Thom Yorke Wants to Sleep with the Phishes

This is something I’d never thought I’d hear: Radiohead’s Thom Yorke holding a candle to Phish and their style of touring. That other fun quotes (and my commentary) from his recent Pitchfork interview:

TY: When we played Bonnaroo we got such a nice vibe, a genuine good feeling from the first beat. Things like Bonnaroo give you the hope that you can do it the other way. I met Phish-- most of their people are involved in Bonnaroo. And it's great. I dream to take some of that vibe and take it around the country...and then Clear Channel trying to fucking shut the gate down.

I recently caught Phish’s Trey Anastasio on the telly in a documentary of 2004’s Bonnaroo offering. He had written full orchestration for some his work, and the segment showed him working with the symphony, learning to conduct, dealing with the nerves of doing something new in front of so many people. This man, who’s played in front of millions over the last 20 years, was honestly nervous about letting down both his fans and these new musicians he’d corralled to help him with the project. His humility and enthusiasm were inspiring. When he finally got on stage, with a full symphony behind him and lightning & thunder above, he and his music hit it out of the park.

Pitchfork: Some newer songs seem a little warmer: "Down Is the New Up", "House of Cards"...

TY: I'd guess one doesn't really need reminding of the ice outside at the moment, do you? It's maybe a good thing to try to make music that feels reassuring in some ways-- something that's got a good feeling, a good vibe about it.

I believe it was with the very first post on this blog that I distinctly noted “Down Is the New Up” as new territory for Radiohead – a more positive chord struck. I’m glad he’s aware of the turn. And, yes, sometimes, no matter how grey it is outside, it’s important to remain bright and all rainbow-ish within. As he says elsewhere in the interview: “I have to remain positive otherwise I’d go fucking crazy.”

Pitchfork: And of course most of the bands that've taken cues from you have done so from things like "High and Dry". Was it ever disappointing that when your peers looked to you guys they ignored Kid A and Amnesiac and took the simpler, more well-traveled road?

TY: But that's the majors all over. "Oh, uh, shit, we need to find something else that looks like it." They spent loads of money and crap and they were right, so I can't argue with them I guess. It's business.

But it upset me a lot, yes. I was really, really upset about it, and I tried my absolute best not to be, but yeah, it was kind of like-- that sort of thing of missing the point completely. When we put Kid A out, I specifically remember saying, "Copy that, you
fucking..."

Whatever. We've ripped off R.E.M. blind for years, you know-- amongst other people. Everybody does. It's how you rip them off, as John Lennon said.

Nice.

Pitchfork: It's difficult gearing up to again be a public figure, feeling like a personality or a commodity in a way? Or having to deal with demands like this interview?

TY: No. And it's fun to play new stuff all the time. But you got all this dread, all this sort of like, "Well, should we really be doing this?" Like, basically, a complete lack of confidence. But you get over that.

Pitchfork: And you think that sort of came back because there was a moment where you guys stopped and uncertainty kind of settled in?

TY: Yeah, which is natural I think. It's a pathological criticism about absolutely everything we ever do.

Pitchfork: That comes from yourself? Because it'd seem difficult for most people to believe that you lack confidence in what you guys are doing.

TY: From me personally, especially. Sometimes it's just fucking ridiculous. If I'm left to my own devices, then simply nothing would happen.

Wow, see?! Even the most talented and acclaimed artists are victims to their own self-critical neuroses. Gives hope to the rest of us.