“Guilt is good! It’s the flip side of empathy.”
November 24, 2015 8:40 AM Subscribe
The Paris-based magazine Télérama have published a conversation between Thom Yorke and author/activist George Monbiot. Yorke is a professed fan of Monbiot's writing, and throughout the interview, the two men discussed climate change.Throughout the conversation, Yorke and Monbiot discuss how they've responded to climate change in their day-to-day lives—becoming vegetarian, Radiohead's carbon neutral touring initiative, and so on. Yorke said that for a time, figuring out how to reduce his carbon footprint became an obsession.
Yorke said that for a time, figuring out how to reduce his carbon footprint became an obsession.
This is the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke
posted by clockzero at 10:24 AM on November 24, 2015
This is the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke
posted by clockzero at 10:24 AM on November 24, 2015
This is the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke
Noel Gallagher doesn't give a fuck about his carbon footprint.
posted by echocollate at 10:40 AM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
Noel Gallagher doesn't give a fuck about his carbon footprint.
posted by echocollate at 10:40 AM on November 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
What does "rare world-famous bands who have refused to make a Faustian pact with their artistic freedom" mean? What is the faustian pact in this case? What is an example of a band who made such a pact?
posted by LeafToe at 10:40 AM on November 24, 2015
posted by LeafToe at 10:40 AM on November 24, 2015
What is an example of a band who made such a pact?
ZZ Top.
posted by thelonius at 10:45 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
ZZ Top.
posted by thelonius at 10:45 AM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
What does "rare world-famous bands who have refused to make a Faustian pact with their artistic freedom" mean? What is the faustian pact in this case? What is an example of a band who made such a pact?
The quoted statement is just sorta cliché / conventional wisdom about Radiohead. I'm not sure whether you mostly don't understand what it means, or mostly don't agree with it.
But the way I understand the cliché is this: there is a temptation for very successful acts to try to camp out on the part of the musical landscape that made them successful and stay there forever, milking it. (Or maybe what they got famous doing is the only thing they're good at.) By contrast, Radiohead has continued to explore musical terrain different from what they were doing when they first got famous.
The point is most obvious when comparing The Bends or OK Computer with Kid A. The former are both clearly in the '90s alternative rock tradition (although not typical examples), and, given their success, it would have been economically viable for Radiohead to keep making music like them forever. But instead they decided to go weird with Kid A, which moves into electronic soundscapes and dance music beats, and drops a lot of the sonic materials of rock music.
The suggestion is that their artistic direction is led by their artistic instincts, rather than the economics, even though there might have been a temptation to "cash in" by turning OK Computer into a formula.
This sort of sounds like the "authenticity" discourse that it's now trendy to regard as debunked. I don't know what to say to that. I like my music to be slightly adventurous and not to be determined by its business case. I flatter myself that business-case music sounds a little different to me, and I don't like the sound as much. If folks don't feel that way, they are encouraged to listen to what they like.
posted by grobstein at 11:20 AM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
The quoted statement is just sorta cliché / conventional wisdom about Radiohead. I'm not sure whether you mostly don't understand what it means, or mostly don't agree with it.
But the way I understand the cliché is this: there is a temptation for very successful acts to try to camp out on the part of the musical landscape that made them successful and stay there forever, milking it. (Or maybe what they got famous doing is the only thing they're good at.) By contrast, Radiohead has continued to explore musical terrain different from what they were doing when they first got famous.
The point is most obvious when comparing The Bends or OK Computer with Kid A. The former are both clearly in the '90s alternative rock tradition (although not typical examples), and, given their success, it would have been economically viable for Radiohead to keep making music like them forever. But instead they decided to go weird with Kid A, which moves into electronic soundscapes and dance music beats, and drops a lot of the sonic materials of rock music.
The suggestion is that their artistic direction is led by their artistic instincts, rather than the economics, even though there might have been a temptation to "cash in" by turning OK Computer into a formula.
This sort of sounds like the "authenticity" discourse that it's now trendy to regard as debunked. I don't know what to say to that. I like my music to be slightly adventurous and not to be determined by its business case. I flatter myself that business-case music sounds a little different to me, and I don't like the sound as much. If folks don't feel that way, they are encouraged to listen to what they like.
posted by grobstein at 11:20 AM on November 24, 2015 [5 favorites]
#faustworldproblems
posted by grobstein at 1:21 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by grobstein at 1:21 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
clockzero: This is the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke
This June, we went to Latitude Festival in Suffolk. A large part of the attraction was Portishead headlining a festival for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. The day of the Portishead set, rumours started that Thom Yorke would be playing a secret set at one of the smaller venues in the festival. Wow! Portishead and Yorke on the same day, no less! I kept my eyes peeled and started a social media surveillance campaign.
Throughout the day, the clues added up. Yorke's collaborator and producer Nigel Godrich tweeted some hints, as did the Guardian music journos. There were rumours of a late-night big name at the DJ/dance stage, Some Thom Yorke merchandise showed up at the T-shirt stalls. It was on!
Fast forward to the Portishead set. It's every bit as good as we hoped, but as it gets near to the end, we start to worry that a fair chunk of the arena crowd may have heard what we have , and that they're all going to want to try to cram into the tiny DJ venue. We decide to bail out early and get a prime spot at the DJ venue. It's busy, but we get in.
There's a young hip-hop band on. Not really our thing, but they're actually pretty good. When they finish, a fair chunk of the crowd leaves. We press on in, and now we're a few feet from the front. This is going to be a once in a lifetime chance to see Thom Yorke in an intimate venue. A swarm of a road crew emerges, and proceeds to dismantle and rebuild the stage. Lights, podiums, webcams and keyboards. So, so many keyboards. The anticipation builds. Then wanes. Where is he? The road crew re-emerges. Tweaks this camera and that light in minuscule adjustment, in iteration after iteration. The buzz subsides again, as nothing seems imminent.
Some time later - some looong time later - the buzz picks up again. Something seems to be happening, but we don't know what despite the fact we're practically on the stage. Everyone seems more excited. Then it transpires that there's an infusion of enthusiasm from some newcomers here to replace those who've given up. Unfortunately, these newcomers are enthused about the hot young DJ on the graveyard shift, and are couldn't care less about Thom Yorke.
Then, finally, something happens. Stage lights come up, movement is seen backstage, the interval music is turned off. The crowd, recently wakened for it's slumber, rises with enthusiasm to greet the 'secret' artist, Thom Yorke. It starts slowly. Ambient electronica. a subtle beat, speeding and slowing, waxing and waning. Here we go!
Reader I tell you, it was an experience. but not a good one. The electronica was uninspired, by turns plodding, discordant and predictable. The vocals were eyeball-curdlingly shrill, and ear-piercingly loud. It was as if someone had stuffed a baby dolphin, a casio keyboard and few kilos of grapeshot into a washing machine and set it on spin dry. It's 4 hours of our lives we'll never get back. To make matters worse, during the post-mortem next day we discovered that in the part of the Portishead set we'd missed Thom had joined the band to perform The Rip.
So, I can say in all sincerity, this is not the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke.
posted by Jakey at 2:58 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
This June, we went to Latitude Festival in Suffolk. A large part of the attraction was Portishead headlining a festival for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. The day of the Portishead set, rumours started that Thom Yorke would be playing a secret set at one of the smaller venues in the festival. Wow! Portishead and Yorke on the same day, no less! I kept my eyes peeled and started a social media surveillance campaign.
Throughout the day, the clues added up. Yorke's collaborator and producer Nigel Godrich tweeted some hints, as did the Guardian music journos. There were rumours of a late-night big name at the DJ/dance stage, Some Thom Yorke merchandise showed up at the T-shirt stalls. It was on!
Fast forward to the Portishead set. It's every bit as good as we hoped, but as it gets near to the end, we start to worry that a fair chunk of the arena crowd may have heard what we have , and that they're all going to want to try to cram into the tiny DJ venue. We decide to bail out early and get a prime spot at the DJ venue. It's busy, but we get in.
There's a young hip-hop band on. Not really our thing, but they're actually pretty good. When they finish, a fair chunk of the crowd leaves. We press on in, and now we're a few feet from the front. This is going to be a once in a lifetime chance to see Thom Yorke in an intimate venue. A swarm of a road crew emerges, and proceeds to dismantle and rebuild the stage. Lights, podiums, webcams and keyboards. So, so many keyboards. The anticipation builds. Then wanes. Where is he? The road crew re-emerges. Tweaks this camera and that light in minuscule adjustment, in iteration after iteration. The buzz subsides again, as nothing seems imminent.
Some time later - some looong time later - the buzz picks up again. Something seems to be happening, but we don't know what despite the fact we're practically on the stage. Everyone seems more excited. Then it transpires that there's an infusion of enthusiasm from some newcomers here to replace those who've given up. Unfortunately, these newcomers are enthused about the hot young DJ on the graveyard shift, and are couldn't care less about Thom Yorke.
Then, finally, something happens. Stage lights come up, movement is seen backstage, the interval music is turned off. The crowd, recently wakened for it's slumber, rises with enthusiasm to greet the 'secret' artist, Thom Yorke. It starts slowly. Ambient electronica. a subtle beat, speeding and slowing, waxing and waning. Here we go!
Reader I tell you, it was an experience. but not a good one. The electronica was uninspired, by turns plodding, discordant and predictable. The vocals were eyeball-curdlingly shrill, and ear-piercingly loud. It was as if someone had stuffed a baby dolphin, a casio keyboard and few kilos of grapeshot into a washing machine and set it on spin dry. It's 4 hours of our lives we'll never get back. To make matters worse, during the post-mortem next day we discovered that in the part of the Portishead set we'd missed Thom had joined the band to perform The Rip.
So, I can say in all sincerity, this is not the first time that I've ever wanted to slap Thom Yorke.
posted by Jakey at 2:58 PM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
Metafilter: as if someone had stuffed a baby dolphin, a casio keyboard and few kilos of grapeshot into a washing machine and set it on spin dry.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 8:36 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by armoir from antproof case at 8:36 PM on November 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
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