I'm going to be completely honest, they're my favorite band, and that is an understatement.
They have held that title since I first listened to The Bends when I was 14, falling in love with the song Just. The cynicism of the lyrics juxtaposed to gorgeous guitar riffs made complete sense to me. A seemingly simple alternative rock guitar album, it would lead me to adoringly obsess over 5 middle age English musicians and change how I understand music entirely. Was it OK Computer, in my view one the best albums of the 1990's, that cemented my appreciation, after listening for hours to the cd on my walkman riding the bus in highschool? Perhaps Kid A, an album that I would put on every night for a year as I went to bed, lulling me to sleep at a point in my life where I needed nothing more than an escape to the lush electronica of what I pronounce to be my favourite record of all time. The anecdotes are endless.
I've sang There, There with a room full of strangers played perfectly on an acoustic guitar as someone cried. I paid $0.00 for In Rainbows on WASTE. I've watched Scotch Mist released on New Years Eve, 15 Step on the Grammys, and countless hours of concert footage. I've tracked tour set list data, desperately tried to learn alternative tuning, and seriously contemplated spending thousands to see every live show on the West Coast. I based an entire grade 12 English project relating the band's lyrics to 1984. I've skipped a university English class to stand in line for The Universal Sigh on my friend's birthday, only to be told my city was the only one to have them delayed, and then return the next day. I've walked at midnight with my closest friend crying to How to Disappear Completely, and wandered my university campus screaming I Might Be Wrong with my best friends after a night at the pub. I've bought and given Radiohead literature. The phrase "Lotus Flower Time" has become ingrained in my lexicon. I've purchased the newspaper album, 10" singles, and limited run, UK edition, disc 2 versions of the No Surprises single. I'll never forget listening to The King of Limbs at 5 am when it was released early online, an album I will forever associate with one of the most memorable years of my life. I've started friendships solely on the fact that we share a love of Radiohead. Their music saved my life at a time when I experienced soul crushing depression, and I've never seen them live.
From Pablo Honey to Ok Computer, Kid A to In Rainbows, and The King of Limbs to whatever Thom, Jonny, Phil, Colin, and Ed dream up next, there is not a band currently making music that has explored and pioneered such a diverse range of musical ideas. Jazz, dubstep, reggae, and classical have all been referenced with grace and respect, whilst pushed to their boundaries and encompassed by Thom Yorke's lyrics of interpersonal anguish that resonate deeply with those who have skirted the periphery of society. I've waited for what has seemed like an eternity to stand with 20,000 other fans of the greatest band in the world. On April 9th, I'll cross a border, drive three hours, wait for in line for seven, and scream along to every word. I'll try and keep it together, because it's Radiohead.
Here's a playlist of my favourite songs I'll probably never hear live.
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