Born on October 7th: Thom Yorke (ex-Radiohead) is smiling again!
Born on October 7th: Thom Yorke (ex-Radiohead) is smiling again!
The native of Northamptonshire (England) is now 56 years old and has been presiding over the destiny of The Smile since 2022
In addition to the nine albums released by Radiohead from 1993 to 2016, Thom Yorke has led a number of other side projects: three solo albums, the short-lived supergroup Atoms For Peace (with Flea, bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and the almost peaceful but still vindictive The Smile, already responsible for two albums including "Wall Of Eyes" released in 2024.
A tireless activist, Thom Yorke does not abandon any of the causes for which he has been committed at some point in his life: Amnesty International of course; Tibet still in the hands of China; animal welfare; and above all Greenpeace. Taking advantage of the sounding board that his status as an artist gives him, Thom Yorke regularly metamorphoses into an activist that always advocates non-violence.
I was lucky enough to meet him in 1995 when "The Bends", Radiohead's second album, was released. The success of "Creep" had already happened, but the singer was no less attentive to the questions he was asked. A kindness tinged with humility and even shyness that does not seem to have left him nearly 30 years later. Here is a seemingly innocuous, not to say obvious, question which nevertheless provided a most unexpected answer!
For the recording of this second album, you chose, for the most part, a studio called The Manor not far from Oxford. Was it an important choice for you?
Thom Yorke: "It allows us to add a bunch of scary stories to our repertoire that we picked up there! Do you want me to tell you about the clock? I was staying in a room that turned out to be the most appreciated by the spirits. Just by glancing in the mirror, I could feel my hair stand on end. One night, my girlfriend (Rachel Owen, who would become the mother of his two children) went to bed while we were still working. She placed a very valuable watch that her grandmother had given her on the bedside table. Her grandmother appeared to her in a dream and warned her, insistently, to watch the clock. When she woke up, the dial was broken, and the hands had stopped at three o'clock in the morning. Waahh!!"
It's not just Thom Yorke's songs that give you the chills. His recording anecdotes too!
(AK/ML - Photo: Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Thom Yorke appearing with The Smile on the stage of the TW Classic in Werchter (Belgium) on June 25, 2022 (© Etienne Tordoir)