My Three Months With Radiohead
Being a Radiohead fan is easy, everyone either loves them, knows they should love them, or perhaps more commonly, would love them if they had the time, the cerebral matter, or the pressing need to get beaten down by a relentlessly bleak worldview. Oh, Thom you’re such a card!
There are few events in music these days: a million average records are released every week, so a new Radiohead record is something very much to look forwards to. After the relative return to “conventionality” of “Hail to the Thief,” there was the added frisson of wondering what trajectory they’d follow with “In Rainbows”: “normal” or “weird.” This writer has long been somewhat confused by the perception that “normal” for Radiohead is in any way normal, or “weird” in any way weird. They’re a kooky, slightly off center rock group, nothing more. A very, very brilliant kooky etc.
The good news (or bad news depending on your view) is that the most controversial things about this record are the much hyped “pay what you feel it’s worth” web download stunt, and the fact that it’s a record that you could perhaps, with the right partner make out to.
It’s a record very much in the “normal” Radiohead mode: it has guitars, strings, beautiful melodies, and that spastic, not very funky, funk that gets the toes tapping as your mind unpicks Thom’s lyrics and sifts through the layers of Jonny’s lush arrangements. It’s quirky without making you feel like you need to switch it off quickly if your parents happen on you while you’re listening to it. Oh, and it’s very, very good.
This writer has been listening to it compulsively for the past three months, five or six times a day, and as yet, I’m not even slightly bored with it. That’s not to claim that it’s the best record ever made, though in the current climate it could sound like it. It also reestablishes what we already knew: namely that Radiohead do what they do like nobody else, and when they’re away one forgets just how good they are.
If you don’t have three months to spare, don’t worry, just buy it, but odds are you’ll find yourself still listening in three months. Satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back, assuming you paid…
There are few events in music these days: a million average records are released every week, so a new Radiohead record is something very much to look forwards to. After the relative return to “conventionality” of “Hail to the Thief,” there was the added frisson of wondering what trajectory they’d follow with “In Rainbows”: “normal” or “weird.” This writer has long been somewhat confused by the perception that “normal” for Radiohead is in any way normal, or “weird” in any way weird. They’re a kooky, slightly off center rock group, nothing more. A very, very brilliant kooky etc.
The good news (or bad news depending on your view) is that the most controversial things about this record are the much hyped “pay what you feel it’s worth” web download stunt, and the fact that it’s a record that you could perhaps, with the right partner make out to.
It’s a record very much in the “normal” Radiohead mode: it has guitars, strings, beautiful melodies, and that spastic, not very funky, funk that gets the toes tapping as your mind unpicks Thom’s lyrics and sifts through the layers of Jonny’s lush arrangements. It’s quirky without making you feel like you need to switch it off quickly if your parents happen on you while you’re listening to it. Oh, and it’s very, very good.
This writer has been listening to it compulsively for the past three months, five or six times a day, and as yet, I’m not even slightly bored with it. That’s not to claim that it’s the best record ever made, though in the current climate it could sound like it. It also reestablishes what we already knew: namely that Radiohead do what they do like nobody else, and when they’re away one forgets just how good they are.
If you don’t have three months to spare, don’t worry, just buy it, but odds are you’ll find yourself still listening in three months. Satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back, assuming you paid…
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About the Author
So it say's you like Radiohead, I'm a good guy, really, and if you want to borrow my Radiohead record, you can! I think it is really a Radiohead record, rather than a record, I mean that could be by anyone, Beatles, Big Audio Dynamite, Bronski Beat, just any old record. And I DON'T think that I'm thinking of a RADIO, that's not really like a Radiohead record, either. I have one of those, but I usually watch TV sometimes! I LOVE listening to music. But it sounds better on TV than radio, IMHO! Maybe it's because I've got a big sound system in my TV, and the radio is older. I sometimes hook my record player (YES, I KNOW WHAT A CD IS!) into the TV sound, and fall asleep on the couch with my cat and a little tray of wine-bottle corks that I've saved (for NO apparant reason), and they smelled kind of icky the other day (Sunday) so I think I said "GOODBYE" to THOSE wine-bottle corks! Time to save a few more for the tray
I have a cassette tape of Stevie Wonder's Musicquarium too. I don't have anything that plays cassette's, so you can just have that! I think it's on two cassette's, actually. It must be really long! Longer than the longest cassette that they made that year! WOW! Do you think if I was gonna start my own band, that I should be the drummer or the singer. My favorite thing is watching the drummer kick it out on TV! American Idol is usually pretty good, but there are WAY better ones than the guy on American Idol. You just have to watch A LOT, and see what you come up with. The later the better, IMHO. I wonder what I'd have to give up to get a drum set in my house? Do you live in a house or an apartment? My mom and dad live in a house, it'd be really cool to have something like that some day, that way you could REALLY do whatever you wanted, WHENEVER you wanted! NOBODY could tell you what to do or when. When I was little, I used to dream of being president, but I think I just thought that if you were, you could do whatever you wanted, like kill your algebra teacher, 'cause you didn't like your assignment! Ha ha ha hahaah a boy THOSE were some tough times! GLAD I got out of school. I make some pretty good green where I'm at now, but a drum set would really make life nice. You must have a LOT of records! What is your best record? Do you like the Rolling Stones record, the one that was on the TV commercial? A few year's back. That used to be my favorite record, but not anymore! I saw them in that big football game, they played one song and I decided I wasn't gonna care about THEM for much longer.
So if you want to borrow The Benz by Radiohead, as I say, I don't have the cover for it anymore, but that's another story all together, the music is still on there just fine. I'll send it to you or your can come and get it! That would be really fun, don't you think? Then you could listen to it ANY TIME you wanted. THAT'S freedom!
I've been saving you wine corks, Bill. I save them at a rate of 10 per night. I'd like to say other people give me some, but the truth is I DRINK TEN BOTTLES OF WINE EACH NIGHT. I'm like Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, except with wine instead of whatever he had in his glass. Prolly Whiskey. Naw, Gin, innit. Oh! And I wear a robe just like his, too. It's like a Brick/Haweye Pierce hybrid. I have a beard, too, kind of like Hawkeye's.. That's partly why I drink. I drink to forget my beard and to plan my wedding to my Mr. Big. And I play Sting and I sigh. I sigh ALOT.
Anyhoo: I propose a trade. One copy of The Bends for some wine corks. Deal? WE should consider covering "High & Dry" from the bends at our Cali covers night next week at The Tractor. Except we call it "Carrie & Big" instead of "High & Dry."
Yours,
The Nun