The question Thom Yorke wanted to ask John Lennon about vocals

Described by Rolling Stone USAas one of the most influential singers of his generation, Thom Yorke made history at the head of Radiohead. His skills as a composer or multi-instrumentalist are often praised, but it is his vocal part that generally causes the greatest excitement among fans and critics.

Among the great skills of Yorke, there is the use of falsettos and vibratos, in addition to the creativity in drawing vocal lines avoiding obvious melodies. He came to inspire different names, ranging from Matt Bellamy (Muse) to Chris Martin (Coldplay).

However, like anyone, Thom has its references. And one of them comes from the most popular band in history: the Beatles. In an interview with the author Jason Thomas Gordon for the book The Singers Talk and published in Rolling Stone USA(via website Igor Miranda), the leader of Radiohead was asked to reveal which singer he would like to ask a question about vocals — and, of course, what question it would be.

Without thinking twice, he chose John Lennon, an idol murdered in 1980.

“He would be John Lennon. The whole attitude of Lennon When it comes to singing, I’m a bit obsessed because on the surface he has this raw thing where he doesn’t care… the way he sings is strangely brutal. I wanted to talk to him about how he was always so precise, but always sounding on edge, like, ‘he’s going to miss, he’s going to miss’.”

The conversation would also extend to studio recording techniques. Yorke notes that the vocals of Lennon They did not undergo practically any type of subsequent treatment, due to the lack of technological resources available at the time.

“And specifically, all those ideas he had about how his voice should be treated. I’m like, ‘How do you see that?’ Because what they did with his voice, they had very simple tools, but they did interesting things. Then I would have a conversation with him about that… or about yoga.”

Thom Yorke’s 5 favorite vocalists

Still during the interview, Thom Yorke was “called upon” to select his five favorite vocalists of all time. The options were Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Scott Walker, Michael Stipe (REM) It is Tom Waitsdespite honorable mentions to Billie Holiday It is Bob Dylan. Curiously, John Lennon was not mentioned in this section.

“I’m obsessed with Ella Fitzgerald at the time. It has a performance that is worthy of Ella Fitzgerald playing with Duke Ellington. They are on a famous TV show in the 60s, in black and white. She sings two jazz standards, and her technical singing is insane. She has everything. The volume of her voice is so loud, but she doesn’t miss a note. […] And then obviously there is Nina Simone. So there is Scott Walker, Michael Stipe(REM). And I want to talk Billie Holiday. Oh! Tom Waits! ‘Tom Traubert’s Blues’. This and ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ of Bob Dylan These are two songs that are guaranteed to leave me a wreck after listening.”