Thom Yorke and the other Radiohead members have been immersed in their solo careers with great results, but the coalition of Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with drummer Tom Skinner as The Smile has (for the most part) scratched an itch many Radiohead fans were craving, especially with the influx of new material released.
In a new interview with Australian outlet Double J, Yorke was asked what he makes of fans' uncertainty about Radiohead’s future after seeing how active The Smile is, to which the frontman replied:
“I am not aware of it and don't really give a flying fuck. No offence to anyone and err, thanks for caring. But I think we've earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else's historical idea of what we should be doing."
The trio’s Cutouts is their second album released this year, a follow-up to January’s Wall Of Eyes, via XL Recordings. Both albums were taken from the same recording sessions at Oxford and Abbey Road Studios.
As for the weight of his legacy on his artistic direction, Yorke responded:
"I don't think we feel the need to live up to anything. That feels like a non-problem. We are in this privileged position where we are still able to make music because of Radiohead, so no complaints."
Radiohead’s ninth and most recent studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, came out in 2016 via XL. Since then, all members have worked on solo stuff, such as film scores.
To end the interview, Double J asked “How did it feel getting back together after everyone had followed their own muses in recent years? And did that change the way Radiohead's members collectively approach things?” To which Yorke just responded: “Yeeessss. I don't think I have anything to add to that."
Radiohead’s bassist Colin Greenwood told in a recent interview that the band did rehearsals “about two months ago in London, just to play the old songs.”
Yorke starts his solo tour in Australia tomorrow, reworking material from his discography. He also recently reworked tracks from Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief for an upcoming Hamlet adaptation.
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