they saying? I mean, 1989 would be my number one of everything.

Walker 1:19:02

All right, let me hear a little bit of your are you going one to ten or ten to one? What would you prefer? I'd like to hear start at 10 and we'll get to the number one. Let me hear a little bit of it. Alright. From amok. I forget the name of this one, but is this the I couldn't care less one? Yeah, unless. Unless. This was a tough one because uh I I agree.

Zach 1:19:29

Maybe the lyrics aren't uh in a fully done stage, but I I think this is a masterpiece.

Walker 1:19:33

It's a groovy tune. Yeah, very groovy tune. Okay.

Zach 1:19:37

We don't need to listen to the whole thing.

Walker 1:19:38

Yeah, let's go to the next one. Um I like it. I like it.

Zach 1:19:41

And I love the techno breakdown in the middle. Listeners, go listen to that song. Unless you're too busy. Alright, so we're gonna go to number nine. You might notice a little bit of a theme in this list. Thom Yorke.

Walker 1:20:06

Nice. This is the opening track of Amok. Yeah. The game of which is also escaping me.

Zach 1:20:11

Before your very eyes. Love this tune. Um, I, you know, I'm just a uh I don't love every song necessarily on amok, but uh, I think for both of us the album has really grown, grown on us in uh and I love what you said so much when we were talking about tomorrow's modern boxes that like it sort of felt like uh to paraphrase, you were like, it sort of feels like the new Radiohead that I'm like the most interested in at this moment. I don't know if you still feel that way, but that was such a nice summation. Um and it's not Radiohead, it's Tom and Flea and uh Mario Rafasco and someone else whose name I can't remember, unfortunately. That's okay. Um, but uh yeah, it just it's really, really grown on me, and I think it's it's uh I keep saying angular and aggressive, but I feel like there's a lot of that on this album, and I love this song. So with that, we can go to number eight.

Walker 1:21:04

The clock.

Zach 1:21:06

Good call. And this one kind of lives in the um I might be wrong territory, although it's not my number one. Um, but the there is that live version that we did uh explore on our episode. So cool. It's so cool, and and I love this song, you know, with or without that live rendition of Tom on that antique Gibson, but it really just does show for me show uh so much of what he's capable of in terms of his songwriting and different iterations and the restraint and and all the things. Um but yeah, I mean this this is uh this is a very, very high one, you know, given that it's at number eight. Solid. Alright. Alright, so coming in at number seven, we have this song right here.

Walker 1:21:57

Oh this one man, I I when that count on the sticks came in, I was like, what the hell is this? Man, so far I gotta say this list, they sound really these songs sound really good next to each other.

Zach 1:22:17

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think there's a type of even Radiohead side project groove that I prefer.

Walker 1:22:21

Yeah, I guess so. It's like it's sounding like weirdly cohesive, even though three different projects are represented so far.

Zach 1:22:28

Yeah. And you should say what this is, even though people This is We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings by U2 from the album Well, I'm sorry, this is We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings by The Smile from uh uh their album, uh their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention. And that dumb joke I just made is it does sound, I think Walker said it gave a comparison to sort of like pre-Joshua Tree U2. That's not why I love the song, but I just that that things can bring music to life for you is just kind of uh my estimation there. And I love this song so much, and I loved how stripped down it is, and it's amazing. Dig it. Alright. So that was number seven. Mm-hmm. All right, coming in at number six. Nice. So, listeners, this is Up on the Ladder from In Rainbow's Disc 2, a song uh that I do slip into the mode of a little bit guy on Reddit of can we talk about or why wasn't, you know, this artistic statement from people that came together to make one of the greatest albums in human history. Why can't it be the way I wanted it to be? This song to me would have been uh kind of in the same way Burn the Witch is not necessarily a natural single or opener. I think this would have made a sensational opening single. I like that. Uh, because it, you know, in the same way 15 Step is sort of like, man, this is awesome and cool, but isn't an indication necessarily. Uh-huh. I I just I just wish this song only so that more people could experience it, I think. Uh we can love what we love, but I love this song, and uh that's why I have it at number six.

Walker 1:24:07

I'm only surprised that it's not number one. I knew it would be on the list, but uh that but that's awesome. I mean that makes me very excited to hear what five through one are.

Zach 1:24:18

Awesome. Okay, well let's go to number five then.

Walker 1:24:22

Oh, hell yeah.

Zach 1:24:25

What is that you said? Huh?

Walker 1:24:28

Um God, I all the track names of amok are completely escaping me.

Zach 1:24:33

Well, they're they are like sort of like opaque or you know, uh this is default. Yes, thank you. Uh from Song rule piece. This song rules, and uh yeah, it fucking kicks ass, whatever cliche language you want to use. And yet it still is deeply Nigel tomed in that Flea's playing is incredible on it, but it's all just kind of down here. It's creepy, it's it's angular, it's harsh. My you know, theme of the podcast. Uh so yeah, that is what I had at number five. I want this album. Okay.

Walker 1:25:07

This I like this album.

Zach 1:25:09

I'll make you a mixtape on it. Yeah, this is a good ass mix. Actually, that was a joke, but maybe I'll make this for uh a friend who you know doesn't yet exist but hits me up for music suggestions as far as what's some weird shit to get into.

Walker 1:25:22

Listeners, that could be one of you. Oh man, it could be. That's going to be a uh a paid tier that we're offering in season two is friendship with us, where we dictate the things we like to you. All right. I don't, by the way, it doesn't go both ways. I'm not taking suggestions.

Zach 1:25:41

And not to be all click baity, but number four may shock you.

Walker 1:25:47

Zach, this is the opposite of what I thought number four would be. What did you think number four would be? Isn't this the opposite? Yeah. Okay, that's uh that's I was think number four would be the same. Yeah, I guess that's the wow. I guess the opposite of the opposite is the same. They really got their bases covered. Um, this is the opposite by the smile. This is a solid ass choice.

Zach 1:26:08

Yeah, I love it. And I mean, I love it where it builds. Listeners go back and listen two episodes ago to get your fill of this song. I love the smile. Um, so yeah, that was my number four pick. The this list I didn't put as much time and thought into. I did put a lot of time and thought into it, but as far as the order of it, I mean, I would maybe put this like lower than a couple of the ones I just mentioned, but who cares? Like this song is amazing.

Walker 1:26:30

I wanted this list to be like we worked our asses up. Like, it feels very important that we get our rankings of Radiohead right, but this was like, now can daddy and papa have a little bit of fun. Can mama have a glass of wine, please? She's been working all day on her feet. Yeah. I've been, you know, it's noon. Um my observation about this list is that it's much more groove-oriented than your list of top ten songs. Yeah, yeah. No, I I speak more to what's available off Radiohead, because Tom, I think, does do more groove-focused music in his like side projects, but it's all it's just interesting. I like that we're getting a different flavor of what you love. Yes. Um, from Tom and the side projects.

Zach 1:27:19

I agree, but I mean, I think this speaks to like how when I narrowed down my list and how when you spoke yours into existence, like there is, you know, that's what's great about Radiohead, is they represent a whole of Radiohead, but you can segment it out stylistically. And I think, yes, Tom's stuff tends to be a little bit more groovy, but I think there is a particular flavor, even within these side projects, that is distinctly my favorite. So, with that, let's go to number three.

Walker 1:27:49

A hairdryer. I like this ranking. Ah, this song's so good. I really just want to listen to it.

Zach 1:27:57

There have been a couple where I'm like, uh default and Unless I really want to listen to you. I really want to listen to this one.

Walker 1:28:02

So far, the cohesion of this list is not breaking up for me either. I think I do want this playlist of like Zack's Alts.

Zach 1:28:10

Alright. I mean, I know we both want to listen to it, but for the sake of the Garrett.

Walker 1:28:14

By the smile, number three, love that it's this high up. Love that Tom is still putting out shit in 2022 that could be this high on the list of your favorite of his. Doesn't that just bode well for the future of us as fans?

Zach 1:28:31

Yes.

Walker 1:28:32

It's so exciting to be a fan right now.

Zach 1:28:34

It's so exciting. And I've used U2 as an example several times. I love them. I did try out their new album, so I'm not just speaking blindly here. It's not embarrassing. It's just nowhere near is what I think Tom and company are doing, all subjective.

Walker 1:28:48

I would also say the best stuff U2 ever did is nowhere near what Tom. Joshua Tree was the first CD I ever bought. I love that album. I love War. I also really like Octum Baby, but I just they're not in the same ballpark for me as Radiohead.

Zach 1:29:06

I agree. I love that Joshua Tree was the first CD you ever bought. I remember mine as well, and that answer may shock you, but more on that later. No, I want to know. What was it? Abby Road. Oh, let's go to number two. And when I say I bought it, I mean my mom and dad bought it for me. Yeah. I think I I that was our first trip to Dimple Records. Remember we got three each?

Walker 1:29:26

I bought there was a CD store I don't remember the name of, but that's you know the shopping center in um Auburn at Bell and uh Highway 49. Not the part that Target's in, but across from that. There do you remember in the corner there where there used to be a Kmart and there was a CD store in the corner? Is it that CD store? We lived in Colfax at the time.

Zach 1:29:47

Oh my god.

Walker 1:29:48

Yeah.

Zach 1:29:48

Ooh, you're awakening some memories, none of which are traumatic, but I'm like, oh, I haven't explored this side of my brain in a or this corner of my brain in a while. What was it called? Record connection with Grass Valley, right? Uh-huh. But they had two locations, and at some point I think they might have had a third in Auburn. It could have been a record connection. I don't think it was called record connection, but all right, listeners write in on that one. Yeah. Alright, so we are now at number two. This and this is where it gets hard, is a hairdryer below thin thing. I I do think I I uh I don't know where I put it when we talked about the album. Uh I think I said they these two were tied, but I I I think this is the best distillation of the new style and approach technique, if you will, that Johnny Greenwood is exploring on uh his tools. Um the Gibson Les Paul. This technique of tapping is uh I've only ever seen one person in person do it. It's uh the aforementioned cousin Levi. There was a period in which he was learning, I'm not saying to this level of expertise listeners, but he was learning how to do it on an acoustic guitar and it was fucking amazing. Cool. Again, this is Johnny Greenwood. It was a person I know, but I've never seen it done, and watching Johnny Greenwood do it, and then the sounds that he achieves out of this technique against Tom's voice, Tom Skinner, this was a slam dunk at number two for me. I now know what number one is gonna be. Let's hear a guess.

Walker 1:31:08

Do you I'm gonna guess or do you want me to just say if I was right? And I'll be honest. Yeah. Okay, let's just do that. Play it, and I'll tell you if I'm right. One, two, three, boys. I was right. Solid. Solid, solid, solid. Tell the tell the folks what this is.

Zach 1:31:28

This is Analyze track two uh from The Eraser. Uh track one being the title, the eraser. Um, this song is to me uh the apex, the crown jewel, uh whatever the the right wording is on Thom Yorke's output as a solo musician. And I don't know if I would include the smile in that because the smile is uh like a collaboration, but certainly of his solo catalog, uh being the eraser tomorrow's modern boxes in the anima. You said during our listening to of this song that this could have been a Radiohead song. I mean, and obviously all the songs could, but this one it's composition and arrangement. Um listeners, this song distill I don't want to just talk forever, but this song distills Tom's skill and uniqueness as a musician so wonderfully in that the timing is insane of this song relative to the chord changes. And it does sound like it's looped piano. Maybe it is, but we've seen him play it. He plays it much slower, yeah. And and that is both highlights the oddness of where he comes in. He doesn't play it slow because it's too hard, and then the singing. I could go on and on. This uh, I think you said Don Chorus might have been a song that uh was really high for you in the Tom solo output during that. And I loved that. Um, but for me, like there's no contest. This song is such an achievement and brilliance. It gives me all the feels of like a there, there or something, not necessarily lyrically. Love this song, could talk for the entire podcast about it, but that's my listwalker.

Walker 1:33:02

I love every song on the list, and I want this playlist. I there I think I'm very curious to hear now if mine because I did not think about I I'm guessing you didn't think about how these songs would sound together, but I think they sound great together. I'm curious if mine achieves any sort of similar level of cohesion. I tend to doubt it because Zach, one thing I think is interesting about your list is you went distinctly non-Radiohead because the B sides were available to you, and I like that you I like that you eschewed them and went a different direction. Mine Except for Up on the Ladder, right? Except for Up on the Ladder. Right. So, but uh is that your only Radiohead song on here? Yeah. Okay, so I I'll just say it's not I don't think it's a big spoiler to say my list has more Radiohead on on the list, and so that means we'll be jumping around in time a little more, and I'm guessing we won't have the same level of cohesion on mind. But coming in at number 10 of non-Radiohead studio album content.

Zach 1:34:11

Nice.

Walker 1:34:13

Listeners will remember this from what feels like minutes ago. This is a hairdryer by the smile. Coming in shame on you, Walker, for the redundance. At number nine, and already blowing away the idea that my list would possibly work as an album of things that sound like they belong together. This is Killer Cars, the Ben's Era. B side discovering this song when we in the, you know, listening that I did for our Ben's episode. I did not know this song until we were doing this album for the podcast. And I I feel the way I said I felt on the episode that this is not only should have been on the album, but should have been a fucking single.

Zach 1:35:12

It's here up on the ladder.

Walker 1:35:14

It is, yes, yes, it is. This is just to me a perfect 90s alternative rock song. Just no notes. It's so fucking good. I love it so much. And discovering it was a real joy.

Zach 1:35:27

And it still does like the same thing as creeped in on Wadawitcha, where it's going to the minor. It's employing the same techniques, but then that bombastic guitar solo that I wish we could just listen to at the very end when you think it's gonna end very Pinkerton. But Radiohead, yeah.

Walker 1:35:40

Love it. Yep. And it's also got a lot of backing vocals, and Radiohead, yes, they use harmony and stuff, but they're not a big backing vocals band. No, no, no. After the Benz, I I think it kind of um really takes a backseat in terms of how they arrange their songs.

Zach 1:35:56

Yeah, love that this choice walker. Love that.

Walker 1:35:58

They're much more post-benz, they're much more interested in using uh instruments to create harmony than they are voices.

Zach 1:36:07

Yeah, we have this new tool, the Ed.

Walker 1:36:09

Yeah, exactly. Right. And and uh and all of a sudden we have a Owens Martineau that is frankly a little easier to deal with than an Ed and kind of does the work of a few Eds.

Zach 1:36:24

Hey, well, you can't spell Owens Martineau without Ed.

Walker 1:36:27

Yeah. How has it taken us 35 fucking episodes for you to get to that perfect Radiohead joke? Um coming in at number eight. Oh, such a solid choice. Just another perfect song. Don't think it should have been on the album because the album is perfect the way it is. This is a B-side from OK Computer, but I think it is as good as lots of the songs on the album.

Zach 1:37:01

Yeah, this is Man of War, a song that I can play pretty competently on the guitar. Nice. It is um it it to me it's surprising in its uh intricacy, and not I mean all of Radiohead songs, but you know, this is still early on in the air, the third studio album, Okay Computer. Uh, in its intricacy and how much is going on in the layering, I can't believe they cut it because it's very subterranean homesick alien for me in that way. But they made the choices they did. Great fucking song, amazing choice.

Walker 1:37:28

Yep, thank you very much. Um Alright, coming in at number seven.

Zach 1:37:35

Drunken Confession. Hijack. I would like you to make this into a playlist for me. I love the cohesion it achieves, whether it's cohesive or not. These are songs, not that I forget about, but I I'm having a lot of fun listening to it.

Walker 1:37:48

Oh, I'm I'm so glad. Uh yeah, I love all these songs. Gosh, do I love, but yeah, very different lists so far. I'm I'm really uh I don't think that in planning this episode we talked about like, God, how boring is it gonna be if our lists are exactly the same. I guess maybe we both just knew that that that wasn't.

Zach 1:38:06

We can't have an idiot talk without Walker and Zach. Yeah, because it's gonna be different.

Walker 1:38:10

Yeah, what we what we like about this show is that uh we have different opinions about the exact same shit, and it's not so different that I don't want to talk to you about that. Coming in at number seven. Shall I end the suspense? Yeah. This is how can you be sure? The B side from the Benz. I will say this list was from the gut, but there was a conscious effort to put as many acoustic-driven songs as I could on it in order to kind of achieve something resembling my fantasy project of the of the uh lo-fi Radiohead.

Zach 1:39:14

I have a question for you on this song. Yeah. Uh wife two, but let me ask you the first one. Uh uh, now if I'm recalling correctly, there's a gorgeous vocal harmony kind of throughout. Do you believe that that's Tom in the studio? No, it's a w it's a woman.

Walker 1:39:26

And I forget her name. Really? I forget her name, but she was I think she was in a band that maybe opened for them around this time.

Zach 1:39:33

Yeah, I think it was Shia LaBeouf.

Walker 1:39:35

What did the name sound like that or something?

Zach 1:39:37

Oh, I just made that up. I made that name up, I've never heard it. Um, you know where I think this song's um kind of title for sure, and then the vibe within it. Um there's a very famous film that did not do well theatrically and has become one of the most celebrated films of all time. A little film I like to call Princess Bride, in which Robin Wright.

Walker 1:40:00

I didn't know that was a theatrical dud.

Zach 1:40:02

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, it was it it was home video immediate success. I had no idea. Um like most of Rob Reiner's films. Interesting. He made that film, correct? Yeah. There's a line in the very beginning when Grandpa is telling to Fred Savage, kind of still with the narration, and he says that Wesley had to leave. You know, that was drunk, Grandpa. And Robin Wright looks at him and she says, but how can you be sure? When he says uh uh that he'll come back and he answers back, This is true love. I think this kind of thing happens every day. Oh. And uh yeah, I don't know, I don't have no idea if that's accurate. I just think that Tom at this stage, whether it was conscious or not, she does pose it specifically as a question. You don't say a statement of how can you be sure. Right. That's just my little two cents.

Walker 1:40:43

I love that. And yeah, and this song is also in a category of Tom's songs about kind of like romantic expression of kind of toxic and possessive love.

Zach 1:40:54

And I and I And what is that, but as you wish, that's toxic and possessive.

Walker 1:40:58

Exactly. Um so yeah, I love the sentiment expressed in the irony that it's laid in with, and I love the song. Coming in at number six. Such a good choice. Follow me around. Released to the fans and the public at large on the Kid Amnesiac collection, the double album collection of the studio tracks and other outtakes and rarities besides from the Kid A and Amnesiac sessions. This is a only Tom in the studio song. You just have the one guitar track and the uh auto-tune harmony on what sounds like a single take vocal to me. They did guitar and standard tuning. This one's a drop D. Zach's being a little bit cheeky with you listeners. Um, yeah, and we know that they they would play this as a band uh around this time touring, but I I love this version. Um coming in at number five. About to achieve some potential symmetry here.

Zach 1:42:29

Love this song.

Walker 1:42:30

I guess this wasn't on your list, but I know you love it.

Zach 1:42:33

I love it.

Walker 1:42:35

This is Last Flowers from In Rainbows, Disc 2. One of the ones that like Man of War. I think the album in Rainbows is perfect how it is. And I don't think you need this and videotape on the same album, but I think this is as good as it's sad twins on the album in Rainbows.

Zach 1:43:02

Although you want annoyingly competitive better, I think it's better than videotape.

Walker 1:43:06

I do recall. I do recall. And I think in your alternative track listing, I believe there was possibly you had pitched closing the album with this or go slowly instead of videotape. And with I I wouldn't want to trade out go slowly for it, but I'm more open to trading this out. Sticking in this vein, my number four has the word four in the title. This one starts a little slow and ambient, so I'll just say this is four-minute warning. Again, as you other than Killer Cars, Man of War, and a hairdryer. I've so far basically gone all really stripped down and kind of acoustic-y.

Zach 1:43:55

I love Can I just say I love your love for this song, which has in turn made me love it more. I love that it starts with this kind of angry wall of sound. Not it's not angry yet, but it feels like the ed of it all right here. Sure. And I and I love it because it's like it could be anything, what's coming at you. It could be a gnarly guitar solo, it could be, you know what I'm saying? It doesn't feel like an and then what it comes into, which is a campfire jam and is so beautiful, and you know, uh nothing but great things to say. I love how much you love it. It's so good.

Walker 1:44:27

Thanks, fam. This is now where I deviate from the sound that I have been kind of sticking with for the last several coming in at number three of my favorite non-radiohead studio album tracks.

Zach 1:44:46

I love Darren Aronofsky and his films, especially the one with Natalie Portman and whoever that other actor is.

Walker 1:44:53

This is Sexy Time Tom, this is Dark Tom, this is Angry Tom, this is Tom doing a big cuss. It's fucked up. This is fucked up. This is Black Swan from Tom's first solo album, The Eraser. This is my favorite song from that album. Analyze, also up there. If I put something from uh The Eraser that wasn't this song on this list, it would have been Analyze. So I love this pick, Walker. I love this song. Thank you very much. And then regressing right back to the kind of thing I was doing, we have at number two.

Zach 1:45:33

I thought this was gonna be your number one. I was close.

Walker 1:45:39

This is gagging order. This is the hail to the thief B-side. And another Tom Alone in the studio, acoustic guitar and a vocal. This song makes me want to cry or walk into the ocean, and I love it. So distinctly, Tom. One of just the most beautiful, just sad, longing, melancholy songs ever put down, in my opinion. Zach, are you ready for me to hit you with my number one? Well, can I guess? Um, yeah, go for it. I'll you guess, I won't confirm with my face, and then I'll play it. How's that sound?

Zach 1:46:22

It sounds great. I'm gonna guess the opposite. Okay.

Walker 1:46:33

Here we go.

Zach 1:46:38

Oh, I forgot. I forgot that the Don Ray The fake out songs were eligible.

Walker 1:46:44

Oh okay. This is not I'm pronking you. This is not my number one. Uh-huh. But I will say this is in my honorable mentions because um this song got stuck in my head after we played of which album did we use this for a fake out on? The King of Blooms. Okay, this one got stuck in my head so bad to the point that I have now come around on and and like fully like, it's good. I mean, it's catchy for sure. Yeah, it's just a- Can I tell you the part I hate the most from it? The telephone effect.

Zach 1:47:15

Well, yes, but the lyric of uh whatever he says, kafuffin? What the fu that's some beastie boy ass shit.

Walker 1:47:22

Well, that's what that's what I realized.

Zach 1:47:23

They're doing on the photo like a hole, like kafuffin. Shut up.

Walker 1:47:27

Uh well, it's the beastie boys if the beastie boys were both well, and what's another word for bad, but Canadian.

Zach 1:47:34

Oh yeah.

Walker 1:47:35

And I'm sorry, listeners in Canada, but I mean, I'm sorry. It's I'm sorry, but oh, by the way, sorry is how we say sorry here. Just in case you can't wrap your mind around what the fuck I'm talking about, right? Alright, so that was a breakout. Um, and we just lost some listeners. I know.

Zach 1:47:57

A huge portion of our audience.

Walker 1:47:58

Yeah, I know. Um Love our Northern neighbors. I'm gonna play you my real number one. Here we go.

Zach 1:48:14

I don't know why it's chorus, man. Yeah, I don't know why it's I think I held back because I felt like I accidentally potentially spoiled by mentioning I know it ranks really highly for you. I uh you know, I didn't, but uh I then I forgot about it and I was thinking it's gotta be a the smile tune.

Walker 1:48:30

I don't know if a song has hit me this hard emotionally and personally since no surprises. Which doesn't mean it's like, you know, no surprises than this, but man, you just you know how sometimes it even songs that you love and that you appreciate on a deep level, you listen to them hundreds of times and it's like it's like I said, all I need resonates with me very deeply. But the reason it's my number two is because it's so fucking pretty. Right? This one is just like knocked me out.

Zach 1:49:05

Well, remember how I asked you um during your favorite radiohead tune if the music video accompaniment uh to no surprises enhanced it, and you're like, uh no, not really, you know, or whatever. This one, and again, just be honest, I love its placement in the chronology of the P. T. Anderson short film, uh, anima. Yes. And it, if I'm not mistaken, it's when he and uh his now wife um are coming together and it's that silent exchange, but it's different than the silent exchange that we had previously seen. Uh for me, it brings the song to life even more. Yes. Even though your commentary was so great on it, I loved it. Uh it was visually what you described different than what we're seeing, but I I really do feel like this whole album, even though it only features three songs, is enhanced by the short film by P. T. Anderson. P.T. Anderson made a good film.

Walker 1:50:02

It it absolutely enhanced it. I already was in love with the song when it started the dance number. Dance. Number. That feels that it but the the choreographed. The choreography, the way it was shot, and this song together made me ugly cry when I was watching it. And thank God you, the listeners, or my son weren't there to see it. Only my dog Lila was there to lose respect for me as I like Halle Berry accepting her Oscar. Blue snot all over myself as I as I wept. Um Zach, that's my that's my list. Can I give you my honorable mentions? Yeah, yeah, because I have an honorable mention as well. Okay, hit me. Honorable mentions of stuff that uh you know that we've covered on here that I some of it I loved before, some of it I fell in love with. Um Amuck the song. That's currently my favorite song from the album is the title track. I just man, I love it. He ran amok. Yeah. When it kicks into that dun dun-ding, dun dan-ding, ding, dan-ding. It just anyway.

Zach 1:51:21

There's so much to fall in love with on that album per song.

Walker 1:51:24

I I love that. Um, the B side from OK Computer Pearly That lives on the in between the Benz and OK Computers. And it's a rocker, and it's and it's like, oh, I see where Muse picked up their entire bag of tricks, and it's Radiohead doing Muse better than Muse can do Muse, and I just that song rules. Um The Daily Mail already loved it, still love it. Speech Bubbles. If there had been a smile song that wasn't hairdryer on this list for me, it would have been Speech Bubbles. The aforementioned Fat Lip by Some 41. And Batman Returns also get out gets honorable mention. I really liked the movie, but I loved discussing it with you. Oh my brother. And it just has a more fond place in my heart than it ever has because of how much I enjoyed our uh comic book boy boner about Catwoman and just what's what's silly about the movie. But a respectful boner. A respectful boner, right? And and we turned away in shame. And and I'll tell you what, people know the difference. Yes. Right? They can see when you're coming not correct with the boner.

Zach 1:52:39

Absolutely.

Walker 1:52:40

Yeah.

Zach 1:52:41

Um, I will say, uh, I think of all of the content that we've explored, um, all of it, Batman Returns was the one where re uh exploring it and then discussing it with you was the one where there was the most marketable, noticeable change and like how important of it represents. Um it it's just, I think there's so much to chew on in terms of the performances from Michael Keaton, uh Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer. I would actually flip the order and say Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, but it's just phenomenal across the board. It is a very flawed film uh that is is I I felt not quite negatively, but I preferred uh 1989's Batman. And I wouldn't say Batman Returns is amongst my favorite, but it really, really spoke to me, and I think that's the value of just re-exploring things and discussing it with people uh that you think you know you'd have a good time to do so. That's all.

Walker 1:53:42

Hell yeah. And you mentioned you also have some honorable mentions.

Zach 1:53:47

Uh I have an honorable mention and singular. Yeah, and kind of breaking the rules. I think I on one of my top tens I said, oh well, this is my eleventh. Uh, this is my favorite thing in the world, Walker, and I'm gonna play it for you right now.

Walker 1:54:43

Is this the opening theme to eighty-nine or Batman Returns?

Zach 1:54:46

This is uh the this is not the opening. This is from 1989's Batman. This is the scene after The Batcave!

Walker 1:54:53

This is when he's taking Vicky Vale into the Batcave.

Zach 1:54:56

The name of the song is Descent into Mystery. This song is so fucking awesome and is so good and sets such an atmosphere. This is uh the one part of the film that has the Dutch tilt when it hits uh it's at mini minute 77 of the film. Listeners, I don't know that written down. I know that by heart. Um, even Kim Bassinger screams, ah! As it's like everything is so perfect. Because but it descends into the march that he wrote. It's so excellently written, and to Tim Burton and Danny Elfman and all. And it's so good too because you think about what had been going on, they've just been running around pointlessly, the song's over. And it's just a great moment to where you can forget that the scene makes no fucking sense. Nice call.

Walker 1:55:43

Nice call. Dude, I was like, wait, what is it? I knew it was Elfman, but I was having trouble picking it out because I knew it wasn't the or I guess I didn't know. It didn't sound like the opening, but then as I was hearing that I was like picturing them flying through the woods. Yes.

Zach 1:56:01

And then my last honorable mention of a fake out song. This is truly my last. Yeah, yeah. Definitely want to turn this one down. This was by far my favorite fake out that uh I had no idea Walker was going to do.

Walker 1:56:17

It's just one of those days when you don't want to wake up. Everything is fucked, everybody sucks.

Zach 1:56:27

Alright, that's enough of that. Love it. I'll pick up the chain song. Is that from that song too? I guess. But it keeps going this way. Yeah, break stuff. All right. Anyways, that's that song. I you know, look.

Walker 1:56:44

That song's catchy. I like to do I like to do a big cuss. I like to say the F, the SH, the H-E-Double hockey sticks, G D, which is very naughty because that's a slap in the face to the man upstairs. Yeah. Um, I even like to sometimes do a C, a big C word. Oh, okay. I think that if I wrote that song, I would take a look at it. Try to assess it as objectively as possible and say, I think this might have too much sparing. Right. But then I feel like I'm robbing the language of its impact.

Zach 1:57:27

Yeah. I feel like I'm robbing the language of English of its intelligence.

Walker 1:57:34

Yeah. I feel like Durst should have looked around and said, West Borland, the rest of you. Other talented musicians. I think that we might be making the world measurably worse by putting this out into it. Yeah. Guys, let's lay down, like let's lay down our instruments and go get jobs. Let's all go get jobs in the philanthropy space and help.

Zach 1:58:04

Well, gosh, man. Uh, Fred Durst films, so he did get another job as director.

Walker 1:58:09

His films feel like a weird film. Has he made more than one? Because I know the fanatic is like notorious.

Zach 1:58:13

That's the only one I know about, but I know that he's directed maybe two or three films, and uh they feel like a philanthropic effort. Like, oh, this movie sucks so bad, but my dollars are going to benefit starving kids or something like that. You know, they do.

Walker 1:58:28

Hey, maybe just throwing this out there, we have not discussed this and we can cut it. Maybe season two we watch the fanatic. I love it. Okay.

Zach 1:58:37

We'll be the first two people.

Walker 1:58:40

We'll definitely be the first podcast about it, right? Zach, I think that kind of leads us naturally in to talking about season two. Yes. Uh-huh. So we have said we're going to continue to cover Radiohead and Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, all the members. Any relevant news that comes up, we will cover in some shape or form where exactly that content lands remains to be seen. What does not remain to be seen is we are going to still put this podcast out in a free feed on a Friday on a weekly basis. Season two, if I can just go ahead and announce, will debut on August 18th of this year. Continuing to be on a Friday, continuing to be Idiotalk. But season two is going to be discussing, analyzing, discovering together, discovering with you, the listeners, the discography of, shall I say it? Please. Would you like to say it? No, no, take it away. We're gonna do Fiona Apple in season two. This is a shift in tone. Also, for reasons I won't get into that we'll get into when we discuss it. I also feel it's very at home with Radiohead and what appeals to us about Radiohead. Zach and I both care a great deal for her music, but I also know this is one where the history and the road is not as long. It doesn't maybe go as far back as our mutual love of Radiohead. So I think that we're going to be getting to discuss albums that we already love a lot and stuff that we're kind of getting into in a deeper way for the first time. Yeah. And yeah, what do you think about it? I mean, anything you want to say about what's coming up in season two?

Zach 2:00:35

Uh, I think it's gonna be fucking awesome, which uh, you know, as an acronym would be FA, just like Fiona Apple. Um, so no, I just uh I I don't have anything to add as far as that is a hundred percent accurate. Fiona Apple, um our mother did own her debut album, uh, which is really on Compact Disc. Yeah, so we got a lot of exposure to it then. Um, but again, I don't want to just elaborate for for no reason, but uh, she is somebody that um definitely within the last 10 years has been on regular rotation, and then um, you know, more recently, I would just say I've explored in a lot of detail, but we know no matter how much we think we know a band or an artist or whatever, that in doing this podcast and and hopefully providing interesting content for listeners, there's gonna be some new things uncovered. And with as complex a musician and songwriter as she is, and how vast the catalog is over a span of time, there's gonna be a lot to cover. And I'm so so excited, but that's all I have to add.

Walker 2:01:32

Yeah, and you know, we on this podcast, I think that we like to focus on the music more than we focus on the personalities or the personal lives. But I also think Fiona Apple has had a storied career in a way that is interesting, in the same way that I find Thom Yorke's output over the years is reflective of attitudes, beliefs, and representations of himself as a figure that I find interesting. I have the same kind of attraction to the work of Fiona Apple, where it's like this is not something that you just like go, like, oh, I I hear this and I get everything about this person. This is like complicated, and I'm excited to dive into it with you.

Zach 2:02:17

And what is a great woman, but like a great man?

Walker 2:02:21

Should we cut that? Yes. Okay.

Zach 2:02:23

I was just excited to make that joke.

Walker 2:02:25

No, not you. I mean, got me going. Like, and the reason she's good is because she reminds me of Thom Yorke. I think I think I think I brought it home by pointing out that that was funny. Well done. Um, also, season two will continue to do occasional movie episodes. If you're I should I announce this too? No, yeah. We'll continue to do occasional movie episodes. In this case, we made it Batman because of the connection it has to our childhood. I think in season two, it will be movies that have a connection to our childhood or a shared history, but frankly, it's also gonna sometimes just be movies that we want to fucking talk about because that's what this podcast is is me and my brother getting together and talking about stuff that we dig or feel very strongly about one way or another. I can't wait to do it, man. I do just want to say I love you and I love doing this with you.

Zach 2:03:21

I love you too, and I've had such a such a great time. This has been I've learned a lot. I mean, I've learned a lot about the band, I've learned a lot about you. One of the things that I'm sure listeners have picked up on that I've learned is uh your insight in production, into production, which I don't it's just I was gonna say I don't know where that comes from. That's really demeaning. I don't mean it that way. I did not know that your understanding of engineering in the studio was so uh finite and specific. And that started in your analysis of how to disappear completely, and then just went from there where I was like, there is a whole aspect and range to what Walker appreciates about music, definitely Radioheads music, I can, you know, uh, that I just don't have. And that was really, really exciting to learn and fun. And then the other thing that I would say I learned is uh it's so funny because like in the last few episodes you said, I'm not sure lyrics are like the biggest thing for either of us. The level, whether you're right or wrong, what you are able to get out of the lyrics of a Thom Yorke song, and frankly, a lot of other music too, uh, it's not about like surpassing my own, or it's not a strength that I have, and it's really cool because in it's not like, oh, I gotta be good at that too. It's not at all. I think that's what makes this podcast hopefully interesting, is different perspectives about the same thing or different focuses, but it's really, and I'm not saying that every analysis you've had is correct, only like Tom could affirm that, and even Tom might not know. But those are things that I've learned amongst many um about you, my brother. And that's all. You don't have to say anything back. That's all.

Walker 2:05:02

But I want to.

Zach 2:05:03

Oh, okay.

Walker 2:05:04

And so I'm going to. Okay. Um, no pressure. A, I will take the I I will shut up and take the compliment. I'm always very flattered and slightly perplexed by how much insight you think I have into that aspect of Radiohead. But but hey, that's like what the fun of these conversations are is like you said, getting different perspectives on the same thing. And what I love about talking to you on and off mic is the amount of similarities and the amount of differences that we have. So uh thank you, and I appreciate it. I would say that I feel similarly about your insight into the theory and technical side of what is being done compositionally in a lot of these songs. That I gotta say, is not something that I feel like we ever really talked about when in our many hours of unrecorded conversations about Radiohead that existed before the podcast. And um, it's not always something that I am able to intuitively wrap my head around, but it is something now that rings in my head when I listen to these songs. You know, I'll uh I'll go, no, what the hell did Zach say was going on in this Phrygian? Okay, like let me just like let me just put that in the old in the old bank, the memory bank, to like ask him about again or to or to listen back to our fucking podcast about and see if I can kind of finally understand this insight. I really enjoyed that and I really enjoy what a important piece of analysis it brings because man, if this podcast was Walker and Walker, it would be feelings cast. And similarly, I would say um I I saw a real vulnerability in you, Zach, around expressions of what these lyrics mean to you and how they make you feel. And I think that no greater display of the power of good art can be seen than in two people both crying about the same song for different reasons. It really just shows that if your work is deeply personally insightful to you, it is going to feel that way to other people. Yeah. The more specific you're able to go, the more universal your shit is. And I just loved that. I, you know, most recently it was talking about the song the same. And I'm just like, oh yeah, I wasn't even thinking about the protest movement that happened around uh around George Floyd. This song was hitting me for a different but similar reason, and it wasn't until we had to get on mic and both have something to say about why this song means something to us that I got to share in in that uh connection with you. And I've I've just enjoyed the hell out of it, man. And uh there's no one I would rather do this with until Joe and Melanie Glenn have another kid and it's a male kid, and I've got a new brother, and then all of a sudden you're getting Phillip Selweight out of a thing, and Tom Skinner's doing the podcast with me. What if the next season was me and a baby talking about Fiona Apple? And the and the baby probably just thinks I'm talking about applesauce, right? Because they're a baby.

Zach 2:08:44

Which is what we call Fiona Apple's catalog. Yeah, you want to throw in some applesauce? Oh, wow.

Walker 2:08:48

See, this is all I almost want to caution you to save that level of perfection.

Zach 2:08:54

Well, listen to this is what you'll get for seasonal.

Walker 2:08:56

Please make that joke again when we do season two.

Zach 2:08:59

Walker, thank you so much for saying that. And it is true, it is true. Radiohead uh um and this podcast have brought out uh a level of vulnerability because of what those themes make, or I think the themes in their music make me explore. I don't want to recapitulate your compliment. I too sometimes struggle to take them, but I really appreciate all that. And uh I've had such a great time. I don't know if I said I love you too, but I do. And uh this has been such a a great time, and I I'm sad to move on, but I'm not moving on in my heart or in my personal life listeners. Uh what I do in my personal life will be in the behind the paywall, um, which is listen to Radiohead. So uh we will uh see you when we come back.

Walker 2:09:38

We will see you when you come back. Um, my love and appreciation of Radiohead is only surpassed by my love and appreciation of my co-host, brother, and friend across the table from me. I don't know why we're like saying goodbye to each other right now. Um, we're gonna keep hanging out as soon as the mics are off. But listeners, we're gonna really miss talking to you for this next couple months. But please don't stress. We're only taking the time off to create new content for you. Thank you so much for finding enjoying listening to this podcast. I have been genuinely shocked that that this is going out to an audience of folks that we did not know before putting the podcast into the world. It's so fun hearing from you. Uh, it's so fun hearing which of our takes resonate with you and infuriate you. And we really hope that you are there for season two. In the meantime, I have been Walker Glenn. I'm Zach Glenn. Love you, listeners, and see you in August. Bye. Bye. Ideotalk is a Glenn Brothers production. Get in touch with us at ideotalk.podcast at gmail.com. Or follow us on Instagram at idiotalk.podcast. Thanks for listening to the