Thom Yorke on fame, fear and ugly beauty

Interview·Melody Maker, March 1995· Also featuringNirvana·Manic Street Preachers·Sonic Youth·Phil Collins·Thom Yorke

Early 1995, and Radiohead were poised to leave the indie circuit for a much bigger orbit. 'Creep' had made their name and boxed them in; with 'High And Dry' and 'Planet Telex' on the way, Thom Yorke sat down with Melody Maker on the uneasy threshold of mass popularity — thrilled and unnerved in equal measure.

“You drink out of boredom and frustration.”

— Thom Yorke, on life on the road.

“It's a brilliant song, but we do have others. We have fucking others.”

— Thom Yorke, on being reduced to one hit.

“We've always written screaming pop songs.”

— Thom Yorke, on why the band exists in the mainstream.

“I totally fear women. I fear all women.”

— Thom Yorke, on his uneasy relationship with beauty.

Read the original

Originally published as “RADIOHEAD are being called the U2 it’s okay to like” in Melody Maker, March 1995 (from page 2). The scan below is hosted by the Internet Archive.

View this scan on archive.org