Radiohead - Idolator

paul is dead (wrong!)

Bono Backs Away From Manager's Radiohead-Bashing Ways

Like U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, Bono firmly believes that all problems can be solved by haranguing people in power and pleading for charitable donations, rather than actually changing economic models. But one thing Bono won't do is dis Radiohead, one of the few successful bands with any critical cachet whatsoever. So when McGuinness decided to call the Internet release of In Rainbows a failure, Bono felt it necessary to send a letter to NME making clear that while their manager doesn't want the RIAA to consider these upstarts' hair-brained schemes, U2 thinks the band are "courageous and imaginative," etc., smooch smooch, let's photo op with Barack sometime. More »

9:30 AM on Mon Jun 30 2008
By Anthony Miccio
376 views, 3 comments

Latest by okiedoke: Those damned disintermediates. Darned damnable, I say. more »

it's not wise to put things in gene's mouth

Is Gene Simmons Really Pissed Off At Radiohead?

Several Web sites are reporting that Gene Simmons is angry at Radiohead, based on this quote: "The record industry is dead. "It's six feet underground and unfortunately the fans have done this. They've decided to download and file share. There is no record industry around so we're going to wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilized. As soon as the record industry pops its head up we'll record new material." OK, so greedy fans are keeping us from songs that rhyme "hot" with "got," but what does that have to do with Radiohead? Are we taking his disappointment with the band on faith? More »

12:30 PM on Thu Jun 19 2008
By Anthony Miccio
1,119 views, 35 comments

Latest by cheesebubble: That he won't just shut up and go away makes KISS grow less relevant and more like a bad Village People/Rocky Horror nightmare. Gene is just trying to hide the fact that he and his elderly bandmates pander to an more »

maybe he can start a blog

U2's Manager Should Do More Managing, Less Talking

After starting up a firestorm of hot blogging commentary recently with his comments about the Internet and music, Paul McGuinness is at it again, this time pontificating about Radiohead's dramatic sales failure with In Rainbows. More »

11:30 AM on Tue Jun 10 2008
By Dan Gibson
944 views, 8 comments

police on the scene, you know what i mean?

The Always-Helpful Web Sheriff Drops By

As a follow up to my "exercise in missing the point" post last week about the Radiohead vs. Prince copyright controversy, the Web Sheriff showed up (albeit belatedly) to provide some remarkably nuanced information. For your reference, the Sheriff's input is behind the cut. More »

1:30 PM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Dan Gibson
515 views, 11 comments

getting the memo

What I Learned From Stereogum

Indie fans, so the theory goes, are an intellectual kinda group. They all went to college, and not your common state school either, but liberal arts colleges. Their preferred music reflects this: it's a little detached, a little effete, a little bookish, disconnected from the more bodily pleasures of something like metal or dance.

Why, then, is there such a virulent strain of anti-intellectualism among the indie rock fans on music blogs?

More »

10:00 AM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Mike Barthel
2,202 views, 43 comments

the most beautiful lawyer in the world

Radiohead Vs. Prince In The World Series Of Copyright Law

By now, you've probably heard that Prince put his own spin on Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella last month. However, any recorded evidence of the cover has been removed from the Internet faster than you can say Prince and the New Web Sheriff Generation. (One copy might remain below the cut.) But does Prince actually have the right to ask for removal of the clips? More »

2:00 PM on Fri May 30 2008
By Dan Gibson
1,184 views, 7 comments

pointless listmaking

Radiohead Dethrones Nirvana As Kings Of The Modern-Rock List Realm

Radio phoenix WOXY held its yearly countdown of the top 500 songs that are still in its playlist over Memorial Day weekend, and its many quibble-worthy points ("Feel The Pain" makes the cut while "The Wagon" doesn't? Is "Supernova" really the only Liz Phair song that's better than "Are You Gonna Go My Way?") are topped by the fact that heading the list up is Radiohead's "Creep." But I thought people were into Thom Yorke et al for their innovations! Anyhoo, Radiohead placed nine songs on the countdown, which seems to be the biggest single-band total on the list, a feat for which they're tied with R.E.M. Also of note: Hum's 1995 song "Stars" debuted on the list this year, for which they can likely thank Cadillac. The long, long list after the jump. More »

12:00 PM on Thu May 29 2008
By Maura Johnston
1,113 views, 20 comments

Latest by n/a: The picks for older punk bands are either cliche (tv party for black flag, holiday in cambodia for dead kennedys, institutionalized for suicidal, bitchen camero for dead milkmen)or mid to late career period (x, the clash, social distortion, pretenders, meat more »

we still haven't found what we're looking for

The Top Ten Not-Bonos

The social conscience and strident voice of Bono has influenced many a singer over the last few decades. The U2 frontman successfully melded the earnest social conscience of Bruce Springsteen with the self-glorifying pomp of European arena acts, realizing that both the Common Man and King Dick were below Jesus on the food chain. Sure there was precedent, but Sting is handicapped by his ego (and jazz bass), while Ian McCullough wanted to be a romantic poet/sex object more than the messiah. Here are ten singers who, at their best (or worst), have aspired to the Almighty's throne. More »

2:30 PM on Wed May 28 2008
By Anthony Miccio
1,311 views, 19 comments

Latest by prolixrush: Why isn't Ryan Adams playing guitar in that Late Show clip? Bizarre. Also, man, did he look smokin-ass hot with more meat on his bones. more »

espresso to yr skull

Sonic Youth Reveals Tracklisting For Daring Friend-Curated Hit Comp

As may you may have heard, Sonic Youth has decided to skip the traditional best-of route, instead getting famous friends like Mike D, Radiohead and Eddie Vedder to pick less familiar, more personal choices like "100%," "Kool Thing," and "Teen Age Riot." Only six of the fifteen older titles selected have never received a video treatment, and one of those is "Expressway To Yr Skull." This basically leaves "Stones," "Tuff Gnarl," "Rain On Tin," "Tom Violence" and "The World Looks Red" as genuinely surprising tracks to find on a SY comp, so thank you Allison Anders, Dave Eggers, Flea, Gus Van Sant, and Chloe Sevigny. Hits Are For Squares? Wouldn't a more accurate title have been Starpower? Let's attempt to deduce the curators' logic. More »

11:30 AM on Thu May 22 2008
By Anthony Miccio
804 views, 11 comments

Latest by Butch Huskey: no Incinerate? ; Sunday? My Friend Goo? Youth Against Fascism? ... more »

eeee-m-eyyyye

Coldplay Can't Be As Cool As Other Major-Label Acts Because They're On A Major Label

Chris Martin would love for Coldplay to be one of those maverick bands revolutionizing the world of music through independent online retail and eliminating the time between the creation of an album and it's release, but he feels faithful to EMI, much as you would to an elderly grandparent. "We have absolute respect for the Radioheads and Raconteurs and people who can do what they like. We're in contract though, so we're just going to make the most of it and enjoy the people we get to work with." Actually, the Raconteurs are signed to Warner, Chris. Don't pretend the major label connection is the only reason you can't come up anything more novel than free concerts and recording in a church with Brian Eno. More »

1:00 PM on Wed May 14 2008
By Anthony Miccio
561 views, 8 comments

Latest by Captain Wrong: AOL? Umm, AOR, maybe? more »

expansion teams

Radiohead Turns "House Of Cards" Into A Total Jock Jam

The above ad for the NBA playoffs features "House Of Cards" from Radiohead's In Rainbows, a bit of licensing that, according to the eagle-eared blogger at Songs For Soap, may be the first time the band's licensed its music for ad markets in the US. Perhaps the fact that Steve Nash of the recently eliminated Suns was in this particular ad helped Thom & Co. warm up to licensing the track to the NBA? In 2002, he told ESPN The Magazine, "But you know, what's so great about them is that you can interpret the lyrics any way you feel.... I love Radiohead. They're really clever guys. And the music itself is just excellent." I wonder if he bought the In Rainbows discbox! After the jump, another ad, which brings together LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and "Water From The Same Source" by the incredible string ensemble Rachel's. More »

4:00 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Maura Johnston
365 views, 11 comments

Latest by Halfwit: @britneyspearstears: They touched on it, but only in reference to how the increased exposure helped downloads/sales of the Niggy Tardust album (the irony being that the song doesn't even appear on that album, of course). more »

the new model

Radiohead Already Over The Whole Free Download Thing

The "pay what you want" online release of In Rainbows may have set Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan off to discover their own maverick ways, but it looks like Thom Yorke is a little tired of the brave new world. "I think it was a one-off response to a particular situation," said Yorke. Rather than admit that he's loving the taste of Dave Matthews' crunchy granola over at ATO, or that financially the online release of In Rainbows wasn't all that it could have been, he's crediting his anomie on the lack of "significance" it would have if they did it again. It's always about significance with you, isn't it, Thom? More »

9:45 AM on Wed Apr 30 2008
By Anthony Miccio
580 views, 9 comments

Latest by n/a: Comment on Radiohead Already Over The Whole Free Download Thing um, In Rainbows didn't "set Billy Corgan off" to do anything. Smashing Pumpkins released an album for free way back in 2000, back when ipods and mp3s were still not more »

self-aggrandizements

Thom Yorke Asking For A Carbon Footprint Up His Ass

Radiohead will be performing on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Wednesday, which falls during NBC's "Green Week." Radiohead was the first band to play on the long-running show back in 1993, so it's a bit of a sentimental moment for everyone involved. Thing is, the band is sending a clip of themselves performing in London rather than flying down to perform on set. Thom will announce before the clip that by not flying across the Atlantic Ocean, they'll be saving a lot of resources for Gaia. So should fans decrease their carbon footprint by not sitting in Conan's audience? Or maybe just not sit through yet another clip of Radiohead playing live? More »

1:15 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Anthony Miccio
1,021 views, 18 comments

Latest by Wasp vs Stryper: @Maura Johnston: OMG yes! And then like PCU, Radiohead can adopt an endangered species to be their mascot. Whooping crane. Also, does it mention in their self congratulating press release anywhere that they don't support EMI's soon to be released box set? Because more »

100 and single

Countin' Down The Drum Stems! Remixable Single Gives Radiohead A Hit

Ed. note: Chris "dennisobell" Molanphy, our resident chart guru, looks at the upward, downward, and lack of movement on this week's Billboard charts:

For all their popularity the world over, songs by Radiohead haven't exactly set the charts alight. (Even in their homeland: they've never scored a U.K. No. 1.) In part that's due to their status as a top-tier album act; fans would sooner buy the full-length than an individual track.

But it's also a function of Radiohead's erratic approach to singles. Sometimes they pack singles with invaluable B-sides for collectors; sometimes songs are only serviced to radio—and that includes some of the band's catchiest tunes ("Let Down," "Bodysnatchers").

This week, we have evidence that Radiohead should release singles more often—or at least, release them in pieces. They score only the second U.S. Top 40 hit of their career, with one of the least catchy songs on the catchier-than-usual In Rainbows.

"Nude" debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 37, instantly becoming their biggest hit since "Creep" made No. 34 in 1993. Honestly, though, the two hits aren't remotely comparable in terms of popularity. "Nude" achieves this high chart placement thanks to Radiohead releasing the song as a remix project, and asking rabid fans to pay 99 cents for each piece of the mix. Which they dutifully did.

More »

5:15 PM on Thu Apr 10 2008
By Chris Molanphy
1,773 views, 14 comments

premature announcements

Full Lollapalooza Line-Up Announced, Perry Peeved At "Pepe Le Pew"

Perry Farrell thinks little of Jim DeRogatis, the Chicago Sun-Times writer who leaked this year's headliners for Lollapalooza. "This guy, he's a stinker, so it was kind of like having a skunk at the party. So what do we do? Well, I think we should make him the stinky mascot. ... That's what I'm going to do. ... Pepe LePew," sneered the festival figurehead and lost cause. Responded Jim, "Wasn't Pepe the one who always got the girls? What the heck is wrong with that?" Actually, Pepe didn't get the girls, DeRo. Pepe was an overly amorous skunk that pathologically assaulted cats that had accidentally walked against wet paint. And the cats didn't like it. Anyhooo, the full line-up for Lollapalooza, which takes place Aug. 1-3 in Chicago, is out now. Behold! More »

9:00 AM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Anthony Miccio
1,496 views, 13 comments

Latest by katieee: Perry's just steamed because of some criticism DeRogatis threw his way last year regarding the increased presence of corporate sponsorship, etc. at Lollapalooza. Not to mention its inane choke hold on summer concert bookings in Chicago - bands can't play more »

premieres

Obligatory Pitchfork.TV Discussion Thread

After much hype, Pitchfork.tv launched today, and it is totally... a site with original music-video content. Like many of this summer's festivals, Radiohead is the headliner, tossing off a performance of "Bangers and Mash" that came out of a jam session in Nigel Godrich's basement. Which autoplays every time you go to the site, which is just a little annoying. I'd write more of a blow-by-blow review, but in the time that it takes to watch LoudQuietLoud this could become a 50-comment thread! More »

8:56 AM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Maura Johnston
866 views, 5 comments

Latest by Catbirdseat: Whoa, the video quality is really good! And re: LoudquietLoud/50 comment thread-- I too am unsure I can sit thru long-form movies on compooter in one sitting. BUT! You know, as is the case with several other audio/video "streaming" sites, you can more »

web 2.no

Radiohead Social Network To Bring The Circle Jerk A Little Closer Together

Radiohead fans, are you tired of congregating everywhere on the Internet to sing the praises of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and those other dudes? It doesn't seem like it, from the way that you'll take to any comment section in any far-flung blog, but the boys in the band are betting that you'd love to find just one place to get together and find people just like you! (Plus, now that Thom et al have already changed the music industry forever and ever, they need to give their Web team something to do.) Head on over to Waste Central, Radiohead's safe space for fans to bond over their shared ownership of the In Rainbows box set. The best part about the site? It shows that the trailblazing band isn't afraid of following in the footsteps of Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, Kylie Minogue, and other artists who have decided to "monetize their userbase" by cutting them off from the rest of the Internet and plopping them inside boutique social networks that are emblazoned with lots of e-commerce links. More »

11:05 AM on Fri Apr 4 2008
By Maura Johnston
849 views, 2 comments

Latest by GOKOR: I missread and thought you were talking about The Circle Jerks, not an actual circle jerk. Radiohead blows. more »

Idolator

A Long Listmaking Exercise For A Long Weekend

Posts Tagged “Radiohead”