The vocalist states that the band does not feel pressure to revive past success and that there are no confirmed plans for new projects
Don’t ask Thom Yorke about a possible meeting of the Radiohead. Or, if you ask, hope that the musician doesn’t give you a straight answer. The vocalist spoke to Australian radio Double Jwho suggested that Yorke’s “fertile” work on The Smilealong with the guitarist Johnny Greenwoodmade fans speculate about new songs from Radiohead.
I’m not aware of it and I honestly don’t care,” replied Yorke.
“No offense to anyone and thanks for caring. But I think we’ve earned the right to do what makes sense to us, without having to explain or respond to other people’s historical ideas about what we should be doing.”
He also spoke about the lack of pressure to live up to the success of the Radiohead:
I don’t think we feel the need to prove anything. This seems like a non-existent problem. We are in a privileged position where we can still make music because of Radioheadso no complaints.
The latest album from Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Poolwas released in 2016. The following year, the band released a 20th anniversary reissue of OK Computertitled OKNOTOK 1997 2017and in 2021, they made available Kid A Mnesiaa commemorative reissue that compiles Kid A, Amnesiac and unpublished materials. Since then, however, Yorke has focused on The Smilewhich he formed with Greenwood and the drummer Tom Skinner.
Despite the insistence of Yorke that you are not aware of plans for a meeting of the Radioheadthe bassist Colin Greenwood recently told NME that the band did rehearsals during the summer.
We got together in the summer for a few days, just went through the songs and picked up where we left off in 2018.
It was really fun and cool to see everyone. We were going to do it for three or four days, but we stopped after two because it was already good, and we still managed to play well. My brother [Jonny Greenwood] I said that we would only need a few weeks of rehearsals to be able to go on tour, without any problems.
He added: “It was great, but beyond this meeting, I’m sure we’ll get together and make plans – but for what, I don’t know.”
Last month, the Radiohead announced that they are collaborating on a new theatrical production of Hamletwhich premieres in spring 2024 in Manchester, England. The piece, titled Hamlet Hail to the Thiefis being adapted and directed by Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett and will feature reimagined songs from the album Hail to the Thief2003.
“This is an interesting and intimidating challenge,” said Yorke in a statement about the production.
Adapt the original song from Hail to the Thief for a live performance with the actors on stage, to tell this story that is always told, using the familiarity of sounds, taking them in and out of context, seeing what resonates with the underlying grief and paranoia of Hamletusing the music as a ‘presence’ in the environment, observing how it collides with the action and text. One ghost overlapping the other.
The original material of Rolling Stone US can be read [aqui].
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
