Radiohead just won’t take this rock’n’roll thing seriously. Thom, described in last month’s issue as “looking like a new born chick” has not got himself a stylist while all the rest of the band want to do is snog Tanya Donelly. Vivienne Neary bows to their modesty.

Jonathan, Thom and Colin arrive giggling from a previous interview where they have been asked if Radiohead are the next Bowie or The Smiths.

Jonathan strikes a pose and demands his brother, “It’s been said your music is quite fin de siècle, would you agree?”

Colin effuses a la Chip’n’Dale, “I do see your point, but no, I must disagree, I think we’re more techno grunge.”

It is a tribute to their modesty that they do not see the risible comparisons as an indication of Radiohead’s growing musical clout and potential star status. They’re already well on their way up. They’ve got the mandatory sensually frantic axe hero in Jonathan, and the equally mandatory diminutive sexy frontman in Thom, whose stage act exudes the female-appealing nobody-wants-me message, which is just not the case, is it Thom?

“I’ve got a girlfriend – oh God, I’m in Rock’n’roll, I’m not s’posed to say that. I haven’t got a girlfriend but I’m not available. I mean, I’ve got a girlfriend but I’m available – I mean not privately - “

Jonathan steps in, “He’s available for his girlfriend.”

Radiohead have in fact already the dizzy heights of success in…Israel, no less.

“We’re big,” Thom affirms.

“Huge,” adds Jonathan.

Colin gets technical, “”Creep” went to number one and the album went to number two. “Anyone can play Guitar” went straight in at 17 when we were there.”

Thom: “We were on their Wogan. We got pounced on by screaming fans.”

Jonathan: “Saying, “Go home”.

Colin: “Yes. “Sing in Hebrew or leave.”

Thom: “The reason we’re so big is because radio played us, people liked it, people bought it, radio played It more etc.”

Colin: “There’s a man over there called Yohaf Kutner who’s the Israeli John Peel.

“He hates Suede,” Thom interjects gleefully.

“It’s a really interesting story. He lost his memory in an avalanche in his 20s and he rebuilt his memory through music. Now he’s in his 40s and he just loves us. He really promoted the singles. Cheque’s in the post Yohaf. The audiences we got at the gigs were quite big. The first two we got 700 and at the third there were about 1200. Thom was actually mobbed by 300 screaming girls when he left his dressing room before the gig.”

Thom: “There would’ve been more people but at the same time there was a D rock festival going on in the South of Israel - a bit like Glastonbury or Reading."

Colin: “Reading Schmedding."

Jonathan: “An untimely coincidence."

Success beckons also in Holland where Pablo Honey is number one on the Alternative Charts.

“I’m going over next week to do a TV interview," Thom leans forward into the mike and says very loudly, “which is more than I've ever been offered here. I'm only going over for the day, in true Evan Dando style."

Colin: “‘Anyone can play Guitar’ is very popular over there. We're not doing too badly in the US either. We've outsold Suede - though maybe they're only on import - and we're number one on the college radio request chart - and again it's all down to the fact that it's been played on the radio - unlike this country."

Jonathan: “Not that we're bitter or twisted."

Not content with winning over the public, the band are also making headway with pop stars. Their recent support slot for Belly at London's Town and Country club was at the personal request of Tanya Donnelly.

"We asked her for a snog and the rest is history," Thom leers.

"She actually heard ‘Creep’ and our acoustic tape,“ Jonathan says worriedly, “We had a radio interview in Stockport the day before she did and we left her a note saying ‘Well done on the number one and hope to see you soon.’ The next thing we knew we had the Belly support for the London gig."

The blistering Radiohead originals aside, why do they mar their fabulous live set with the Glen Campbell cover, ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’?

Thom: "That's to calm everyone down."

Jonathan: "That's an aberrant moment.”

Colin: “You need a yardstick with which to compare the rest of the set. So it's either that or doing a Manic Street Preachers’ cover." “

Thom: “I'd quite fancy a country version of ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, myself."

The US, Israel, Tanya Donnelly, the Netherlands, Yohaf Kutner - recognition for the undeniable seductiveness and power of Radiohead’s music has been relatively swift in most places except the UK. Until now. Now the English press are sketching subtle volte faces left, right and centre. You can't move for journos claiming that ‘Creep’ was their single of the week - pity their opinions never made it into print. The closest ‘Creep’ came to being single of the week was when Sean Hughes (doing singles reviews in the NME said it would've been single of the week but the band had replaced ‘fucking’ with ‘very’ in the chorus, and that he considered that to be “selling out". Right on, Sean. I'm sure that, come the revolution, your hefty contribution will be noted.

However, back to the happier reality of current music press respect, attention and (gasp) praise! What happened?

Colin: “We gave them a chance to think again."

Jonathan: “We were patient with them.”

Colin: “We didn't go away. We haven't turned our backs on the British
music press."

Thom: “We've been very nice considering. It's up to them now. Maybe they actually think we're good now. We've played a lot of gigs and I think our high rating in the Reader's Poll shook them."

Jonathan: “Yeah, that was the kids!"

Colin: “The kids spoke.”
Thom: “They said ‘we want more!’ I know I did. l wrote in and asked for more. I was very busy that weekend."

The boys’ next single is out on May 10 and, contrary to all expectation, is not a track off the album. Why release ‘Pop is Dead’ instead of going for obvious singles on the album or re-releasing underexposed old singles?

Jonathan is adamant, “Because people have got the album. If they want to hear things from the album they can go and buy it."

Colin: "Also, we're a right-on bunch of people."

Thom: “We've got a lot of new material that we want to release. Everybody who heard it said we should release it. Anyhow, we don't want to do an REM."

Colin: “ I mean, they're releasing ‘Everybody Hurts"’ “Fourth track off the album?" Jonathan queries in the tone of a man who is giving someone the benefit of the doubt, “I mean they've sold the bloody album. It's just an excuse for Stipe to do another video."

Was there any resistance from Parlophone about releasing ‘Pop is Dead’?

Colin: “Yes, they said ’No'."

Thom: “Did they?"

Colin, smugly, “But we had the statistics to back us up. Frank and Walters’ label carried out a survey which showed that releasing another single after the album came out did not increase album sales." Jonathan: “And was also very, very expensive." Thom: “‘Pop is Dead’ marks a point. It puts a full stop on what we've been trying to say for ages. And now we can move on as a progression rather than ‘that's it, bye bye’. It's a very vitriolic song and I think it homes in on what people think."

Colin: “The kids will like it."

Jonathan: “I'm a kid. I like it."

Thom: “Our audiences now know all the words to it which is very interesting seeing as it's never been played other than live. Perhaps there are some bootlegs floating around. It had different mixes one of which was done by Al Clay who did Frank Black. Wasn't very good."

Jonathan: “And Dave Bascombe - which was very expensive and even worse."

Colin: “l liked it."

Thom: “‘Cos it was radio-friendly."

Colin: “It was. Very commercial. I'm the commercially-minded member of the band - along with Ed."

Thom: “Jon refuses to sell out and I do occasionally."

Colin: “Thom probably has the healthiest attitude."

Whilst on the topic of selling out, it has been a common attitude amongst members of the industry that as long as Radiohead are on a major label, they're not truly ruly an indie band—have there been noticeable detriments to not being on an indie label?

Thom: “A lot of people will basically never trust us because we signed to a major."

Colin: “It's harder initially being on an indie in terms of exposure but we sold enough records last year to be Top five indie chart, but ‘cos our distribution is major, we lost out. Our highest chart position for a single was 32."

Being on a major label however does have its compensations. Upon meeting Colin, I was asked what I thought of his crumpled, blue suit.

“Hmm, nice. Oxfam?", I enquired gently. Poor Col appeared crestfallen, “lt's Paul Smith, actually."

Ooops. The reason Col - not the most sartorially aware of persons - is sporting a big name designer is because Radiohead have been allocated... a stylist.

“What styIist?" Colin and Jonathan chorus in useless mendacity.

Thom has nothing to be ashamed of because whilst Colin spent £300 on a suit, Thom spent the equivalent in second hand shops: “This girl took us around to shops where she thought there might be some clothes we'd like to buy. And to varying degrees we did. Like. Buy."

Jonathan: “Her job was to say ‘That looks lovely, darling. If it speaks to you and the clothes say love them and you love them then you must have them, darling."'

Thom: “The reason we did this is ‘cos we dress so badly we needed help."

Colin: “We've got the doctor's certificate at home."

How are your groupies? Are they growing in proportion to your success?

Colin: “Yes. They've got fatter."

Any soiled underwear in the post?

Thom: "No, we don't do that anymore."

Colin: “Do they do that?"

Jonathan looks aghast: “Does that actually happen?"

Colin: “That's disgusting!"

Thom: “We usually pull a very good class of groupie."

Colin: “Like the Noel Coward of Banbury.”

Jonathan: “Oh God, yes! A couple of years ago we played a gig in Banbury and by the end there was only one person left—this man in a slouch hat, coat and cigarette holder. He said to Thom ‘You were wonderful, darling. You played that guitar like it was your penis'."

Colin: “But it's nice to know you're wanted."

Thom: “Even like that."

Jonathan: “Especially like that."

Colin would like it to be known that Radiohead will be playing live from April 29th through to mid-May in selected large empty halls around the UK.

‘Pop is Dead’ is out May 10 on quite a few formats.