Meeting People Is Easy (1998)

Thom Yorke: Self - Radiohead

Quotes 

• Thom Yorke : You will become a hypocrite. You'll become a liar. You'll try and paper-up your own cracks and... you know. And everybody does it. And that's what being an adult is. And then you have babies and... that's it.

• Thom Yorke : The short history of the twentieth century, I mean I'm not very good with all this stuff, but there is a point when countries, whatever country... it almost happened in Mexico beginning of the year... because of the legacy of all the money that was lent to developing countries, and then you have vast conglomerates using the labor of those countries, this is justified as the marketplace, this is justified as this is how the world economy works, this is how it works, this is how it should be. We take new countries on. We're loan-sharks. You know the West is a huge loan-shark and we're crippling these countries that could potentially develop, and have to develop. And we do it in such a way that we're basically extorting them. The banking system is going to collapse.

• Thom Yorke : There's a line in Karma Police about he buzzes like a fridge. And to me, when you're driving around in America and you have the alternative stations on in the background or in your hotel room or whatever; and it's just like a fridge buzzing. That's all I'm hearing. I'm just hearing buzz. It's really odd. It's kind of funny though really. You just have to laugh.

  Interviewer : But one song that you had that was obviously really embraced...

  Thom Yorke : Yeah, that had the fridge buzz in it.

  Interviewer : ...with the modern rock format, was Creep. I mean you first came in with that.

  Thom Yorke : Yeah, that was a good fridge buzz.

• Thom Yorke : You know, last year we were the most hyped band. It's bollocks!

• Interviewer : Do you expect any particular action of your audience?

  Thom Yorke : I'm terrified.

  Interviewer : Why?

  Thom Yorke : Well, just cuz you know. Saying... just coming back. It's sort of quite terrifying. And just going into the whole... the wheels start turning again and the industry starts moving again. This time they get more terrifying and it just keeps going and it's basically outside of our control.

• Interviewer : I'm sure you've heard in the press of all these celebs and actors that have been coming to your gigs. Does that have any affect on you at all?

  Thom Yorke : Well, we're from England and English people are not impressed. There's an automatic assumption that with any degree of success, it automatically brings with it that you've cheated in some way or that you're full of shit or whatever. I mean it is an absolute fascination to us that celebrities in America just live on a higher plank. They are untouchable. It's fucking mad. It's really insane.

  Interviewer : So it doesn't impress you that Tom Cruise or whoever might show up to one of your gigs?

  Thom Yorke : Well you say hello to him, ya know? And go home and tell your friends, 'Yeah I met Tom Cruise.'

  Interviewer : Have you had any conversations with any of these celebs?

  Thom Yorke : Yeah, I had a great conversation with Calvin Klein about underwear.

  Interviewer : Last night?

  Thom Yorke : Maybe.

  Interviewer : I understand that he was at the show last night.

  Thom Yorke : I didn't talk to him. But you can put that in if you want.

• Thom Yorke : Tower, lobby, floor. Tower, lobby, floor.(Long pause) Tower, lobby, floor.