Main Index >> Media Index
spin with a grin
SUBMITTED BY: Charlie Pinder from UK

Loved South Park concert. Did you?

yes thankyou. bit shaky at first. a lot of pressure. then very emotional experience. lots of crying at the end. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: maxj k from uk

do you still feel you should be quoted so prominently on napster.com now that its been sunk to the level of all the other shit on the internet. cheap advertising is all very well and good, but this really stinks.

ive never been. what does it say? i dont care its not our responsibility. cheap advertising? dont understand sorry.. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: chris lloyd from England

With the current influx of bands that have come out in recent times (examples: limp bizkit and n'sync), what direction do you predict the music market will head into? (this question is meant to stand for "where do you think music will head to next .. what is the next big fad, trend, etc?)

im not into speculating on this sort of thing, maybe its like the seventies and we're in the shit cocaine disco bit. who knows. its sympotmatic of whats going on elsewhere..... a climate of fear.. where is it heading. into an asteroid with no-one driving. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: John Earls from UK

Why have you chosen Pyramid Song as the single from Amnesiac? How will you feel if it gets to No1/how will you celebrate? And what are the chances of there being further singles from the album (which song will it be if there are?) PS: Can I get a fuller phone/face-to-face/e-mail interview with any of the band? (Caffy seems happy with the idea in principle, but says it's a question of time.) Puuuurrrrrllleeeeaaaaasseeeee?

absolutley no chance whatsoever. ask alex. yes there will be more singles. all aimed at radio3. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Jenny Jarvie from Britain

I read in the NME that your new album features a song which attacks Tony Blair - and that it will be released three days before the election. I am writing a piece on political parties' growing reliance on celebrity backing and would very much appreciate your comments. I appreciate that you are all busy, but wonder if I can throw the following questions out: What is it New Labour that particularly frustrates you? How do you feel about the other main political parties? Will you vote? Young people are increasingly labelled as 'apathetic' and criticised for not voting. What do you think about this idea? Do you think it is irresponsible to vote for someone you don't believe in? Would you consider launching "You And Whose Army" as an official anti-election tune? Of course, please feel free to mention any aspect of contemporary politics you feel strongly about. Thanks very much, Jenny

never believe anything you read in the NME. that is a formal denial in case your wondering ,...dont waste your time reading etc.... much like never believe anything reeled out by Alistair "unelected" Campbell... this song is not a personal attack. but no i wont vote and havent votedfor a man willing to go along with son of star wars. its not exactly surprising that a large section of the population will not give a flying fuck about the election. everybody blames evryobody else. and new labour is happy to let filingdales be used in world war 3. they are not in touch and have blatantly betrayed all who supported them except those friendly business interests. we were involved in a campaign to encourage people to vote a few years ago in the uK. this was hijacked by labour. labour are good at highjacking and betraying. they attempted something rather similair with jubilee2000. frightening levels of paranoid bullshit. err oh dear. world war 3. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

I was wondering why Morning Bell appears on Amnesiac. I heard the new version and it sounds great, but why did you decide to include it on the album ?

because it came from such a different place from the other version. because we only found it again by accident after having forgotten about it. because it sounds like a recurring dream. it felt right. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: David Peschek from UK

Thom - I'm writing an introductory 'Mojo Rising' piece on Mark Mulcahy. He seemed very touched by your support in the past, and I was wondering if you could offer a few words as to why he's so fantastic, why he was inportant to you etc - there's a 'references' bit at the end of the piece for well-known fans to rave about the subject of the piece. It only need be, literally, a few words, but feel free to ramble on should the mood take you. Have you heard the new album, BTW? It's lovely. Thanks a lot, David.

When i was 15 the best song in the entire world and the most beautiful voice i had ever heard sang "all for the best" of Miracle Legions Surprise Surprise Surprise. it was the voice of someone who was only truly happy when he was singing. it affected me a great deal. the record never seemed to get anywhere, i had to go to London especially to get it. no-one seemed to know who they were but my brother & i played that record until it was completely unplayable. it changed the way i thought about songs and singing. thom

SUBMITTED BY: marylouise harding from UK

Your're know for beong stong advocates of the web in terms of using it to communicate and swap ideas and information with your fans (and the media!) and, with Kid A, using it to give people free access to your music. Do you forsee that you will eventually use the medium as your primary tool for distributing your music, in addition to ideas and information? What changes need to take place for that to happen both in terms of existing business relationships and technological environments?

its all going to morph into one media again isnt it? i dont understand how anyone will make a living necessarily, or maybe lots of people will make a small living, we have no idea how we shall deal with these changes, it still is a novelty for most of the people on this planet unless you live in north america. there is still this element of goldrush bullshit that seems to go with any discussion about the internet. the main thing is that you can copy anything digitally without anyloss of sound. (it makes you very paranoid about walking round town with maybe a Cd in your bag, or leaving it on the kitchen table when you go out.) but hopefully people trying to get somewhere wont have to expend so much time and energy dealing with idiot A&R men and crazy corporate shakeups, perhaps it will encourage the DIY thing again. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Michael Christian from Canada

Maybe the artifice of copywriting recordings is like copywriting textual pieces, but I find it difficult to understand. Public libraries are mostly free, and so you don't need to buy a book to take it home and read it to your kids. Some libraries even let you take out movies, records, tapes and CD's. My university library is great in that respect. But with digital content, there seems to be an intolerance in the commercial media industries for online public libraries of music and texts. It seems improbable that an Andrew Carnegie of this day and age would ever invest in making libraries again. Carnegie Libraries of digital content are considered lazy dreams. If mp3's had a public library, and we all had cards, would that change how threatened some people feel? It seems unlikely now. But Napster had an enormous effect on the popularity of Kid A, helping to build enthusiasm and community from little seeds of curiousity last summer and fall. Do you see mp3's still shaping Amnesiac's impact in any way? Can something like that ever occur again in the current climate, with the RIAA against Napster, or in the future? How does it make you feel with Amnesiac being released into this atmosphere?

The record industry is reaping its bad karma for repackaging music in a crap Cd format and destroyng vinyl, getting away with charging too much for too long, as well as buying the sources of distribution and trying to sow the whole thing up completely. the loosers for too long have been the listener, there have been some benefits in reissues and etc but the money the majors made out of it all merits the sprawling abuse of copyright that they will never completely be able to control over then net. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Radiohead fans tend to be extremely devoted to the band - they seem to connect with your music and ideals. What do you see as the major aspects of your music which people connect with so well?

to be really truthful i dont see it myself. when we play soemthing new we dont how people will react. if i show an idea to the rest of the band im terrified if they will respond or not. they are the same. it always amazes me how complex this remains. there was a time when we could make the correct moves and the required response. and that was the time when the shine started to fade.\ do people connect with our ideals? i dont know, surely encouraging people to make informed decisions is more useful? ignorance is the biggest problem isnt it? we are no purer than anyone else, no smarter. equally we are not little rag dolls you play with but say nothing and go back in the box when your finished with us. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Kid A was a total change of direction for the band. Was everyone committed to this new direction? How did Jonny feel about focussing more on keyboards than guitar?

I don't remember much time playing keyboards. It was more an obsession with sound, speakers, the whole artifice of recording. I see it like this: a voice into a microphone onto a tape, onto your CD, through your speakers is all as illusory and fake as any synthesizer - it doesn't put Thom in your front room - but one is perceived as 'real' the other, somehow 'unreal'. I'm straying from the point. What was the point ? Well, it's the same with guitars versus samplers. It was just freeing to discard the notion of accoustic sounds being truer. The inverted snobbery amongst some people even extends to keyboards. Mellotrons are 'truer' than Synths, apparently. But remember that hearing a band rehearse will never be the same coming from two speakers. That's fine. Of course, you want your music still to sound beatiful, or to somehow make you react. It's not about just spuring tradition, or rationalizing rubbish because it's 'different'. SO we'll still fill tapes with violins and guitars as much as anything else. Whatever sounds cool. Whatever isn't boring. Whatever is addictive.And ANYWAY There's nothing like a guitar for physically making music - like a drumkit for making rhythms - so I don't get bored playing the thing. I've been telling people, glibly, that there's so little guitar on the new stuff because there are only five Pixies albums, and there are other sounds out there. They hit at their instruments in striving to not be boring - whilst avoiding muso drudgery. Remember the advert The Pixies placed to get Kim Deal (the only applicant):"Band into Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary seeks bass player. No Chops."

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

You seem to be making a concerted effort to move away from the commercialisation of music - do you think this is possible, given that there is a tension between getting your music heard and becoming pawns in the music industry, especially since the industry is very much consumer driven?

i dont agree that we are making any concerted effort to move away from commercialisation. perhaps we are just choosing not to play the usual stupid games because at least for the time being we are in a position to do so because people still buy our records. the main corporate music industry is very conservative at the moment, sandbagging against the floods, but it is maintaining a complete stranglehold on good shit because it is totally uninterested in taking risks and has a cartel over formats and distribution. that ultimately will be its own funeral. i dont think the industry is consumer driven either. unless you are 10 yrs old that is. small labels are right to stay away from the large companies, their methods historically are those of any large corporate structure, we ended up inside the perimeter fence when the music business decided to stop having faith in new music and fatten itself off for the big merge. lucky us. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Alternative media seems to be a better way to access a wider range of info on sensitive global issues rather than through the media monopolies. Do you feel that alternative media outlets have a significant impact on the way we view the world today?

yes. it never ceases to amaze me how shit mainstream news has become. dismissing WTO and the iMF protesters as ignorant trouble makers or anarchists or some such bullshit will some day in the future look very daft. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

how effective do you think the current anti-globalisation protests - including anti-WTO and -WEF protests, are in in altering the way the large corporations and governments operate? Do you think community-based activism has a significant impact?

i dont think it is any way altering the way that large corporations operate because i think they are mostly stupid enough to still believe they can fob people off with expensive public relations. governments? i dont know in this country there are laws that may soon be passed making legitimate legal protest into terrorist activity, i wonder what 'the thief' will come up with in the US................ but this is all encouraging from the point of view that obviously they feel there to be a genuine threat out there. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Third World debt relief is a huge issue these days, with calls from Bono, Michael Stipe and yourselves to cancel all unpayable third world debt. Do you actually envisage this ever being achieved? Do you think the G8 will ever bow to the pressure to act on this?

yes. i think so. what it demands now is for the G8 to admit the reason they are holding on to indirect debts through the IMF/WOrld Bank et all is because they are still rather fond of the political and economic influence the has afforded them. consiquently the indebted countries should use their political weight to resist such influence, they should form their own union against such blatant bully tactics. it is bullshit to say the west cannot afford debt cancellation and they know it. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Brooke McIntosh from Kansas City

i just wanted to say that your music is like a 7th grader who plays with science. no forumulas, just a mess. and that's a good thing. it's like those drawings that 5th grade boys make of spaceships or cars from the future. there's so many parts and labels and detail it's interesting to look at, but it's so unreal. it's fucking wonderful you it's like listening to a kid sing to himself when he thinks no one is listening. okay do you feel grown up, like adults? i don't want to sound like an ass, i don't think your music sounds juvenile at all, but definately not um adult i guess. i dont' know. nevermind, just wanted you to know your music makes me feel happy. makes me want to grab some crayons.

ha ha you should see our studio. or our new drawings and paintings. or jonny infront of his huge patchbay. or colin staring at the screen for hours on end. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Sean Wong from Hong Kong

Tell us something about your forthcoming album.

i read that the gnostics believe when we are born we are forced to forget where we have come from in order to deal with the trauma of arriving in this life. i thought this was really fascinating. its like the river of forgetfulness. it may have been recorded at same time as `Kid a but it comes from a different place i think. i used to listen to it on my laptop on tour supposedly trying to find a running order but really becuase i was so happy to have soemhting we had done that nobody else had heard and was our secret. it sounds like finding an old chest in someones attic with all these notes and maps and drawings and descriptions of going to a place you cannot remember. thats what i think anyway tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Kwok from Hong Kong

Which of your songs are you least satisfied with?

the unfinished ones without words. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Koen Kwan from Hing Kong

If you could only bring 1 and only 1 CD to the moon (with your discman, of course!), what would it be?

if you listen to any piece of music long enough it will drive you insane. therefor it would have to be a programmed DVD that would create randomnly.

SUBMITTED BY: HSNNHAL HSNNHAL from Hong Kong

Many artists have been involved in making music for movies, like Bono for "Million Dollar Hotel", Bjork "Dancer in the Dark"....... Have you ever thought of producing a movie and the music to it? Any other parts of the movie production process you're interested in?

I've just got back from Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival was held. I saw Jamie Thrave's " the low down ", and also Jonathan Glazer's " Sexy Beast ", ( en route, not at the festival ). I went to see " Scratch ", about turntablism, but they gave our tickets away! So it was frustrating to see film because of the demand and small seating numbers. So I spent most of the days learning how to snowboard, which involved falling on my arse alot...The good stuff that came out was meeting film makers and music supervisors ( they put film makers and musicians together in a matchmaking kind of way), and letting people know we were interested in cool projects. It's such a time consuming and completely different field that I don't think we'd ever do anything in the ' production ' thing...but it's true that a screenwriter often has the soundtrack in their head when they write a cool movie, like Anderson's ( i think ) " Magnolia ", and if we were in their head and we liked the idea, then that would be great. What we hated was being tacked on to some soundtrack to an ' action ' movie that would include, say, the Cardigans (no disrepect ), or whoever would appeal to a middle america demographic to sell cds and bums on seats. I know Jonny is interested in doing some scoring, but again the time commitment is a big deal, so maybe a strong short would be a good first experience. Ed thought that it would be interesting having to work to someone else's vision - the director - since we've never done that, and that could be an interesting discipline. Or maybe a nightmare!

SUBMITTED BY: Old Wife from Rocklands

The arts have always expressed the salt-of-the-earth's version of life, the universe, everything and nothing... do you feel radiohead's simplicity is over-scrutinsed as being some kind of sinister, political marketing plan and any plans to do a u turn (musically, in the media) in the future to make life easier for yourselves in the public eye? (p.s. personally hope not, i like you evolving and like being continually surprised but musicians have been worn down in the past...) ARTS NOT ARMS!

if it was so well thought out and planned it would be shite and none of us would have bothered. i would love to make my life easier in the public eye, maybe then i would nt get these pains in my stomach and be short of breath and wake in the middle of the night with these fucked up thoughts going through my head. and maybe evrybody gets worn down in the end. amd there is nothing the british like better than sticking the knife in. its infectious. we all have it. proffesional lifestyle opinion demographic tail chasing bullshit. tchocky:)

SUBMITTED BY: Trevor Cochrane from ?

Included in the DVD for the Movie "Fight Club, there is a comentary made by Edward Nortan that is played along with the movie and he mentions how Brad Pitt and himself are big fans Radiohead and how they were hoping that they would do the soundtrack for the movie. I was wondering why Radiohead turned down the opportunity (although I am quite sure you were probably really buisy). I was also wondering if scoring film soundtracks is something Radiohead wants to do in the future. Is it not an eciting idea? Or are you guys just waiting for the right movie to come along. What are your thoughts? Thanks Trevor Cochrane

Jonnys big into the idea. I didnt understand how yuo did it till i i went to a flashy studio in london and realised that you just there watching Tv playing along. which is sort of interesting, i tend to do that anyway.it would be nice to co-ordinate something that wasnt necessarily a set of songs, for me however i worry that this will be like trying to hold water. everytime i think abou it i see a large neon sign that says "lost it". however i am getting used to seeing that sign nowadays so maybe thats okay. personall yi d like to learn to read music first. yes i suppoise we are waiting for the right idea, which is why colin and ed have gone to the sundance festival to join the hollywood jetset haw haw any excuse. tchocky(son of star wars) one of these days id like to make the film after doing the sound track, would that mean its a video... err oh.

SUBMITTED BY: Martin Aston from United Kingdom

This is to follow up Mojo man Andrew Male's query about prog-rock favourites; would any Radiohead member like to provide comments for a feature I'm writing for the same Mojo issue; do 'prog-rock' values still hold their ground in the contemporary era? What is it about prog-rock that still appeals, despite it being widely treated as a genre for losers, geeks, whathaveyou? I'd really appreciate some feedback from a band with their feet so firmly rooted in 2001, yet with some connectivity to the prog spirit. Thanks

prog rock is sad. and krautrock is not prog rock is more punk. queen were not prog rock. the were camp and not serious or shite enough. pink floyd moved to slow to be prog rock. certain areas of electronica smell of prog occasionally, i try not to notice. those who thought prog rock was like jazz are deluded. i dont know what prog rock is. never did. just because you change time signature a couple of times doesnt mean you is singing abou the fairies in the woods does it? were genesis prog rock? when peter gabriel put a flower round his head and kicked a bass drum was that prog? i have no connectivity with anything prog whatsoever except maybethat last bit about the flower and the kick drum and peter gabriel. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Laurence Boisnard from France

Though on some songs of Kid A, you "hided" the voice among the instruments like on Kid A (the song) for instance, on other songs, like "How to disapear completely", the voice is the spin of the song. Do you find a pleasure, even a physical one, to sing ?

i go through phases of hating my voice. i was interested in not having to rely on it to convey what was needed. its my instrument, and i got bored with singing softly or high or all the usual tricks, i didnt get off on that anymore. after being on tour yes i actually started to physically enjoy making my noise again, to understand where i used to come from you know? i suppose its all wrapped up in other issues.. but.. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

since the dawn of time, you've always had the "5 blokes in a room, bash out a song live, put it on tape and leave" approach available to you. but (i hope?) most people have realised kid a's successfully taken you somewhere more interesting than that. you're notorious for having loads of versions of tracks and now you're not forced to capture just the live version on record - however for your live shows, youve still got to find that translation that blasts out powerfully enough to get across to 10,000 people in a big tent. while that's all valid and good fun - have there been any thoughts on *other* ways of presenting your latest tracks live (obviously you can release alternate versions on record). what about DAT or powerbook gigs - maybe remix/dj sets... i suppose the closest 'rock analogy' is an 'acoustic' set. could be a waste of time, could end up like a hideously wanky sonic youthy sideproject, but with enough care it might just work...

we talk about this a lot but still enjoy hitting stuff more than moving a mouse. but its a bastard trying to justice to kid a obviously. not sure. it aint much fun trying to keep up with a machine, especially when it always seem slow and dull. son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Barnes Anthony from UK

I'd like to find out a bit more about your collaboration with Humphrey Lyttelton. On the face of it, it seems like an unlikely link-up. How did you get together, how did the session go? Many thanks.

jonny should answer this one...

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Male from Britain

My question is for Jonny. At the moment MOJO are compiling a prog issue with features on King Crimson, Genesis, ELP, etc. Given that you're supposed to be something of a prog fan I was wondering whether you'd be up for speaking to us about your fave act. If, on the other hand, this is yet another example of twisted disinformation, my apologies. However, if any of the band have something close to their heart that they would like to speak to us about, drop us a line. Cheers, Andrew Male Features Editor MOJO

alright andrew? I'll tell jonny when he gets back from holiday this week....lovely to see you last week-end. drop us a line if there's any cool music on in the city... cheers colin.

SUBMITTED BY: Hidekazu Hori from Japan

The sounds of album "Kid A" differs alot from the sounds of album "OK Computer". Was there any specific event or clue which led you to go different direction?

Ok Computer was mostly recorded live, after a lot of rehearsals and touring. Kid A was our first attempt at working on sounds and songs from sounds in the studio. We wanted to understand more about some of the modern ways of making music, such as samplers and sound modules. Also we were interested in recreating fresh sounds using old analogue synths and drum machines which had in turn been sampled and put into boxes. We still love to play live; it's just that we needed to find some more colours to play with. Also, we're not ' players', so the machines are beguiling because they're constructed for duffers such as us.

SUBMITTED BY: Chris Salmon from UK

What's your favourite London music venue? And why? Thanks very much. ps - I sent you the sleeve of my copy of 'Anyone Can Play Guitar' way back in '93, hoping that you'd autograph it. Any chance I could have it back now?!

I'm sorry about your Anyone sleeve....I'll see if we have one in the office....oooops. Maybe we thought you were just sending it back. I like the old Town and Country in Kentish Town, I think.

SUBMITTED BY: bethan cole from UK

what are the advantages/disadvantages of having almost zero prescence as celebrity 'personalities' Does reclusiveness ultimately serve to augment fame and myth? Do you really have to ever fight to stop yourselves being turned into celebrity/brand/object rock stars? Do you think the whole culture of empty celebrity in Britain will continue to dominate the media or will it implode? (Sorry this is more than one question - I'm writing a celebrating people with that curious combination of immense fame and utterly minimal public prescence)

Its all very interesting isnt it?

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

My father is a conservative Republican. He often criticized the idealism of bands I listened to growing up, saying things like, "Since when does a rock band feel it’s necessary to change the world and tell my son what to think?" Can a rock band change the world? Are you a rock band and are you trying to change the world?

"Since when does the Bush family feel fully qualified to run the world?"

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

You’ve cited Talking Heads’ Remain In Light as having a major influence on the making of Kid A. If you believe what you read, it sounds like the reaction to OK Computer had a bigger influence. What was it about Remain In Light that inspired the band?

its a record i can dance to. no-one is humbly strumming a guitar and where. the words speak to me about my life. its about rhythm. the words are amazing. its all improvised. it was composed using the mixing desk bringing things in and out. there are no loops but its all loops. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

A lot of musicians are envious of your present position. A friend once told me, "Thom Yorke could burp ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and Capitol would release it as a single." Do you feel like you’ve achieved a certain freedom that other artists don’t have?

any freedoms we have as a band have been paid for as much as any other band who've been touring America and visiting radio stations since we first went over in 1993...Have you heard " gastroenteritis/peristalsis " on HOT Air records...it's a truly windy record which the New York Observer rated as one of its picks of the year...I like that very much. Thom can't drink fizzy water on stage incase he burps down the microphone, you see.

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

I am an ugly journalist and you don’t want to see my face. Email interviews offer you the opportunity to maintain your appetite, and still be able to "talk" to fans and writers about your music. Does the Internet provide an illusion of community, like you’ve had your fan club over for some tea, or do you feel that it’s a legitimate way to get closer to the people that admire your music?

I think that the web is reflective of its users; it can be a good way of linking interest groups across the world; but then it could also be just another way of saying we can target a demographic and sell to it. I like face to face interviews with journalists because I know some sub will tidy me up and make me articulate. Isn't ' an illusion of community ' already enough to make you feel right at home? We spend all our time on our own in a studio stuck in the middle of nowhere, so doesn't doing web broadcasts to people out there on their own with a computer mean we already have some things in common? I think it's good to have this contact, but only as part of it; you need the face to face with Mr Nick Kent or Mr Reynolds , if they're interested, otherwise we'd be control freaks and very very dull

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

I once met Colin at The Academy in New York City years ago (Pablo Honey?), when Radiohead opened for PJ Harvey. My friend asked him how his hair got so silky. Colin grinned and said, "Wash and go. Wash and go." I no longer hang out with my friend, but Colin seemed like a funny guy. Radiohead are funny guys? Do people take you too seriously?

I'm sorry; I think I was being a bit rude about your personal hygeine and the need for you to go away and do something about it...

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

Since the release of OK Computer you’ve been carefully orchestrating a "low-profile." Instead of throwing fans and critics off your scent, you’ve created a sort of hunting season between records—people have strapped on the binoculars and gone looking for you. Is it harder to live up to a "mystique" than just the normal expectations of being "the greatest band in the world"?

errrr? there was no careful orchestration. it was a knee jerk reaction. to an impossible situation. humm. it was necessary to go away and glue back the pieces. in a way in order to survive we had to stop being answerable. being as it usually only lasts a week and then the words stop kind of relating to anything. also we just didnt pass the "film premier test." we dont look good in tuxedos as the orchestra at the ball. does this help? tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

You’ve referred to Kid A as being a fairly unemotional record. But the sparseness of the vocals, the detachment expressed in the few actual words, the long spaces of instrumental flourishes, and even the icy jagged mountain peaks depicted on the album’s artwork amount to the most naked and expressive work the band has done so far. In a world full of mass communication and digital clutter, have you found that a regression towards thoughtful silence speaks louder than the dramatic baritone couplets belted out by, say, that Viking/singer in Creed?

((i dont know Creed. who they?)) the emotionss perhaps are not self centered, i spent a lot of time watching horror on TV instead, wanting to change the channel but not doing. i spent a lot of time watching peoples faces in the street. also i found it extremely difficult not to tear up most of the words i wrote immediately. this obviously had an effect. the silence was not thoughtful, it was because i could nt s[peak. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

In the liner notes for Kid A, you list "selected examples of ice melt around the world." Someone once said that dinosaurs became extinct because their bodies were overdeveloped and that man will become extinct because their minds are overdeveloped. What do you think will eventually do us in? Can we reverse the trends of our own demise, or were we just not built to last? Have our minds fooled us into thinking of things like eternity?

what do you think will eventually do us in? greed? lack of hope? i think were not so stupid. however i need to make as much money as i can so i can sail to the moon just in case:) tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

There’s a lyric from "Seen And Not Seen" on Remain In Light… "They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them...They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse...Some may have gotten half-way there, and then changed their minds." Are you happy with what Radiohead has become, or are you still changing your mind on what your "ideal appearance" is? Are you happy with what the perception of Radiohead is, real or otherwise?

exactly. i had that exact thing. i was so frightened i didnot know who iwas. how had this happened. n o recollection how i got here, like driving at night. am i happy with the perception, i find it difficult to give a fuck this is healthy i hope. son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

Right now, the most popular phrase in music journalism seems to be "the next Radiohead." Before that, it was "the next Nirvana," and before that, "the next R.E.M." Those three bands don’t sound anything alike, so "the next Radiohead" will most likely not sound like Radiohead. What present music excites you? Who would you gladly get up and dust off the throne for? Do you feel like you’re even in a throne?

i hope we buggered off quick enough to not end up sitting on any throne. what sane person would want to be president anyway? son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Atsuko Hiramatsu from JAPAN

1.Nowadays, most of the things can be done through internet without middleman. Have you thought about establishing your own record label on your website? 2.Some of Radiohead members often join the other artists' recordings. However it seems that you rarely invite any other artists to your own recordings. Do you have any artists who you would like to collaborate with in the future?

1. yes 2. yes chocky

SUBMITTED BY: Yoshito Hirai from Japan

1.Ed has once said that during making KID A, five members of Radiohead have worked together not as a band but as a production team. Then, how did you feel to be a band again for a tour from a production team for recording after you have finished KID A? 2.In JAPAN, fortune telling by animals (each person has destined animal such as bear or Pegasus et'c which can be told from your birthday) is in fashion. If RADIOHEAD are animals, what animal each member would be?

1.im not sure about this production team thing.. it sounds very grand. going on tour againm made me realize the cool things that happen when we rehearse(duhh!..) 2.animal fortune telling err we are all nice fluffy animals. pets that you could take home to your mum.

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

Considering the fact that you chose not to release any singles from "Kid A" and the publication of any singles from "Amnesiac" is as yet unconfirmed, I'd be interested in your general attitude towards singles in general. Of course, "milking" albums for singles seems too commercial to conform with any intent to remain (artistically) credible; still, don't you view a single, accompanied by well crafted b-sides, poignant artwork and a challenging video, as a small piece of art in its own right?

we all felt pretty sad that there wasnt any singles on the radio in a way for kid A in retropect. it meant the only judgement of our music was being made too much by critics opinions, which was ok and everything but there is nothing like the excitement of hearing on the radio. the reason that we didnt have any singles was nothing to do with artistic credibilty, thats just yah yah. it was just the stress of getting into that area at the time was too much, and perhaps too misrepresentitive. there didnt seem any point in trying to get in a singles chart with the likes of well... you have to remember that coming back into the lions den was not easy, especially for me personally. it meant bringing back ghosts that made me shut down in the first place. so a lot of the decisions we made and what we chose to do was to avoid the normal giant cogs turning and crushing. with the next one we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photoshoots, childrens television appearances, film premier appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence. ofcourse yes i agree that a well crafted piece of artwork could stand up in its own right obviously, if its good enough etc..... we actually made half an hours worth of short films (not all of them 30 seconds)with shynola, chris bran and stanley which we were very proud of(as well as loads of wierd live footage), the best pieces of video that we had ever made. they didnot however fit the format, which is bullshit. it makes me very sad to think that no-one is ever going to see the most beautiful piece of film that was ever made for our music which was actually a full length video for motion picture soundtrack which has me in tears every single time i watch it. or the digitized feucked up version of idioteque live that chris did, or the incredibly daft sperm monsters jumping into a pool of blood that went with kid a. it amazes me that choosing not to follow

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

What do you think about the fact that your last album is so excessively overestimated? Is it that radiohead has got such a cult-status that the media are perpetuating their own hype-spiral? are you reflecting things like that or are you convinced that your album is that great or that other's albums are that bad? I know it's a bit naughty - sorry - and maybe my questions are missing the point.

as soon as you finish a record you no longer know what you think about it. it is no longer you r property. all you can do is help along the way and defend it and do it justice because it took a lot of effort and struggle and stress and upset at the time, took everything you had in you. by the time we finished kid a we felt it was a minor miracle that we had made it at all. so that is what i remind myself of. it is nothing to do with competition, that shit makes you ill and is bad for music.

SUBMITTED BY: Scott 'Pip H from Canada

Dear Radiohead, you guys seem to take quite a political role , and you guys do what you can to speak out. (i.e Tibet freedom concert... the whole let Ralph Nader debate... jubilee2000 and drop the debt, etc.), so are there any specific Radiohead songs that have political messages in them? If so, what are they, and what are they about?

I find it difficult not to be influenced by powerful issues. Politics is not something that happens over there while we watch over here. I think much of what is confined to the definition of political debate is empty meaningless cowboys and indians. for example who realistically expected politicians to come up with a solution to global warming when they seem happily blatent in their cowtowing to industrial and corporate power even while the people who voted them in are drowning and being washed away in permanent and escalating climate change? I dont think we are political in the sense you mean. Im concerned about our future. Im concerned about economics being the word of GOD. is that politics? politics is about being voted back in. about being popular. what use is that? I claim freedom of speech. the right to put in what i like to our songs. whatever. anyone fancy a pint? tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

How do you prepare for a live show? Do you have any pre- or post-show rituals? Anything you are superstitious about?

Personally i lie on the floor for about half an hour and let the dust settle. I try to make my world as empty as possible. We have no rituals before playing. We are usually too scared. On the last tour my only rituals were having to take pain killers and honey and lemon and do throat and back exercises because i was ill for most of the tour. Interesting. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Trevor Baker from UK

It was reported in the national press on Saturday that "Britain will not take another penny in debt repayments from the world's poorest countries" - do you think this is true? are the conditions that the countries have had to accept to get debt relief reasonable? Will Gordon Brown go down in history for this as Bob Geldof argued? What do you think of the concept of "debt forgiveness"? This is for a news story on Jubilee 2000. Thanks a lot Trevor melody maker

http://www.dropthedebt.org/zambia.html It turns out that although the G7 has effectively cancelled its debts, which is great and everything and Gordon is wonderful and everything, that some countries will end up paying MORE thAN they were before. why? because those grey haired buffoons in the World Bank and IMF who also have billions owed to them by the same poor countries are insisting that their remaining debts absolutely MUST be paid. Its is bloody complicated and you have to be a qualified economist to understand what the f**k it all means. The way i look at it the IMF and WB are the CIRCUMLOCUTION OFFICE as Dickens called it. They are there to hide the will of their majority shareholders ie the G7. the will of the G7 is to keep in place debts for political and economic reasons, to maintain trade tariffs against these countries to ensure that they cannot develop any other way than that stipulated by the West. This is still a crime against humanity. Its all really rather convenient if you are in the business of PR and can claim as Gordons buddies are doing that Britain will never take another penny. Also in light of recent protests in London and Prague. Meanwhile instances like Zambias current case(see link) will keep occurring but it is all becoming far too confusing to follow. Great innit? thom

SUBMITTED BY: Andy Greenwald from USA

As many publications/media have done, Spin magazine and Spin.com -- the online, mostly- independent-editorally arm of the magazine -- have named "Kid A" as one of the 10 best records of the year. In order to make our list more representative of the artists, Spin.com is pairing each "critical" write-up of a chosen album with some sort of response from the artist in question. To that end, any answers/responses to the below question from any member of the band would be much appreciated. Thanks very much in advance. Your album -- like past Radiohead albums -- is a fixture on critic's "best-of" lists. What, if anything, do such accolades mean to the band? How does it make you feel individually and as a band? What is your "response" to people who say that "Kid A" is one of the best albums of the year? Was the reaction to the record's release a surprise? Has it changed or colored your own opinion of the record, or does time do that on its own? Finally, what are some of your own favorite albums of the year?

thankyou for the kind words, you creep.. of course flattery will get you everywhere....very happy that some people get it because it would appear that alot of brit journos didn't....good albums? 'bow down to the exit sign' - david holmes.......'felt mountain' - goldfrapp for starters......ejob

SUBMITTED BY: mani from england

have you seen http://www.percythechicken.com/ ? famous people don't seem to go to it =(

highly impressed with percy the chicken and the logic involved......next record - percy's progress...ejob

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

As a band, where would you place your artistic climax? Before now, currently, near or far in the future?

You'll be able to tell, as we'll end fairly shortly after that point. Mortgage pending of course.PJS

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

Question from a fanclub member : This is the first time since you were hailed rock saviours that there seems to have been noticeable media and industry 'backlash' against radiohead. kid a wasn't the critics' ok computer. Are you breathing a sigh of relief?

yes. we are moving targets. sometimes hit.

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question from a fanclub member : One of the main ideas driving your work is constant evolution. this is more than evident through all of your albums. seeing and hearing live sets since Kid A,though, has brought a question to mind. there was debate about the song motion picture soundtrack, and how so many fans were disillusioned by the final product, claiming that it took away from the original rawness and power of the song. do you ever see yourselves taking an already 'finished' song and either stripping it bare, or perhaps with older material, updating a song to what it would be if you'd written it now?

evrybody has an opinion. raw? ha! i think its better disney style. bluebirds on my shoulder. fireworks and fairies.

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question from a fanclub member : Seeing as to how you seem to have a very anti-capitalistic view of the world, how do you feel about the fact that people have sold tickets for your recent show at the Greek Theatre for over $500, each?

first define anti- capitalist. in order to avoid people selling their tickets for stupid money we would have had to A. not played at all. or B. played lots of shows, or larger shows. were we the ones selling those tickets for 500? no. are we the ones respnosible for the fall of mankind when adam and eve bit the apple. hmm. no.

SUBMITTED BY: Nathaniel Cramp from UK

Is it difficult being part of a major corporation when you despise corporations? What does the Radiohead 'brand' represent?

yes it is. it would be a lot harder though if we didnt sell any records. as it is we are left alone. the radiohead brand? errr. oh shit. im a hypocrit. :)

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

how much loyalty can you retain to a record that has been gathering dust on a shelf since spring? how easy is it to, right now, slap a big grin on your face and spout bollocks about something which happened a long time ago? isnt that constant dragging back in time really weird?

It was the same with OK Computer and the Bends...you have to trust your former 6-month-ago self that liked and was excited about it as a new thing. Talking about it does feel pointless, and 6 months late. Hence the web stuff when we were recording - although of course noone had heard it then, so..... yes, wierd. JG

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

many bands dont have any interaction with fans and the extent to which you interact, what with the messageboard and webcasts etc, is rare amongst popular bands.do you find that interaction with fans is a big part of what being in a band is about? or is it just making music to make yourselves happy?

really? i dont think we interact enough. the website is very direct i suppose. but then a lot of the time we cant be arsed to update things. letters are also direct... tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You're using more prerecorded material live these days than you seem to have before (e.g. the rhythm track on "Idioteque," the harp on "MPS"). How do you decide when to try to translate the ideas from an edited/sequenced/ProTools-ed recording into something you can play with hands and instruments, and when to use the elements from the recording directly?

we never use anything pre re corded. its off a sequencer. its pre pro grammed but then jonny pullls the wires out and flicks switches. how do we decide? i dontknow its all new at the moment to us. tchcok

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

A lot of your songs change pretty drastically in their early performances (and thanks to fan sites' MP3s, we can follow every variation...!), and then settle down into a particular arrangement. At what point does the way you play songs live feel "set"? Does it matter to you that there are multiple rough drafts floating around?

it doesnt matter at all. i always get woirried when a song gets set in a certain way. because to me that can just end up being habit forming, you loose where its coming from and you get bored. so much so that we used to tape evryhing we played and listen to it and analyse it make sure we hadnt missed anything. then remembered actually the good stuff sticks.

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You've mentioned Can, Warp Records and "Remain In Light" as reference points for the new recordings. Are there any similar reference points for the way you try to perform live these days?

Never seen footage of Can, and photos look uncomfortably like The Young Ones, only with four Neils. In some self-deluding moments I imagine I'm Berbie Worell (sp?) in Stop Making Sense (the Talking Heads film by jonathan Demme), playing all the modulating keyboards. JG

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You've mentioned Can, Warp Records and "Remain In Light" as reference points for the new recordings. Are there any similar reference points for the way you try to perform live these days?

Never seen footage of Can, and photos look uncomfortably like The Young Ones, only with four Neils. In some self-deluding moments I imagine I'm Berbie Worell (sp?) in Stop Making Sense (the Talking Heads film by jonathan Demme), playing all the modulating keyboards. (BERNIE rather, curse my typinggg) JG

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

Is it strange to still be performing a lot of older songs, from when your working methods (and, maybe, aesthetics) were very different? Thom: you've said that you in particular have an admiration/revulsion thing going on with the "OK Computer" material--would you wash your hands of it altogether, or at least stop performing it, if you could? (And if you would, why can't you?) How does its meaning change for you from performing it on stage a zillion times?

i think its basically unhealthy to disown music that you've done in the past. so long as your not attatched to it and realise it comes from where you were then its okay, and that now you have moved on elsewhere. playing a song in a concert in front of people is a way of reclaiming it back. if we could not play any of our old stuff i dont think we would, simply it fucks with the flow of writing and making music to try too hard to distance yourself from certain things you do. but then crowd pleasing doesnt exactly coem natural to us so. sometimes when you play it doesnt mean anything, sometimes you remember something in it that you thought forgot, which is great. in a way its whatever the audience give back to you. thats what a lot of words that said not much.

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

There's been a sort of split between studio-based music and performance-based music that's grown much wider over the last, oh, 10 years or so; you're one of the few bands that's worked extensively on both sides of the divide. How do you deal with the challenge of making something work and be interesting in both contexts? You've got a lot of not-yet-officially-released songs that you play in concert a lot; are there any that you especially like playing live but that you haven't been able to record to your satisfaction? (If there are: why do you think that is?)

if you got to th unofficial sites youll see there are liosts of songs that have never made it right to tape. were trying to work fromt the basis that it doesnt matter how it is done technically in the studio, that is one work space, and playing it infront of people is another. its a case of rewriting things. some of it works some of it doesnt. the most important thing is not feeling in any way restri cted. sometimes what sounds good live cannot be translated like that. it sounds dull and lifeless. but so what? its in a different place. we try hard not to have a problem with it. missing songs find their way back eventually. tchocky (keen arent i?)

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

What is the best remedy you've come across for times of drought with songwriting?

notebooks. it means building up ammunition. most of the time you are waiting. most of the time you dont know when somethin g is good even when your doing it. its only when you pick it up later than you understand it. lack of confidence is the main problem for me. this is my only way to get round it. that and the others and their reactions. i suppose i am talking about words here. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question of one of our members : Radiohead has always been in close touch with their fans -- via WASTE, doing impromptu webcasts, and popping in on the message board. How do you see using the available internet and wireless technology to further this? Ed once spoke of subscriptions -- downloading songs every month. Is this likely to happen? As a fan, I would greatly appreciate the ability to see/hear/buy Radiohead products without going through a middleman who decides what to show and what to hide.

thats right. cut out the middleman. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Street from Australia

It seems as though Radiohead have developed from being a very individual song based band on 'Pablo Honey' to creating albums that are less a collection of songs and more a piece in themselves. Having said that, was there any sensewithin the band of reacting against expectations from 'OK Computer' and making Kid A an almost stand-alone symphonic work (with no singles, designed to be heard as a piece), or is it a natural reflection of the organic evolution of the Radiohead sound? Where do you buy your pants? How does the band respond to the charge of being a bunch of Muse copyists, especially since you were devious enough to steal all of Muse's ideas a good five years before they had the chance to use them?

awww shucks we beeen rumbled. awll fur coat and no knickers! tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

As musicians you have visited probably every country in the world. If not in a band, would you still travel or prefer to stay in England?

airoplanes are a dumb invention. we should be using those russian planes that go across water, much safer and use less fuel. then maybe travelling would be fun. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Vanessa Martins from Australia

Jonny once said that Radiohead make music for what they believe their fans to be like - is this the case with Kid A or is Kid A a lot deeper and more personal than that? Songs like 'Motion Picture Soundtrack' and 'True Love Waits' show a romantic, dare I say 'lovey dovey' side of Radiohead (also hinted at in earlier songs like 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Exit Music (For A Film)'. Is this the result of age and maturity and perhaps some of Phil's paternal instincts rubbing off? Following the near break up of the band during the recording of Kid A, do you think Radiohead still have a long road ahead of them? What are your views on Napster , especially considering that Kid A has been available on it for some time before it's release? Will we ever see the likes of a Radiohead B-sides album? Radiohead, amongst other artists, are keen supporters for different benefits and causes. I think it's a great thing for artists to support these causes as I know a lot of people who have been touched by the words of their fave artists and now also support these causes. Do you think that supporting such causes is an unwritten law and part of the job of being an artist? Is it perhaps even more important than the music you create? What's the one thing in the world you can't live without?

shurely ther is mor than one quesiotn here? im gonna take one of them. supporting causes is expressing yourself as you believe miuch like everybody is fr4ee too do. if i feel strongly about somit i am not going to keep my mouth shut for feaar of stepping out opf line or somthing. you know me i love all that shit. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Stu McCarney from Australia

What sex is Kid A?

Hermaphrodite. sex is no longer necessary:) thom

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Weaver from Australia

How difficult is it to play the material on Kid A live, considering how experimental and technology based it sounds? The general consensue is that Kid A is an incredibly dense record - do you think that's a fair summation? What inspired such structures to come into place? Where do you stand on the whole Napster debate, especially considering that a finished copy of Kid A seems to have been provided to the mp3 sharing software courtesy of somebody in the media? Everyone expects you to "save alternative rock" (yawn!) - do you think that's an unfair expectation? Kid A seems to be anything but an 'alternative rock' album - is it a deliberate attempt to confound fans' expectations?

consensue?! 1st question...play live one of the best things about going out and having to learn to play music that was written in the studio using editing and sampling and sequncers is the way it makes you think about how you play differently. its really exciting to go back into the studio now feeling confident again having learnt different stuff. 2nd .. dense record? it doesnt feel like that to me. it feels warm. its a winter record. 3rd.. such structures... err i dont think the structures are that complicated. perhaps nowadays we look more to Can and electronica etc to work out how to stucture stuff. tape edits etc not necessarily always verse chorus nanana. also Remain in Light by Talking Heads was our big record while we did Kid A, massive reference point. alternative rock needs bludgeoning to death on a big stick and left on a bridge to warn passers-by. The Napster thing is the karma coming back at the majors flogging us endless failed formats and extortionate cd reissues over the last ten years. love thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

For many people, buying music is as important as buying food. What do you think of record collectors?

i think to be a record collector has been pretty hard recently as the virgins and hmvs and towers stroll over the earth crushing all other access in their path. controlled access and racking bribery in major stores makes choice something of an illusion. like buying food, if you go into a supermarket then you can only consume what the buyers have chosen for you, what they can make the most profit from. the illusion of choice.

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

What interested you most during your study at Exeter University?

how i was gonna keep myself in cigarettes, beer and records. my bank manager interested me greatly. i also liked to laugh at young conservatives. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

Did your proposal for unsigned bands to send demos to the Radiohead website bring any interesting results?

it brought boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of tapes and cds. for Ed. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

Do you select the bands to open for you?

yes we do. sigur ros sent us a demo and i got a cd after hearing them on jon Peel. thats also how we got to know Clinic. record companies sent us cds of bands that sound like us hoping for support, but that doesnt really float our boats much.

SUBMITTED BY: minxy mcnaughty from Rocklands

any plans to exhibit radiohead visuals (art, blips etc)?

any plans to exhibit? i dont think so. it feels uncomfortable to be in a big white room with these images. they are born out of chaos and thaTS where they should stay.

SUBMITTED BY: Matthew Cand from England

Hiya, Question for Colin Greenwood: given your professed diverse musical tastes, from German electronic music to David Bowie, how do you go about composing your basslines? Do you try to fit all those influences or just go with your instinct?

I suppose the biggest influences are the melodies from thom's songs and the rhythms that phil matches them with. Then it's just a case of tagging along for a bit with the bass, until it's time to stop. I also like how the bass drops on hip hop records like ghost dog by rza and how repetitive hooks are used and cut up on those kind of records. I like it when the bass stays the same with everything else, or everything else changes around it. But it's just about what' s already there in the music - you can usually hear the bass line before you go anywhere near the bass.

SUBMITTED BY: Andy Pisanu from England

Hi, I would love to know what Thom and the boys plan to do with "Big Ideas", if anything. It doesn't take a genius to identify the song as one of the greatest ever written. Thankyou.

I think you'd get a different answer from each person....I loved the one from New York that we did at radio city music hall about six years ago. I like the al green shuffle to it, that chamber soul intimacy to the beautiful melody, all that rising and falling through the song. I hope we do record it. Thom does play it when something breaks on stage; very fine, better than party ballon animals.

SUBMITTED BY: Julian Marshall from England

How are your plans coming along for playing that improvised dance event with Sigur Ros and Merce Cunningham? What can we expect?

aaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHHHHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. we are in denial. fine. really. fine. not telling you what to expect.not because we dont know. because we do. really we do. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

Is 2+2=5 influenced by Thom's reading Camus's The Plague by any chance? Any other literary selections that may have influenced the material on Hail to the Thief? Thanks, George Peterman

childrens books? maisy. chicken licken. dr seuss. err. very literary me thom

SUBMITTED BY: Ken Okumura from UK

Where do you see yourself going from here? As a band you seem to have been enjoying the last 3 years a lot more - short bursts of touring and a lot of time to relax and lay down material in the studio. Are you planning on sticking to that?

i think we r planning on sticking to nothing. no routine. its completely open. which is very scary. we ar e refusing to make any plans. i find it difficult to see what we should do next. time is definetly important. time away from the whole machinery that we seem to have built up around us. then we shall see. hopefully it iwll become obvious once the dust settles. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

For Thom: You've said that you've avoided sitting on a song for too long during the recording process because after a while you start hating it. How do you keep the songs you did record, alive, every night on tour without starting to hate them? Why have you started flashing the word forever across the back of the stage at the end of the concert...? For Phil: Is it hard to sing and drum at the same time? Jason Schupper, New York

its a bit better now because we have alot of stuff to choose from. we can sort of get away with dropping most things when we do get bored with thm.its funny how some songs come back into focus after years nt understanding where they came from. Forever? Andy our lighting director wanted to stream messages at the end. he asked me the day before glastonbury what we would like to stream at glastonbury. i has a list of all the words that stanley had used on the paintings and forever just kept coming up. and it seemed to say how i felt that night, so nervous again, thinking about glastonbury. and so far it has stuck. it looks beautiful in the colours andy chooses. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Latinamerican fans from Argentina

When we announced on our website that fans could e-mail us their questions for you, it took them a couple of days to actually start sending them and when they did, the first 15 questions pivoted around the same topic, so this is a compendium of what we got: Why hasn't Radiohead toured Latinamerica? Is it a security issue? (asked by people in Colombia) Is it because of the profit vs expense issue? (asked by people in Argentina). We even have polls about it, with responses you wouldn't believe, such as: 'They think we don't understand their music' and 'We're not worthy' Will you ever play here? Any time soon? Thank you!

we are desperate to play in latin america. it is absolutley nothing to do nwhat you quote, with anything but making it work the correct way. which is not playing to the elite of those countries who could afford overpriced tickets, bu t making it accessible to as much people as we can. so we are working on it. it also depends on where our heads are at by next year. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Christian Stiegler from Austria

When are you planning to come to Austria/How do you choose the countries you want to play in?

I'd love us to come and play in Austria. I hope we will soon. We try to play wherever we're liked, so I hope that would include Austria. It can be very annoying when you're lumped in with other countries - ' well, we'll play Germany, that's close enough' etc. I'd love us to play Vienna, especially at Christmas time. Maybe next time we play in Europe. sorry to be so vague; I hope we do come soon. colin. I n Salt Lake City, backstage after the soundcheck, the night after Tom Jones!!

SUBMITTED BY: Christian Stiegler from Austria

Thom, have you ever considered to write a song that Ed would sing, and you would do backharmonies? Like Mike Mills sometimes does for R.E.M., while Michael only sings in the back.

that would be great if he'd be up for doing it. its a confidence thing. i think he would have to have a few drinks first. or maybe not. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Charlie Pinder from UK

Loved South Park concert. Did you?

yes thankyou. bit shaky at first. a lot of pressure. then very emotional experience. lots of crying at the end. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: maxj k from uk

do you still feel you should be quoted so prominently on napster.com now that its been sunk to the level of all the other shit on the internet. cheap advertising is all very well and good, but this really stinks.

ive never been. what does it say? i dont care its not our responsibility. cheap advertising? dont understand sorry.. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: chris lloyd from England

With the current influx of bands that have come out in recent times (examples: limp bizkit and n'sync), what direction do you predict the music market will head into? (this question is meant to stand for "where do you think music will head to next .. what is the next big fad, trend, etc?)

im not into speculating on this sort of thing, maybe its like the seventies and we're in the shit cocaine disco bit. who knows. its sympotmatic of whats going on elsewhere..... a climate of fear.. where is it heading. into an asteroid with no-one driving. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: John Earls from UK

Why have you chosen Pyramid Song as the single from Amnesiac? How will you feel if it gets to No1/how will you celebrate? And what are the chances of there being further singles from the album (which song will it be if there are?) PS: Can I get a fuller phone/face-to-face/e-mail interview with any of the band? (Caffy seems happy with the idea in principle, but says it's a question of time.) Puuuurrrrrllleeeeaaaaasseeeee?

absolutley no chance whatsoever. ask alex. yes there will be more singles. all aimed at radio3. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Jenny Jarvie from Britain

I read in the NME that your new album features a song which attacks Tony Blair - and that it will be released three days before the election. I am writing a piece on political parties' growing reliance on celebrity backing and would very much appreciate your comments. I appreciate that you are all busy, but wonder if I can throw the following questions out: What is it New Labour that particularly frustrates you? How do you feel about the other main political parties? Will you vote? Young people are increasingly labelled as 'apathetic' and criticised for not voting. What do you think about this idea? Do you think it is irresponsible to vote for someone you don't believe in? Would you consider launching "You And Whose Army" as an official anti-election tune? Of course, please feel free to mention any aspect of contemporary politics you feel strongly about. Thanks very much, Jenny

never believe anything you read in the NME. that is a formal denial in case your wondering ,...dont waste your time reading etc.... much like never believe anything reeled out by Alistair "unelected" Campbell... this song is not a personal attack. but no i wont vote and havent votedfor a man willing to go along with son of star wars. its not exactly surprising that a large section of the population will not give a flying fuck about the election. everybody blames evryobody else. and new labour is happy to let filingdales be used in world war 3. they are not in touch and have blatantly betrayed all who supported them except those friendly business interests. we were involved in a campaign to encourage people to vote a few years ago in the uK. this was hijacked by labour. labour are good at highjacking and betraying. they attempted something rather similair with jubilee2000. frightening levels of paranoid bullshit. err oh dear. world war 3. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

I was wondering why Morning Bell appears on Amnesiac. I heard the new version and it sounds great, but why did you decide to include it on the album ?

because it came from such a different place from the other version. because we only found it again by accident after having forgotten about it. because it sounds like a recurring dream. it felt right. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: David Peschek from UK

Thom - I'm writing an introductory 'Mojo Rising' piece on Mark Mulcahy. He seemed very touched by your support in the past, and I was wondering if you could offer a few words as to why he's so fantastic, why he was inportant to you etc - there's a 'references' bit at the end of the piece for well-known fans to rave about the subject of the piece. It only need be, literally, a few words, but feel free to ramble on should the mood take you. Have you heard the new album, BTW? It's lovely. Thanks a lot, David.

When i was 15 the best song in the entire world and the most beautiful voice i had ever heard sang "all for the best" of Miracle Legions Surprise Surprise Surprise. it was the voice of someone who was only truly happy when he was singing. it affected me a great deal. the record never seemed to get anywhere, i had to go to London especially to get it. no-one seemed to know who they were but my brother & i played that record until it was completely unplayable. it changed the way i thought about songs and singing. thom

SUBMITTED BY: marylouise harding from UK

Your're know for beong stong advocates of the web in terms of using it to communicate and swap ideas and information with your fans (and the media!) and, with Kid A, using it to give people free access to your music. Do you forsee that you will eventually use the medium as your primary tool for distributing your music, in addition to ideas and information? What changes need to take place for that to happen both in terms of existing business relationships and technological environments?

its all going to morph into one media again isnt it? i dont understand how anyone will make a living necessarily, or maybe lots of people will make a small living, we have no idea how we shall deal with these changes, it still is a novelty for most of the people on this planet unless you live in north america. there is still this element of goldrush bullshit that seems to go with any discussion about the internet. the main thing is that you can copy anything digitally without anyloss of sound. (it makes you very paranoid about walking round town with maybe a Cd in your bag, or leaving it on the kitchen table when you go out.) but hopefully people trying to get somewhere wont have to expend so much time and energy dealing with idiot A&R men and crazy corporate shakeups, perhaps it will encourage the DIY thing again. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Michael Christian from Canada

Maybe the artifice of copywriting recordings is like copywriting textual pieces, but I find it difficult to understand. Public libraries are mostly free, and so you don't need to buy a book to take it home and read it to your kids. Some libraries even let you take out movies, records, tapes and CD's. My university library is great in that respect. But with digital content, there seems to be an intolerance in the commercial media industries for online public libraries of music and texts. It seems improbable that an Andrew Carnegie of this day and age would ever invest in making libraries again. Carnegie Libraries of digital content are considered lazy dreams. If mp3's had a public library, and we all had cards, would that change how threatened some people feel? It seems unlikely now. But Napster had an enormous effect on the popularity of Kid A, helping to build enthusiasm and community from little seeds of curiousity last summer and fall. Do you see mp3's still shaping Amnesiac's impact in any way? Can something like that ever occur again in the current climate, with the RIAA against Napster, or in the future? How does it make you feel with Amnesiac being released into this atmosphere?

The record industry is reaping its bad karma for repackaging music in a crap Cd format and destroyng vinyl, getting away with charging too much for too long, as well as buying the sources of distribution and trying to sow the whole thing up completely. the loosers for too long have been the listener, there have been some benefits in reissues and etc but the money the majors made out of it all merits the sprawling abuse of copyright that they will never completely be able to control over then net. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Radiohead fans tend to be extremely devoted to the band - they seem to connect with your music and ideals. What do you see as the major aspects of your music which people connect with so well?

to be really truthful i dont see it myself. when we play soemthing new we dont how people will react. if i show an idea to the rest of the band im terrified if they will respond or not. they are the same. it always amazes me how complex this remains. there was a time when we could make the correct moves and the required response. and that was the time when the shine started to fade.\ do people connect with our ideals? i dont know, surely encouraging people to make informed decisions is more useful? ignorance is the biggest problem isnt it? we are no purer than anyone else, no smarter. equally we are not little rag dolls you play with but say nothing and go back in the box when your finished with us. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Kid A was a total change of direction for the band. Was everyone committed to this new direction? How did Jonny feel about focussing more on keyboards than guitar?

I don't remember much time playing keyboards. It was more an obsession with sound, speakers, the whole artifice of recording. I see it like this: a voice into a microphone onto a tape, onto your CD, through your speakers is all as illusory and fake as any synthesizer - it doesn't put Thom in your front room - but one is perceived as 'real' the other, somehow 'unreal'. I'm straying from the point. What was the point ? Well, it's the same with guitars versus samplers. It was just freeing to discard the notion of accoustic sounds being truer. The inverted snobbery amongst some people even extends to keyboards. Mellotrons are 'truer' than Synths, apparently. But remember that hearing a band rehearse will never be the same coming from two speakers. That's fine. Of course, you want your music still to sound beatiful, or to somehow make you react. It's not about just spuring tradition, or rationalizing rubbish because it's 'different'. SO we'll still fill tapes with violins and guitars as much as anything else. Whatever sounds cool. Whatever isn't boring. Whatever is addictive.And ANYWAY There's nothing like a guitar for physically making music - like a drumkit for making rhythms - so I don't get bored playing the thing. I've been telling people, glibly, that there's so little guitar on the new stuff because there are only five Pixies albums, and there are other sounds out there. They hit at their instruments in striving to not be boring - whilst avoiding muso drudgery. Remember the advert The Pixies placed to get Kim Deal (the only applicant):"Band into Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary seeks bass player. No Chops."

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

You seem to be making a concerted effort to move away from the commercialisation of music - do you think this is possible, given that there is a tension between getting your music heard and becoming pawns in the music industry, especially since the industry is very much consumer driven?

i dont agree that we are making any concerted effort to move away from commercialisation. perhaps we are just choosing not to play the usual stupid games because at least for the time being we are in a position to do so because people still buy our records. the main corporate music industry is very conservative at the moment, sandbagging against the floods, but it is maintaining a complete stranglehold on good shit because it is totally uninterested in taking risks and has a cartel over formats and distribution. that ultimately will be its own funeral. i dont think the industry is consumer driven either. unless you are 10 yrs old that is. small labels are right to stay away from the large companies, their methods historically are those of any large corporate structure, we ended up inside the perimeter fence when the music business decided to stop having faith in new music and fatten itself off for the big merge. lucky us. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Alternative media seems to be a better way to access a wider range of info on sensitive global issues rather than through the media monopolies. Do you feel that alternative media outlets have a significant impact on the way we view the world today?

yes. it never ceases to amaze me how shit mainstream news has become. dismissing WTO and the iMF protesters as ignorant trouble makers or anarchists or some such bullshit will some day in the future look very daft. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

how effective do you think the current anti-globalisation protests - including anti-WTO and -WEF protests, are in in altering the way the large corporations and governments operate? Do you think community-based activism has a significant impact?

i dont think it is any way altering the way that large corporations operate because i think they are mostly stupid enough to still believe they can fob people off with expensive public relations. governments? i dont know in this country there are laws that may soon be passed making legitimate legal protest into terrorist activity, i wonder what 'the thief' will come up with in the US................ but this is all encouraging from the point of view that obviously they feel there to be a genuine threat out there. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: MARK CUNNINGHAM from AUSTRALIA

Third World debt relief is a huge issue these days, with calls from Bono, Michael Stipe and yourselves to cancel all unpayable third world debt. Do you actually envisage this ever being achieved? Do you think the G8 will ever bow to the pressure to act on this?

yes. i think so. what it demands now is for the G8 to admit the reason they are holding on to indirect debts through the IMF/WOrld Bank et all is because they are still rather fond of the political and economic influence the has afforded them. consiquently the indebted countries should use their political weight to resist such influence, they should form their own union against such blatant bully tactics. it is bullshit to say the west cannot afford debt cancellation and they know it. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Brooke McIntosh from Kansas City

i just wanted to say that your music is like a 7th grader who plays with science. no forumulas, just a mess. and that's a good thing. it's like those drawings that 5th grade boys make of spaceships or cars from the future. there's so many parts and labels and detail it's interesting to look at, but it's so unreal. it's fucking wonderful you it's like listening to a kid sing to himself when he thinks no one is listening. okay do you feel grown up, like adults? i don't want to sound like an ass, i don't think your music sounds juvenile at all, but definately not um adult i guess. i dont' know. nevermind, just wanted you to know your music makes me feel happy. makes me want to grab some crayons.

ha ha you should see our studio. or our new drawings and paintings. or jonny infront of his huge patchbay. or colin staring at the screen for hours on end. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Sean Wong from Hong Kong

Tell us something about your forthcoming album.

i read that the gnostics believe when we are born we are forced to forget where we have come from in order to deal with the trauma of arriving in this life. i thought this was really fascinating. its like the river of forgetfulness. it may have been recorded at same time as `Kid a but it comes from a different place i think. i used to listen to it on my laptop on tour supposedly trying to find a running order but really becuase i was so happy to have soemhting we had done that nobody else had heard and was our secret. it sounds like finding an old chest in someones attic with all these notes and maps and drawings and descriptions of going to a place you cannot remember. thats what i think anyway tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: HSNNHAL HSNNHAL from Hong Kong

Many artists have been involved in making music for movies, like Bono for "Million Dollar Hotel", Bjork "Dancer in the Dark"....... Have you ever thought of producing a movie and the music to it? Any other parts of the movie production process you're interested in?

I've just got back from Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival was held. I saw Jamie Thrave's " the low down ", and also Jonathan Glazer's " Sexy Beast ", ( en route, not at the festival ). I went to see " Scratch ", about turntablism, but they gave our tickets away! So it was frustrating to see film because of the demand and small seating numbers. So I spent most of the days learning how to snowboard, which involved falling on my arse alot...The good stuff that came out was meeting film makers and music supervisors ( they put film makers and musicians together in a matchmaking kind of way), and letting people know we were interested in cool projects. It's such a time consuming and completely different field that I don't think we'd ever do anything in the ' production ' thing...but it's true that a screenwriter often has the soundtrack in their head when they write a cool movie, like Anderson's ( i think ) " Magnolia ", and if we were in their head and we liked the idea, then that would be great. What we hated was being tacked on to some soundtrack to an ' action ' movie that would include, say, the Cardigans (no disrepect ), or whoever would appeal to a middle america demographic to sell cds and bums on seats. I know Jonny is interested in doing some scoring, but again the time commitment is a big deal, so maybe a strong short would be a good first experience. Ed thought that it would be interesting having to work to someone else's vision - the director - since we've never done that, and that could be an interesting discipline. Or maybe a nightmare!

SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Kwok from Hong Kong

Which of your songs are you least satisfied with?

the unfinished ones without words. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Koen Kwan from Hing Kong

If you could only bring 1 and only 1 CD to the moon (with your discman, of course!), what would it be?

if you listen to any piece of music long enough it will drive you insane. therefor it would have to be a programmed DVD that would create randomnly.

SUBMITTED BY: Old Wife from Rocklands

The arts have always expressed the salt-of-the-earth's version of life, the universe, everything and nothing... do you feel radiohead's simplicity is over-scrutinsed as being some kind of sinister, political marketing plan and any plans to do a u turn (musically, in the media) in the future to make life easier for yourselves in the public eye? (p.s. personally hope not, i like you evolving and like being continually surprised but musicians have been worn down in the past...) ARTS NOT ARMS!

if it was so well thought out and planned it would be shite and none of us would have bothered. i would love to make my life easier in the public eye, maybe then i would nt get these pains in my stomach and be short of breath and wake in the middle of the night with these fucked up thoughts going through my head. and maybe evrybody gets worn down in the end. amd there is nothing the british like better than sticking the knife in. its infectious. we all have it. proffesional lifestyle opinion demographic tail chasing bullshit. tchocky:)

SUBMITTED BY: Trevor Cochrane from ?

Included in the DVD for the Movie "Fight Club, there is a comentary made by Edward Nortan that is played along with the movie and he mentions how Brad Pitt and himself are big fans Radiohead and how they were hoping that they would do the soundtrack for the movie. I was wondering why Radiohead turned down the opportunity (although I am quite sure you were probably really buisy). I was also wondering if scoring film soundtracks is something Radiohead wants to do in the future. Is it not an eciting idea? Or are you guys just waiting for the right movie to come along. What are your thoughts? Thanks Trevor Cochrane

Jonnys big into the idea. I didnt understand how yuo did it till i i went to a flashy studio in london and realised that you just there watching Tv playing along. which is sort of interesting, i tend to do that anyway.it would be nice to co-ordinate something that wasnt necessarily a set of songs, for me however i worry that this will be like trying to hold water. everytime i think abou it i see a large neon sign that says "lost it". however i am getting used to seeing that sign nowadays so maybe thats okay. personall yi d like to learn to read music first. yes i suppoise we are waiting for the right idea, which is why colin and ed have gone to the sundance festival to join the hollywood jetset haw haw any excuse. tchocky(son of star wars) one of these days id like to make the film after doing the sound track, would that mean its a video... err oh.

SUBMITTED BY: Martin Aston from United Kingdom

This is to follow up Mojo man Andrew Male's query about prog-rock favourites; would any Radiohead member like to provide comments for a feature I'm writing for the same Mojo issue; do 'prog-rock' values still hold their ground in the contemporary era? What is it about prog-rock that still appeals, despite it being widely treated as a genre for losers, geeks, whathaveyou? I'd really appreciate some feedback from a band with their feet so firmly rooted in 2001, yet with some connectivity to the prog spirit. Thanks

prog rock is sad. and krautrock is not prog rock is more punk. queen were not prog rock. the were camp and not serious or shite enough. pink floyd moved to slow to be prog rock. certain areas of electronica smell of prog occasionally, i try not to notice. those who thought prog rock was like jazz are deluded. i dont know what prog rock is. never did. just because you change time signature a couple of times doesnt mean you is singing abou the fairies in the woods does it? were genesis prog rock? when peter gabriel put a flower round his head and kicked a bass drum was that prog? i have no connectivity with anything prog whatsoever except maybethat last bit about the flower and the kick drum and peter gabriel. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Laurence Boisnard from France

Though on some songs of Kid A, you "hided" the voice among the instruments like on Kid A (the song) for instance, on other songs, like "How to disapear completely", the voice is the spin of the song. Do you find a pleasure, even a physical one, to sing ?

i go through phases of hating my voice. i was interested in not having to rely on it to convey what was needed. its my instrument, and i got bored with singing softly or high or all the usual tricks, i didnt get off on that anymore. after being on tour yes i actually started to physically enjoy making my noise again, to understand where i used to come from you know? i suppose its all wrapped up in other issues.. but.. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

since the dawn of time, you've always had the "5 blokes in a room, bash out a song live, put it on tape and leave" approach available to you. but (i hope?) most people have realised kid a's successfully taken you somewhere more interesting than that. you're notorious for having loads of versions of tracks and now you're not forced to capture just the live version on record - however for your live shows, youve still got to find that translation that blasts out powerfully enough to get across to 10,000 people in a big tent. while that's all valid and good fun - have there been any thoughts on *other* ways of presenting your latest tracks live (obviously you can release alternate versions on record). what about DAT or powerbook gigs - maybe remix/dj sets... i suppose the closest 'rock analogy' is an 'acoustic' set. could be a waste of time, could end up like a hideously wanky sonic youthy sideproject, but with enough care it might just work...

we talk about this a lot but still enjoy hitting stuff more than moving a mouse. but its a bastard trying to justice to kid a obviously. not sure. it aint much fun trying to keep up with a machine, especially when it always seem slow and dull. son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Barnes Anthony from UK

I'd like to find out a bit more about your collaboration with Humphrey Lyttelton. On the face of it, it seems like an unlikely link-up. How did you get together, how did the session go? Many thanks.

jonny should answer this one...

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Male from Britain

My question is for Jonny. At the moment MOJO are compiling a prog issue with features on King Crimson, Genesis, ELP, etc. Given that you're supposed to be something of a prog fan I was wondering whether you'd be up for speaking to us about your fave act. If, on the other hand, this is yet another example of twisted disinformation, my apologies. However, if any of the band have something close to their heart that they would like to speak to us about, drop us a line. Cheers, Andrew Male Features Editor MOJO

alright andrew? I'll tell jonny when he gets back from holiday this week....lovely to see you last week-end. drop us a line if there's any cool music on in the city... cheers colin.

SUBMITTED BY: Hidekazu Hori from Japan

The sounds of album "Kid A" differs alot from the sounds of album "OK Computer". Was there any specific event or clue which led you to go different direction?

Ok Computer was mostly recorded live, after a lot of rehearsals and touring. Kid A was our first attempt at working on sounds and songs from sounds in the studio. We wanted to understand more about some of the modern ways of making music, such as samplers and sound modules. Also we were interested in recreating fresh sounds using old analogue synths and drum machines which had in turn been sampled and put into boxes. We still love to play live; it's just that we needed to find some more colours to play with. Also, we're not ' players', so the machines are beguiling because they're constructed for duffers such as us.

SUBMITTED BY: bethan cole from UK

what are the advantages/disadvantages of having almost zero prescence as celebrity 'personalities' Does reclusiveness ultimately serve to augment fame and myth? Do you really have to ever fight to stop yourselves being turned into celebrity/brand/object rock stars? Do you think the whole culture of empty celebrity in Britain will continue to dominate the media or will it implode? (Sorry this is more than one question - I'm writing a celebrating people with that curious combination of immense fame and utterly minimal public prescence)

Its all very interesting isnt it?

SUBMITTED BY: Chris Salmon from UK

What's your favourite London music venue? And why? Thanks very much. ps - I sent you the sleeve of my copy of 'Anyone Can Play Guitar' way back in '93, hoping that you'd autograph it. Any chance I could have it back now?!

I'm sorry about your Anyone sleeve....I'll see if we have one in the office....oooops. Maybe we thought you were just sending it back. I like the old Town and Country in Kentish Town, I think.

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

A lot of musicians are envious of your present position. A friend once told me, "Thom Yorke could burp ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ and Capitol would release it as a single." Do you feel like you’ve achieved a certain freedom that other artists don’t have?

any freedoms we have as a band have been paid for as much as any other band who've been touring America and visiting radio stations since we first went over in 1993...Have you heard " gastroenteritis/peristalsis " on HOT Air records...it's a truly windy record which the New York Observer rated as one of its picks of the year...I like that very much. Thom can't drink fizzy water on stage incase he burps down the microphone, you see.

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

I am an ugly journalist and you don’t want to see my face. Email interviews offer you the opportunity to maintain your appetite, and still be able to "talk" to fans and writers about your music. Does the Internet provide an illusion of community, like you’ve had your fan club over for some tea, or do you feel that it’s a legitimate way to get closer to the people that admire your music?

I think that the web is reflective of its users; it can be a good way of linking interest groups across the world; but then it could also be just another way of saying we can target a demographic and sell to it. I like face to face interviews with journalists because I know some sub will tidy me up and make me articulate. Isn't ' an illusion of community ' already enough to make you feel right at home? We spend all our time on our own in a studio stuck in the middle of nowhere, so doesn't doing web broadcasts to people out there on their own with a computer mean we already have some things in common? I think it's good to have this contact, but only as part of it; you need the face to face with Mr Nick Kent or Mr Reynolds , if they're interested, otherwise we'd be control freaks and very very dull

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

I once met Colin at The Academy in New York City years ago (Pablo Honey?), when Radiohead opened for PJ Harvey. My friend asked him how his hair got so silky. Colin grinned and said, "Wash and go. Wash and go." I no longer hang out with my friend, but Colin seemed like a funny guy. Radiohead are funny guys? Do people take you too seriously?

I'm sorry; I think I was being a bit rude about your personal hygeine and the need for you to go away and do something about it...

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

Since the release of OK Computer you’ve been carefully orchestrating a "low-profile." Instead of throwing fans and critics off your scent, you’ve created a sort of hunting season between records—people have strapped on the binoculars and gone looking for you. Is it harder to live up to a "mystique" than just the normal expectations of being "the greatest band in the world"?

errrr? there was no careful orchestration. it was a knee jerk reaction. to an impossible situation. humm. it was necessary to go away and glue back the pieces. in a way in order to survive we had to stop being answerable. being as it usually only lasts a week and then the words stop kind of relating to anything. also we just didnt pass the "film premier test." we dont look good in tuxedos as the orchestra at the ball. does this help? tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

You’ve referred to Kid A as being a fairly unemotional record. But the sparseness of the vocals, the detachment expressed in the few actual words, the long spaces of instrumental flourishes, and even the icy jagged mountain peaks depicted on the album’s artwork amount to the most naked and expressive work the band has done so far. In a world full of mass communication and digital clutter, have you found that a regression towards thoughtful silence speaks louder than the dramatic baritone couplets belted out by, say, that Viking/singer in Creed?

((i dont know Creed. who they?)) the emotionss perhaps are not self centered, i spent a lot of time watching horror on TV instead, wanting to change the channel but not doing. i spent a lot of time watching peoples faces in the street. also i found it extremely difficult not to tear up most of the words i wrote immediately. this obviously had an effect. the silence was not thoughtful, it was because i could nt s[peak. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

In the liner notes for Kid A, you list "selected examples of ice melt around the world." Someone once said that dinosaurs became extinct because their bodies were overdeveloped and that man will become extinct because their minds are overdeveloped. What do you think will eventually do us in? Can we reverse the trends of our own demise, or were we just not built to last? Have our minds fooled us into thinking of things like eternity?

what do you think will eventually do us in? greed? lack of hope? i think were not so stupid. however i need to make as much money as i can so i can sail to the moon just in case:) tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

There’s a lyric from "Seen And Not Seen" on Remain In Light… "They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them...They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse...Some may have gotten half-way there, and then changed their minds." Are you happy with what Radiohead has become, or are you still changing your mind on what your "ideal appearance" is? Are you happy with what the perception of Radiohead is, real or otherwise?

exactly. i had that exact thing. i was so frightened i didnot know who iwas. how had this happened. n o recollection how i got here, like driving at night. am i happy with the perception, i find it difficult to give a fuck this is healthy i hope. son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

Right now, the most popular phrase in music journalism seems to be "the next Radiohead." Before that, it was "the next Nirvana," and before that, "the next R.E.M." Those three bands don’t sound anything alike, so "the next Radiohead" will most likely not sound like Radiohead. What present music excites you? Who would you gladly get up and dust off the throne for? Do you feel like you’re even in a throne?

i hope we buggered off quick enough to not end up sitting on any throne. what sane person would want to be president anyway? son of star wars

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

You’ve cited Talking Heads’ Remain In Light as having a major influence on the making of Kid A. If you believe what you read, it sounds like the reaction to OK Computer had a bigger influence. What was it about Remain In Light that inspired the band?

its a record i can dance to. no-one is humbly strumming a guitar and where. the words speak to me about my life. its about rhythm. the words are amazing. its all improvised. it was composed using the mixing desk bringing things in and out. there are no loops but its all loops. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Gregg LaGambina from USA

My father is a conservative Republican. He often criticized the idealism of bands I listened to growing up, saying things like, "Since when does a rock band feel it’s necessary to change the world and tell my son what to think?" Can a rock band change the world? Are you a rock band and are you trying to change the world?

"Since when does the Bush family feel fully qualified to run the world?"

SUBMITTED BY: Atsuko Hiramatsu from JAPAN

1.Nowadays, most of the things can be done through internet without middleman. Have you thought about establishing your own record label on your website? 2.Some of Radiohead members often join the other artists' recordings. However it seems that you rarely invite any other artists to your own recordings. Do you have any artists who you would like to collaborate with in the future?

1. yes 2. yes chocky

SUBMITTED BY: Yoshito Hirai from Japan

1.Ed has once said that during making KID A, five members of Radiohead have worked together not as a band but as a production team. Then, how did you feel to be a band again for a tour from a production team for recording after you have finished KID A? 2.In JAPAN, fortune telling by animals (each person has destined animal such as bear or Pegasus et'c which can be told from your birthday) is in fashion. If RADIOHEAD are animals, what animal each member would be?

1.im not sure about this production team thing.. it sounds very grand. going on tour againm made me realize the cool things that happen when we rehearse(duhh!..) 2.animal fortune telling err we are all nice fluffy animals. pets that you could take home to your mum.

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

Considering the fact that you chose not to release any singles from "Kid A" and the publication of any singles from "Amnesiac" is as yet unconfirmed, I'd be interested in your general attitude towards singles in general. Of course, "milking" albums for singles seems too commercial to conform with any intent to remain (artistically) credible; still, don't you view a single, accompanied by well crafted b-sides, poignant artwork and a challenging video, as a small piece of art in its own right?

we all felt pretty sad that there wasnt any singles on the radio in a way for kid A in retropect. it meant the only judgement of our music was being made too much by critics opinions, which was ok and everything but there is nothing like the excitement of hearing on the radio. the reason that we didnt have any singles was nothing to do with artistic credibilty, thats just yah yah. it was just the stress of getting into that area at the time was too much, and perhaps too misrepresentitive. there didnt seem any point in trying to get in a singles chart with the likes of well... you have to remember that coming back into the lions den was not easy, especially for me personally. it meant bringing back ghosts that made me shut down in the first place. so a lot of the decisions we made and what we chose to do was to avoid the normal giant cogs turning and crushing. with the next one we are definitely having singles, videos, glossy magazine celebrity photoshoots, childrens television appearances, film premier appearances, dance routines, and many interesting interviews about my tortured existence. ofcourse yes i agree that a well crafted piece of artwork could stand up in its own right obviously, if its good enough etc..... we actually made half an hours worth of short films (not all of them 30 seconds)with shynola, chris bran and stanley which we were very proud of(as well as loads of wierd live footage), the best pieces of video that we had ever made. they didnot however fit the format, which is bullshit. it makes me very sad to think that no-one is ever going to see the most beautiful piece of film that was ever made for our music which was actually a full length video for motion picture soundtrack which has me in tears every single time i watch it. or the digitized feucked up version of idioteque live that chris did, or the incredibly daft sperm monsters jumping into a pool of blood that went with kid a. it amazes me that choosing not to follow

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

What do you think about the fact that your last album is so excessively overestimated? Is it that radiohead has got such a cult-status that the media are perpetuating their own hype-spiral? are you reflecting things like that or are you convinced that your album is that great or that other's albums are that bad? I know it's a bit naughty - sorry - and maybe my questions are missing the point.

as soon as you finish a record you no longer know what you think about it. it is no longer you r property. all you can do is help along the way and defend it and do it justice because it took a lot of effort and struggle and stress and upset at the time, took everything you had in you. by the time we finished kid a we felt it was a minor miracle that we had made it at all. so that is what i remind myself of. it is nothing to do with competition, that shit makes you ill and is bad for music.

SUBMITTED BY: Scott 'Pip H from Canada

Dear Radiohead, you guys seem to take quite a political role , and you guys do what you can to speak out. (i.e Tibet freedom concert... the whole let Ralph Nader debate... jubilee2000 and drop the debt, etc.), so are there any specific Radiohead songs that have political messages in them? If so, what are they, and what are they about?

I find it difficult not to be influenced by powerful issues. Politics is not something that happens over there while we watch over here. I think much of what is confined to the definition of political debate is empty meaningless cowboys and indians. for example who realistically expected politicians to come up with a solution to global warming when they seem happily blatent in their cowtowing to industrial and corporate power even while the people who voted them in are drowning and being washed away in permanent and escalating climate change? I dont think we are political in the sense you mean. Im concerned about our future. Im concerned about economics being the word of GOD. is that politics? politics is about being voted back in. about being popular. what use is that? I claim freedom of speech. the right to put in what i like to our songs. whatever. anyone fancy a pint? tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

How do you prepare for a live show? Do you have any pre- or post-show rituals? Anything you are superstitious about?

Personally i lie on the floor for about half an hour and let the dust settle. I try to make my world as empty as possible. We have no rituals before playing. We are usually too scared. On the last tour my only rituals were having to take pain killers and honey and lemon and do throat and back exercises because i was ill for most of the tour. Interesting. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Trevor Baker from UK

It was reported in the national press on Saturday that "Britain will not take another penny in debt repayments from the world's poorest countries" - do you think this is true? are the conditions that the countries have had to accept to get debt relief reasonable? Will Gordon Brown go down in history for this as Bob Geldof argued? What do you think of the concept of "debt forgiveness"? This is for a news story on Jubilee 2000. Thanks a lot Trevor melody maker

http://www.dropthedebt.org/zambia.html It turns out that although the G7 has effectively cancelled its debts, which is great and everything and Gordon is wonderful and everything, that some countries will end up paying MORE thAN they were before. why? because those grey haired buffoons in the World Bank and IMF who also have billions owed to them by the same poor countries are insisting that their remaining debts absolutely MUST be paid. Its is bloody complicated and you have to be a qualified economist to understand what the f**k it all means. The way i look at it the IMF and WB are the CIRCUMLOCUTION OFFICE as Dickens called it. They are there to hide the will of their majority shareholders ie the G7. the will of the G7 is to keep in place debts for political and economic reasons, to maintain trade tariffs against these countries to ensure that they cannot develop any other way than that stipulated by the West. This is still a crime against humanity. Its all really rather convenient if you are in the business of PR and can claim as Gordons buddies are doing that Britain will never take another penny. Also in light of recent protests in London and Prague. Meanwhile instances like Zambias current case(see link) will keep occurring but it is all becoming far too confusing to follow. Great innit? thom

SUBMITTED BY: Andy Greenwald from USA

As many publications/media have done, Spin magazine and Spin.com -- the online, mostly- independent-editorally arm of the magazine -- have named "Kid A" as one of the 10 best records of the year. In order to make our list more representative of the artists, Spin.com is pairing each "critical" write-up of a chosen album with some sort of response from the artist in question. To that end, any answers/responses to the below question from any member of the band would be much appreciated. Thanks very much in advance. Your album -- like past Radiohead albums -- is a fixture on critic's "best-of" lists. What, if anything, do such accolades mean to the band? How does it make you feel individually and as a band? What is your "response" to people who say that "Kid A" is one of the best albums of the year? Was the reaction to the record's release a surprise? Has it changed or colored your own opinion of the record, or does time do that on its own? Finally, what are some of your own favorite albums of the year?

thankyou for the kind words, you creep.. of course flattery will get you everywhere....very happy that some people get it because it would appear that alot of brit journos didn't....good albums? 'bow down to the exit sign' - david holmes.......'felt mountain' - goldfrapp for starters......ejob

SUBMITTED BY: mani from england

have you seen http://www.percythechicken.com/ ? famous people don't seem to go to it =(

highly impressed with percy the chicken and the logic involved......next record - percy's progress...ejob

SUBMITTED BY: Michelle from Canada

As a band, where would you place your artistic climax? Before now, currently, near or far in the future?

You'll be able to tell, as we'll end fairly shortly after that point. Mortgage pending of course.PJS

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

many bands dont have any interaction with fans and the extent to which you interact, what with the messageboard and webcasts etc, is rare amongst popular bands.do you find that interaction with fans is a big part of what being in a band is about? or is it just making music to make yourselves happy?

really? i dont think we interact enough. the website is very direct i suppose. but then a lot of the time we cant be arsed to update things. letters are also direct... tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

Question from a fanclub member : This is the first time since you were hailed rock saviours that there seems to have been noticeable media and industry 'backlash' against radiohead. kid a wasn't the critics' ok computer. Are you breathing a sigh of relief?

yes. we are moving targets. sometimes hit.

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question from a fanclub member : One of the main ideas driving your work is constant evolution. this is more than evident through all of your albums. seeing and hearing live sets since Kid A,though, has brought a question to mind. there was debate about the song motion picture soundtrack, and how so many fans were disillusioned by the final product, claiming that it took away from the original rawness and power of the song. do you ever see yourselves taking an already 'finished' song and either stripping it bare, or perhaps with older material, updating a song to what it would be if you'd written it now?

evrybody has an opinion. raw? ha! i think its better disney style. bluebirds on my shoulder. fireworks and fairies.

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question from a fanclub member : Seeing as to how you seem to have a very anti-capitalistic view of the world, how do you feel about the fact that people have sold tickets for your recent show at the Greek Theatre for over $500, each?

first define anti- capitalist. in order to avoid people selling their tickets for stupid money we would have had to A. not played at all. or B. played lots of shows, or larger shows. were we the ones selling those tickets for 500? no. are we the ones respnosible for the fall of mankind when adam and eve bit the apple. hmm. no.

SUBMITTED BY: Nathaniel Cramp from UK

Is it difficult being part of a major corporation when you despise corporations? What does the Radiohead 'brand' represent?

yes it is. it would be a lot harder though if we didnt sell any records. as it is we are left alone. the radiohead brand? errr. oh shit. im a hypocrit. :)

SUBMITTED BY: max k from ukay

how much loyalty can you retain to a record that has been gathering dust on a shelf since spring? how easy is it to, right now, slap a big grin on your face and spout bollocks about something which happened a long time ago? isnt that constant dragging back in time really weird?

It was the same with OK Computer and the Bends...you have to trust your former 6-month-ago self that liked and was excited about it as a new thing. Talking about it does feel pointless, and 6 months late. Hence the web stuff when we were recording - although of course noone had heard it then, so..... yes, wierd. JG

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

Is it strange to still be performing a lot of older songs, from when your working methods (and, maybe, aesthetics) were very different? Thom: you've said that you in particular have an admiration/revulsion thing going on with the "OK Computer" material--would you wash your hands of it altogether, or at least stop performing it, if you could? (And if you would, why can't you?) How does its meaning change for you from performing it on stage a zillion times?

i think its basically unhealthy to disown music that you've done in the past. so long as your not attatched to it and realise it comes from where you were then its okay, and that now you have moved on elsewhere. playing a song in a concert in front of people is a way of reclaiming it back. if we could not play any of our old stuff i dont think we would, simply it fucks with the flow of writing and making music to try too hard to distance yourself from certain things you do. but then crowd pleasing doesnt exactly coem natural to us so. sometimes when you play it doesnt mean anything, sometimes you remember something in it that you thought forgot, which is great. in a way its whatever the audience give back to you. thats what a lot of words that said not much.

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You're using more prerecorded material live these days than you seem to have before (e.g. the rhythm track on "Idioteque," the harp on "MPS"). How do you decide when to try to translate the ideas from an edited/sequenced/ProTools-ed recording into something you can play with hands and instruments, and when to use the elements from the recording directly?

we never use anything pre re corded. its off a sequencer. its pre pro grammed but then jonny pullls the wires out and flicks switches. how do we decide? i dontknow its all new at the moment to us. tchcok

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

A lot of your songs change pretty drastically in their early performances (and thanks to fan sites' MP3s, we can follow every variation...!), and then settle down into a particular arrangement. At what point does the way you play songs live feel "set"? Does it matter to you that there are multiple rough drafts floating around?

it doesnt matter at all. i always get woirried when a song gets set in a certain way. because to me that can just end up being habit forming, you loose where its coming from and you get bored. so much so that we used to tape evryhing we played and listen to it and analyse it make sure we hadnt missed anything. then remembered actually the good stuff sticks.

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You've mentioned Can, Warp Records and "Remain In Light" as reference points for the new recordings. Are there any similar reference points for the way you try to perform live these days?

Never seen footage of Can, and photos look uncomfortably like The Young Ones, only with four Neils. In some self-deluding moments I imagine I'm Berbie Worell (sp?) in Stop Making Sense (the Talking Heads film by jonathan Demme), playing all the modulating keyboards. JG

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

You've mentioned Can, Warp Records and "Remain In Light" as reference points for the new recordings. Are there any similar reference points for the way you try to perform live these days?

Never seen footage of Can, and photos look uncomfortably like The Young Ones, only with four Neils. In some self-deluding moments I imagine I'm Berbie Worell (sp?) in Stop Making Sense (the Talking Heads film by jonathan Demme), playing all the modulating keyboards. (BERNIE rather, curse my typinggg) JG

SUBMITTED BY: Douglas Wolk from USA

There's been a sort of split between studio-based music and performance-based music that's grown much wider over the last, oh, 10 years or so; you're one of the few bands that's worked extensively on both sides of the divide. How do you deal with the challenge of making something work and be interesting in both contexts? You've got a lot of not-yet-officially-released songs that you play in concert a lot; are there any that you especially like playing live but that you haven't been able to record to your satisfaction? (If there are: why do you think that is?)

if you got to th unofficial sites youll see there are liosts of songs that have never made it right to tape. were trying to work fromt the basis that it doesnt matter how it is done technically in the studio, that is one work space, and playing it infront of people is another. its a case of rewriting things. some of it works some of it doesnt. the most important thing is not feeling in any way restri cted. sometimes what sounds good live cannot be translated like that. it sounds dull and lifeless. but so what? its in a different place. we try hard not to have a problem with it. missing songs find their way back eventually. tchocky (keen arent i?)

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

What is the best remedy you've come across for times of drought with songwriting?

notebooks. it means building up ammunition. most of the time you are waiting. most of the time you dont know when somethin g is good even when your doing it. its only when you pick it up later than you understand it. lack of confidence is the main problem for me. this is my only way to get round it. that and the others and their reactions. i suppose i am talking about words here. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Tique De Koninck from Belgium

A question of one of our members : Radiohead has always been in close touch with their fans -- via WASTE, doing impromptu webcasts, and popping in on the message board. How do you see using the available internet and wireless technology to further this? Ed once spoke of subscriptions -- downloading songs every month. Is this likely to happen? As a fan, I would greatly appreciate the ability to see/hear/buy Radiohead products without going through a middleman who decides what to show and what to hide.

thats right. cut out the middleman. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Street from Australia

It seems as though Radiohead have developed from being a very individual song based band on 'Pablo Honey' to creating albums that are less a collection of songs and more a piece in themselves. Having said that, was there any sensewithin the band of reacting against expectations from 'OK Computer' and making Kid A an almost stand-alone symphonic work (with no singles, designed to be heard as a piece), or is it a natural reflection of the organic evolution of the Radiohead sound? Where do you buy your pants? How does the band respond to the charge of being a bunch of Muse copyists, especially since you were devious enough to steal all of Muse's ideas a good five years before they had the chance to use them?

awww shucks we beeen rumbled. awll fur coat and no knickers! tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

As musicians you have visited probably every country in the world. If not in a band, would you still travel or prefer to stay in England?

airoplanes are a dumb invention. we should be using those russian planes that go across water, much safer and use less fuel. then maybe travelling would be fun. tchocky

SUBMITTED BY: Vanessa Martins from Australia

Jonny once said that Radiohead make music for what they believe their fans to be like - is this the case with Kid A or is Kid A a lot deeper and more personal than that? Songs like 'Motion Picture Soundtrack' and 'True Love Waits' show a romantic, dare I say 'lovey dovey' side of Radiohead (also hinted at in earlier songs like 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Exit Music (For A Film)'. Is this the result of age and maturity and perhaps some of Phil's paternal instincts rubbing off? Following the near break up of the band during the recording of Kid A, do you think Radiohead still have a long road ahead of them? What are your views on Napster , especially considering that Kid A has been available on it for some time before it's release? Will we ever see the likes of a Radiohead B-sides album? Radiohead, amongst other artists, are keen supporters for different benefits and causes. I think it's a great thing for artists to support these causes as I know a lot of people who have been touched by the words of their fave artists and now also support these causes. Do you think that supporting such causes is an unwritten law and part of the job of being an artist? Is it perhaps even more important than the music you create? What's the one thing in the world you can't live without?

shurely ther is mor than one quesiotn here? im gonna take one of them. supporting causes is expressing yourself as you believe miuch like everybody is fr4ee too do. if i feel strongly about somit i am not going to keep my mouth shut for feaar of stepping out opf line or somthing. you know me i love all that shit. tchock

SUBMITTED BY: Andrew Weaver from Australia

How difficult is it to play the material on Kid A live, considering how experimental and technology based it sounds? The general consensue is that Kid A is an incredibly dense record - do you think that's a fair summation? What inspired such structures to come into place? Where do you stand on the whole Napster debate, especially considering that a finished copy of Kid A seems to have been provided to the mp3 sharing software courtesy of somebody in the media? Everyone expects you to "save alternative rock" (yawn!) - do you think that's an unfair expectation? Kid A seems to be anything but an 'alternative rock' album - is it a deliberate attempt to confound fans' expectations?

consensue?! 1st question...play live one of the best things about going out and having to learn to play music that was written in the studio using editing and sampling and sequncers is the way it makes you think about how you play differently. its really exciting to go back into the studio now feeling confident again having learnt different stuff. 2nd .. dense record? it doesnt feel like that to me. it feels warm. its a winter record. 3rd.. such structures... err i dont think the structures are that complicated. perhaps nowadays we look more to Can and electronica etc to work out how to stucture stuff. tape edits etc not necessarily always verse chorus nanana. also Remain in Light by Talking Heads was our big record while we did Kid A, massive reference point. alternative rock needs bludgeoning to death on a big stick and left on a bridge to warn passers-by. The Napster thing is the karma coming back at the majors flogging us endless failed formats and extortionate cd reissues over the last ten years. love thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

For many people, buying music is as important as buying food. What do you think of record collectors?

i think to be a record collector has been pretty hard recently as the virgins and hmvs and towers stroll over the earth crushing all other access in their path. controlled access and racking bribery in major stores makes choice something of an illusion. like buying food, if you go into a supermarket then you can only consume what the buyers have chosen for you, what they can make the most profit from. the illusion of choice.

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

What interested you most during your study at Exeter University?

how i was gonna keep myself in cigarettes, beer and records. my bank manager interested me greatly. i also liked to laugh at young conservatives. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

Did your proposal for unsigned bands to send demos to the Radiohead website bring any interesting results?

it brought boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of tapes and cds. for Ed. thom

SUBMITTED BY: Olga Smirnova from Russia

Do you select the bands to open for you?

yes we do. sigur ros sent us a demo and i got a cd after hearing them on jon Peel. thats also how we got to know Clinic. record companies sent us cds of bands that sound like us hoping for support, but that doesnt really float our boats much.

SUBMITTED BY: Stu McCarney from Australia

What sex is Kid A?

Hermaphrodite. sex is no longer necessary:) thom

SUBMITTED BY: minxy mcnaughty from Rocklands

any plans to exhibit radiohead visuals (art, blips etc)?

any plans to exhibit? i dont think so. it feels uncomfortable to be in a big white room with these images. they are born out of chaos and thaTS where they should stay.