The English rock band has been on the scene, redefining and pushing the limits of rock since 1985. With almost 32 years together as an active band, Radiohead has more than a few stories and strange antics up their sleeves. Here is a list of some of our favorites.
1.For All The Potter Fans!
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Phil Selway and Johnny Greenwood (along with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker) are three of the members of The Weird Sisters, the popular wizarding band from the fictional world of Harry Potter.
2. That’s How The Pros Do It.
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The entirety of the vocals for “Planet Telex” was recorded while lying on the floor, as lead singer Thom Yorke was excessively inebriated on wine at the time.
3. It All Goes Down On Friday
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The band was originally called On A Friday, named so for the day they would meet for practice while in school together. The name Radiohead came from the Talking Heads song “Radio Head”
4. Never Forget Her..
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Thom Yorke wrote the song “Creep” after being rejected by a girl he was infatuated with at Exeter University. According to Jonny Greenwood, the girl had shown up at a concert the band was playing in Exeter. “Thom was mortified because he’s never spoken to her or anything. He just followed her for a couple of days or a week or whatever about two or three years ago. And here she was. He was very shaken up after that.”
5. Nothing Like The Real Thing!
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The noises you hear at the beginning of “The Bends”, are in reality a bunch of rowdy teenagers who were practicing with different instruments outside the hotel in which the album was recorded. When he heard the racket, Thom Yorke reportedly ran downstairs to record them.
6. We Don’t Need No Fashion Police
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According to Thom, the main reason that Collin and himself ended up forming the band was their terrible taste in outfits. The two would often get invited to the same parties, where their weird outfits would make them stand out, which led them to spend a lot of time together and sharing their passion for music.
7. That’s What He Said
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Thom’s very first words to drummer Phil Selway at their inaugural rehearsal were “Can’t you play any fucking faster?”
8. Real Life Accidents Inspired Their Lyrics
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Thom Yorke has a phobia of driving, originating from a car accident in 1987 that he suffered through with his girlfriend at the time. This may be the reason why Radiohead has more songs about car crashes in their arsenal than any other band, including “Airbag,” “Stupid Car,” and “Killer Cars.” Besides this, Thom Yorke also has a solo song about a car crash on Spitting Feathers titled “Drunkk Machine.”
9. Ain’t A fan!
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Thom Yorke reportedly hates the sound of his own voice. He claims that he finds his voice annoying because it is “too polite” for the genre of music that he sings.
10. That’s Life, You’ll!
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The song “True Love Waits” was originally recorded when Thom Yorke was first married. It is now the final track on an album released following the sad end of his 23-year-long marriage. The first word on A Moon Shaped Pool is “Stay”, the last is “Leave.”