Thom Yorke closes the door on a Radiohead comeback. In an interview with Australian broadcaster Double J, the frontman was asked to answer a question about how his “fertile” work with Jonny Greenwood on The Smile project had led fans to speculate about the possibility of new Radiohead music. Yorke's reply was brutal: “I don't know about it and I really don't care. No offense to anyone, and thanks for your interest. But I think we've earned the right to do what makes sense to us, without having to explain and take into account what other people think we should do,” replied the frontman, who added: “We are in a privileged position in that we can still make music thanks to Radiohead, so I'm not complaining.”
Bassist Colin Greenwood, currently on tour with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds for the promotional tour of “Wild God”, raised hopes for a possible return of Radiohead. In an interview with Andrew Trendell of Nme he told of a recent Radiohead reunion: “We got together in the summer for just a couple of days, we reviewed all the songs and picked up where we left off in 2018 – he revealed – It was really fun and nice to see everyone again. We had planned to do three or four days, but we stopped after two because it was fine, and we knew we could do it. My brother (Jonny, ed.) said it would be enough for us weeks of rehearsals and we could have gone on tour, no problem.”
However, Colin Greenwood recalled that at the moment the main commitments for the members of Radiohead are different. “They are focused on finishing what they are working on. My brother has been ill and is still recovering. The rehearsals were really fun and friendly, though. We rehearsed at this studio called The Church, where we finished recording 'OK Computer', so the last time I was there was 1996 and I was recording the bass for 'Airbag'. And so, here we are again in Crouch End… It's been fantastic, but beyond this meeting, I'm sure we'll get together and make plans – but for what, I don't know.” When asked by the interviewer whether this meeting was a prelude to to a Radiohead tour, Colin Greenwood replied without hesitation: “No, it doesn't mean a tour is imminent!”.
Double J asked Yorke about those sessions: “What was it like coming together after everyone following their own muses for the last few years? And has that changed the way the members of Radiohead approach things collectively?” “Yes – confirmed Yorke – I don't think I have anything else to add”.
Last month, the Radiohead frontman announced that he is collaborating on a new stage production of Hamlet, which will debut next spring in Manchester, England. The show, “Hamlet Hail To The Thief,” is adapted and directed by Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett and will feature repurposed music from Radiohead’s 2003 “Hail To The Thief” album. “This is an interesting challenge,” said Yorke. “Adapting the original music from 'Hail To The Thief' for a live performance with the actors on stage to tell this story that continues to be told, using its familiarity and its sounds, pushing them in and out of context, looking at what resonates with Hamlet's underlying pain and paranoia, using the music as a 'presence' in the room, looking at how it clashes with the action and the text. A sort of 'ghost' that contrasts with the other.”
Radiohead's latest album, “A Moon Shaped Pool,” dates back to 2016. The following year, the band released a 20th anniversary reissue of their seminal LP “OK Computer,” titled “OKNOTOK 1997 2017,” and in 2021 released “Kid A Mnesia”, an anniversary collection containing tracks from “Kid A”, “Amnesiac” and previously unreleased material. Since then, however, Yorke has focused on The Smile, a project he created with Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM