Hey, you, shambles, hey, look, OK, so, let’s get this cleared up:
I frikkin love Radiohead. To unhealthy levels. I’ve got all the music they’ve ever put out. Most of it on oldey timey vinyl. I carried around one of their South American tour posters for two months because I flew out to Santiago (that’s in Chile, DONTCHAKNOW, I am a seasoned world traveler) on the night their tour started there.
I even have a shrine to Thom Yorke in my room, full of scrapings of his skin, flecks of his spittle and at which I pray in requisite style on a daily basis.
It’s all true. And it’s time I shared this with you all because a) I might be arrested before long and b) I’ve decided to finally breach the Radiohead dam, live on Shambletracks. I’m sorry.
Way too much has been written about them and their pioneering seven studio albums of unmitigated excellence (their first, Pablo Honey, is unmitigated dorgturd-ulence and should not be listened to), so I’m not going to add too much. Just these following tidbits that might be new to you:
- They went to the same school as Paddy and I, and Jonny Greenwood had the same viola teacher as me. Therefore, we are all blood brothers. They also wrote a not-great song about their/our old headmaster.
- Not only does ‘Just’, from second album The Bends, have an incredible video, but it was also recorded in one lone take. The whole thing. No overdubs. Even we need overdubs for our shamble-storm of a podcast.
- 2003’s smash Hail To The Thief was the first album that I bought by the fantastic gentlemen. I didn’t really get it, but it does feature what is still one my favourite tracks – ‘Wolf at the Door’ – which I will wager is the first time you’ve heard Thom Yorke sing-rap over a nursery rhyme backing.
- They appeared in possibly the finest episode of South Park you’ve ever seen, in what ranks alongside the Korn Magical Mystery Tour Hallowe’en special.
That’s all the tidbits you get, you cheeky so-and-sos! I’ve put, below, one of the tracks that first turned me onto them. It’s called ‘Black Star’, it’s from The Bends, and it’s about heartbreak. It has a killer lead guitar line. Enjoy.
Night night, be safe, don’t let the OK Computers bite,
Laurie x