Canada, Toronto: The Opera House

Live in Toronto, CFNY

Live in Toronto, CFNY
recorded at 2:45pm, june 3
aired at approx. 7:00pm

host: Kim Hughs (k)
guests: Thom (t), Ed (e), and Colin (c)

k. on the 17th of June the new radiohead record will be in shops. It's is
called Ok Computer. As well the band is in town for a sold out show this
evening at the Opera House and with us in the studio now Thom Yorke,
Colin Greenwood and Ed O'Brien.

k- very nice to have you and i guess there is a lot to talk bout so let's
get right into it. One of the interesting things about this record that a
little bit different with the first two you worked with producers,
specifically Slade and Coldurn, you worked with both of them on both the
records ahhh you went this one alone or what?

t- actually it just ended up being Nigel, the co-producer, it was his
rack really. and uh he became a nervous reck..poor chap! and that was
probably my fault..but anyway. so he did it, he mixed it, we just went no
and yes a lot very unhelpfully. cause by that point we had a little too
much.

k- we're gonna play the single in a few minutes i wanted to start with
some of the other stuff from the ablum uhh the give people a taste..but i
wanted to ask you about the video for paranoid android the first single.
and its interesting because the first thing that occured to me when i saw
it was that i guess you know cartoons breats and cartoon dismemberment is
less offence to the censors than...well non-offence at all i guess

c- real dismemberment

k- than real dismemberment..hahhahah was that a consideration at all?

c- strange that!

t- ummm no! it was ummm i didn't.. i don't think .. i don't actually
think we thought...i don't think we actually thought that would be a big
issue really. it hasn't been an issue really. Strangely, strange that MTV
were the only ones that really...done any censoring in MTV Europe they
ummm they didn't censor it for the first week cos the Censor was ill! so
they just played it anyway b/c she was ill! and in America they...they
were offended by women's nipples but not by a guy chopping his legs and
arms off!

t- so ummm that's it i think.

k- was there any sort of thumbs down from the record company about not
actually having the band appearing in it? I mean you're at a point now
where you are highly recognizable and....

t- well i..i...i...if there was they didn't say anything...so they're
being very nice about it! They are confused faces ummm but ummm we're
only in it for five seconds so fair enough! well have to kind of make up
for it elsewhere i suppose.

k- we're gonna play some music from the album the first song that i chose
to play was Subterrain Homesick Alien. It's only of my favourites on the
record. umm we should mention we will be getting people in on the
conversation in a minute so stick around this is brand new music from RH
on Toronto's New Rock 102.1 The Edge!

k- 102.1 The Edge.. that is music from RH taken from the forth
coming...(interruped by annoying girls screaming..ack!) taken from the
forth coming album Ok Computer! and the band is performing a sold out
show this evening at the Opera house..once again we have Thom and Colin
<grunt> and Ed....that was a Thom grunt by the way.. for future
reference. so, so far it's interesting there's been ah a bit of press
coming out in the UK...the cover of Melody Maker, that's recent, ahh Q
magazine, a fairly respectable monthly magazine <ppffftttt> (Thom)....or
not! althougth frankly...i would of put you on the cover over Paul
McCartney! But that's just me! umm but but generally it semms that the
tone of it has been quite good. is that sort of a good thing or do you
get worried when press start saying something is really good? Do you
begin to sort of internalize it somewhat and and maybe doubt it? i guess
what i'm asking essentially is if you have any respect for the press?

audience- yes!
no!

t- uhhh no...yah no!

audience- give them the finger man!

e- give them the finger! hahahah

t- uhhh they said some nice things but they said some really nasty things
so i dunno really! the the only reason they put us on the cover is b/c
they think it will sell copies of there magazine and that's the end of it
really. So we use them and they use us! and it's all very revolting!
but...wooooo! we are tarts we are prostitutes! like everyone else!

k- but i guess you've seen it both ways..i mean i remember you telling me
uhhh some time ago about...i guess it was NME....a reviewer coming to a
show in Germany or something and you were genuinely ill and had tried to
convey this to this person that you were ill...and that was why you
couldn;t complete the show and dispite having that knowledge they went
ahead and sort of slagged you off anyways! so i mean obviously
you've..you know..felt the sting of that!

t- ummm well yah..it's kinda like the tabloids press in Britian in the
sense that you have no way of answering back when people write things
about you..that's it! they write it and you have to accept it and there
is no way out and that's the same everywhere! so it's maybe just b/c i'm
not kinda used to it yet and not tough enough yet to do it!

k- let's go back to the record...specifically, there's a spoken word part
that sort of the center piece of the album that people will notice when
they hear it. ummm fitter happier i think is the title? ummm that Steven
Hawking?

e- ummmm no! Everyone is saying that 'so when did you drag Steven Hawking
into the recording studio?'

t- we should of just lied and said that it was!

e- ummm no! it's the same software..it's the software from an Apple
Macintosh Computer that obviously he has the same software when he vocal
and umm it was Thom...well you should explain a bit bout this really...

t- well ummm it was something i wrote and didn't expect to go anywhere
and them ummm ahh Stanley Domwood, the guy that we did the art with ahh
he sort of picked, he was playing with my portable and got it to say the
words to this thing and ahhh after a bit of juggling around it sounded
really...musical ahhh so it was kinda all the things that i couldn't work
out..i had to say elsewhere in the record so put them all there! and it
was really and it was..umm the thing i really like about it is the piano
thing underneath! which i think i played when i was completely off the
face! and it sounds great! sorry!

k- that's fine! there are two songs on this record that people will
recognize. one is lucky which people would of heard from the WAr Child
soundtrack...HELP album. ummm sorry...the other one is the music that
went over the closing credits of the film Romeo and Juliet. ummm why are
you laughing?

t- well it was weird cos we were still recording and when it came out and
we were monitoring the chat lines as well, as we do, and they were
talking bout it and how there was one guy in Canada who had been to see
it and he'd uhh he was there with his friend and uhhh it was a three
hundred cinema and they were the only two who had stayed and they taped
it and he wrote something about it and i thought that was so exciting cos
we were still there doing the record and yet you could sit there and uhh
watch these people talking bout it.....

e- but the thing is also isn't when he got the tape back home..he taped
it all he could here were the clanking of seats....hahahahah...

t- yeah yeah

k- so did that influence your decision at all..this poor shmuck who uhh
you know wanted to give him a good version?

t- uhhh no not really..it was kinda the first thing we were really into
once we started doing the album properly..so it had to go in really! ummm
it's kinda the best performance that we had ever done i think!

k- just before we play another track and then turn it over to our studio
audience <annoying noise from some girls> ...i read somewhere that....

t- that's them there!

k- that's them there! ahhh and i hope this is true..but didn't you have
some sort of film ahhh or a little film made for each of the tracks on
the record or did you have a concept to do that?

t- no concepts..but ummm yeah we wanna do it but ummm we need money! so
we're taking the opportunity of this program to launch an appeal to
complete... well we need bout a million dollars

c- dig deep yes!

t- so if anys of you have got that...ahhh espeacially the Canadian Film
Board actually that would be great but they probably wouldn't be
interested in us would they mind...

k- so where would that end up eventually? would that be issued perhaps on
a long form video or uhhh surely not all of them would be....

t- yeah the idea is to do them to a b-movie to uhh uhh another film like
uhh Talking Heads did to Stop Making Sense! and uhh and that would be
cool! if we could do that...and it would be great to actually have it in
the cinema i mean paranoid android would certainly blow your head off in
the cinema!

e- even if we had the cinema ourselves you know...

t- yeah but we can't just do one of them...it would cost even more
wouldn't it?! and we just shot Karma Police which was uhh which is
bonkers! it's just a car chasing...actually i won't say cos i don't wanna
rip us off!

k- ok! uhhh i believe the next song we're gonna play is Electioneering
which is one that people may uhh recognize from the sets if they saw you
at Varsity Arena..i believe you played last year

t- yes yes...quite different there..but yeah!

k- anything you;d like to add about that song before we uhh get into it?

t- uhh uhhh i kinda like to think that it sounds like a truck driving
through someones front window...in my dreams!

k- hahahahah one that note this is Electioneering on 102.1 The Edge!

k- 102.1 The Edge..more music from RH from OK COmputer! What do you think
of that track?

e- hahaha...there's someone here with a plackard saying 'scream'

k- that seems to be the din of a approval! uhh we should mention that we
are speaking with Thom and Colin and Ed and we are gonna get the audience
in on the action right after this!

k- welcome back to Live in Toronto...my name is Kim! we are in
conversation with members of RH, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood and Ed
O'Brien and maybe a round of applause jsut for the record...

k- so just before we get to some audience questions....umm we should
mention that you are going off to New York to do a show there on your own
but you are also participating in the Tebiatian Freedom Concert...which
is pretty cool...the line up is...you're in good company i think!

t- yeah...

k- have you played with any of those groups before...you've played with
Alanis Morrisette i know that....

t- <makes sound like his is hurling (quaint)>...it wasn't me! REM..we
played with REM obviously...uhh nobody else really...

e- Foo Fighters...

t- oh yeah pavement...blur...yeah we played with blur umm it would be
good if we actually umm shit's up the Chinese governement. that's the
idea of do it! not anything else...just to uhh embarress them into doing
something..and if it happens it would be amazing..but if it doesn't won't
be unexpected!

k- well you're doing your part anyway..so....

t- yeah

k- that's the best you can do. why don't we turn to the audience. i know
we have some people who have been waiting so please step up to the mic!

t- step up to the mic!

person 1- i was just wondering if you have anymore shows schedualed b/c
the first one sold out so fast?

t- yeah..sorry bout that!

e- yeah..we do! we're playing in August! umm well it was the end of July
beginning of August.. yeah it will be the start of..the..well the gigs we
are doing at the moment umm if you like are.. puppet shows b/c we're
doing promo and we're doing interviews and stuff like that..once..when we
come back in August we'll be like doing just straight gigs...so...yeah!

person 1- ok thanks!

k- 48 seconds! is the offical time that the tickets sold out!

t- well what do you....ummm who's got them them? someone...oh ok good!
your credit cards must work very very fast! i don;t get it..i don;t know
how they do that! but anyway!

k- very efficent system

t- someone will have to sit down with me and explain it to me! sounds
like some tout (i dunno what thom says here..some engish slang i think)
has walked away with 1,000 tickets!

k- i would hope not..but we'll see outside the venue tonite! ahhh
question for RH?

person 2- yeah hi! i was just wondering like what kinda music you guys
listened too when you were growing up....

t - growing up?

person 2- that influenced you? yeah!

t- uhhh i'd have to say there was...the thing that influenced me the most
was when i was 15 was REM song called Beginner Begin (not sure bout the
title) which is on Life's Rich Pagent and i was into like sythesizers and
Japan and stupid haircuts uhh....and i heard that and i..i..that was
it..it was all decided after that! what bout you Edward?

e- i was ummm..as the others will testify..i was heavyly heavyly into
thge Smiths! and i am only just...<applause>...no no no..i have to
explain something..it's a double edged sword! b/c i'm only just
recovering from the influence of the Smiths so you know as a teenager it
was..it was..it kinda affected me completely and only now getting the
courage to speak to people....

t- who care about it.....

e- yeah! so umm...

k- colin? i think we're going around the horn...as Tom Snider would say!

c- uhhh i remember as a kid having a Byrds (i think) live album..it was
fantastic! i sang Polly Wolly all the Day and uhh if you could swallow a
fly! i was like age 9...8...7...7 or 8 so yeah....that;s cool! i played
it a lot....

t- (says something here can't make it out)

c- i like to think so!

k- so did you exert much of your taste, by force or uhh other measures on
your brother...<sound of chair squeaking as Colin leans back not
paying attention to kim>..the guitar player in your group?

c- what? sorry?

c- was that question? what did oyu say about my brother? exerted any...i
know that he is an lawra (i dunno some english word me thinks) unto
himself! there's no possible way that umm....

t- yeah but you did used to exert force onto him!

c- well..force! ahh i never did beat him up as a kid..it was more
psychological violence..i..i..got him into trouble at school with the
psychologist by mixing...he's colour blind..and i used to mix up his
crayons <audience laughter> so he produce these paintings for his teacher
where the sky was painted green and the grass was red!

c- so..they thought he was psychologically seriously disturbed child!
hahahah! that was my fault because he used to reley on me to give himt he
right colouring coloured pencils!

c- you all hate me now don't you?!

k- so does that dynamic ever sort of manifest itself in the band, in
terms of...umm you know maybe tilting the axis one way or the other? i
mean do you guys tend to stick together uhh in terms of decisions or...

t- yes..quite revolting actually! we're like glue!

k- seriously..or are you being fecisious (dunno how to spell it)?

t- uhhh possibly!

k- yes!

k- let's move on..we have another question from the audience..

person 3- oh hi!

t- hiya!

e- great shirt! (can't make it out) great t-shirt!

person 3- hi my name is roger! i'm a long time listener of you guys! so
just before i ask my question i'd like to say about the new album..i
think it's really great!

t- thank you!

person 3- yeah and uhh i heard it already! so it's...

t- so, you've heard it already then?

person 3- yeah...i was really surprised about Airbag being live like
that!

t- cool!

person 3- i was hoping Phil would be here so that i could tell him...he
stands out a lot more on this album than the last two!

k- Phil with his iwn fan club in Japan! not many drummers can boast that!

t- no!

e- yeah!

k- extrodinary! we're speaking with RH. we're gonna play a song from the
album OK Computer called the Tourist..another personal fave and uhhh....

t- excuse me Kim... sorry for interrupting...he didn't asked his
question....

person 3- no that's fine...my question is about the track listings of the
album....and ummm i guess i was pretty impressed with it..i was hoping to
see man-o-war or uhhh true love we on it...

t- uh huh!

person 3- but i wanted to ask you about Lucky...a lot of people i've been
talking to were wondering why Lucky would be on the album...like dont;
you really feel that you're taking away profits from th HELP benefit
album by putting it on your own?

t- no! cos we asked them before hand i mean we..you know..cause we
figured that the reason it went on that album in the first place was b/c
that was the only thing we could physically record at that moment that
people hadn't heard..umm we can't do covers! so it was like..you know we
need to do this..now! and secondly it was like well...it would be..i
would be really upset i think all my life if it never really went on one
of our albums...cos its you know it's not fair!

e- and the other thing is that the HELP album is now deleted...you can;t
buy it the shops.....

person 3- yeah Go DIscs! went out of business?!

c- yeah there's a lot of stories bout that...and also the other thing is
that it's an important part of our live set...and so we obviously wanna
play it every night! but we also want it to be on a record...otherwise
what's the point in playing it live every night if people can't take it
home with them!

t- a lot of people..i mean in Canada and England know it..really know
it...but elsewhere people really don't know it! cause the HELP album
really didn't sell anywhere else! so it was really important to us that
it went on!

person 3- okie can i ask one more question?

t- yeah!

person 3- can you talk about the track you did with Brain Eno for Velvet
Goldmine Soundtrack?

t- umm we didn't do it with Brain Eno i mean it was a cover of an old
Roxy song when Brain used to be in the band!

person 3- oh..ok!

t- it was three..it was Two HB and <trumpet sound from Thom> Bittersweet
and one other...Ladytron! and we did it like with Bernard Butler and this
guy called Kloon (i dunno how to spell the name) who's in this band
called David Grape! and we did it in two days! and it was great..anyways
it's on the album..i have to sing in German...and i don't know any
German!

person 3- when do you expect that out?

t- i dunno....still shooting at the moment...so i don't know.

person 3- ok well...

t- ok!

**** here is where i had to flip over the tape so i kinda missed a little
bit but nothing to exciting..if anyone else has it..they may wanna fill
this part in....i do knwo they play The Tourist here somewhere****

k- thanks for some great question..we're gonna let you go..i just wanna
mention that you will be coming back later in the summer. i wanna thank
you very much for coming here today and i also wanna sincerly wish you
the best of luck..you're deserving of all the successes that you may
reep...and i think they will be many!

t- thank you very much!

k- from OK Computer....this is Paranoid Android on 102.1 The Edge

okie that's about it....shesssh that was a lot of typing..ACK!! well
enjoy! :)

rose