“I used to work in a retail store called Hot Topic that sold goth apparel, and we got to choose what CDs got played. was always in the mix. There were people who’d be like, ‘This again?’ and I’d tell them that it made my shift easier.
The thing about Radiohead is that they can go from the very complex and dark to the very soulful and beautiful. They just make things flow – and as an artist, a musician, and also as a listener, I really appreciate that. I’d heard and the earlier stuff, but was critically acclaimed and commercially accepted, and that was kind of like the entry level for me; I could explore it as a youngster and as I developed as a musician.
And throughout the years, as they progressed and became more progressive, I fell deeper in love with what they did. When they with , I thought that was amazing. There were a lot of people who didn’t like that transition.
A lot of friends who were into Radiohead didn’t know how to feel about it at the time – but they all love it now. I saw them at the Embarcadero in San Diego and I saw them at the Sleep Train Amphitheater, where I had seats right by the soundboard, which was level to the stage so I could experience it at full volume. I appreciate everything they do creatively and melodically; they’re one of those bands that I can’t stop listening to.
It’s hard to chose a favourite album. is up there for me. and aren’t their most successful albums, but they have things on there that I love.
The bass line in – I just love that kind of stuff. It depends on the kind of mood I’m in. If I want more poppy Radiohead then I’ll go for , and I love .
Sign up below to get the latest from Prog, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Right now I’m waiting for new material. But is up there too, and one of my favourite songs is . I also love ’s solo stuff.
I’m still trying to warm up to , but my heart is with Radiohead.” Julian Marszalek is the former Reviews Editor of The Blues Magazine. He has written about music for Music365, Yahoo! Music, The Quietus, The Guardian, NME and Shindig! among many others.
As the Deputy Online News Editor at Xfm he revealed exclusively that Nick Cave’s second novel was on the way. During his two-decade career, he’s interviewed the likes of Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Ozzy Osbourne, and has been ranted at by John Lydon. He’s also in the select group of music journalists to have actually got on with Lou Reed.
Marszalek taught music journalism at Middlesex University and co-ran the genre-fluid Stow Festival in Walthamstow for six years. Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp release footage of Enter Sandman filmed at Isle Of Wight festival “We booked a studio and said, ‘Whoever’s here on Monday morning is in Yes’”: How the band regenerated to make Drama, in their own words The best new rock songs you need to hear right now.
