DROP THE DEBT CHAT WITH THOM YORKE

[15 JUNE 1999]

DropTheDebt
Welcome online everyone we are here with the lead singer of one the most original and exciting bands of the 90's Radiohead's Thom Yorke. Thom welcome online...

Thom_Yorke:
Hello

DropTheDebt
Thanks for coming online Thom, we have thousands of questions live and in advance so...

DropTheDebt
TylerC:
Hi Thom. I am a huge fan of your work, so this is a pretty big deal for me. Therefore, I will try to ask good questions. Personally, do you see Jubilee 2000 being a big success?

Thom_Yorke:
Its a good start. We'll be able to see leaders quaking slightly next weekend in Cologne June 19th, I think!

DropTheDebt
How and why did you get involved with Jubilee 2000?

Thom_Yorke:
First, I was reading a lot about 20th century politics, because I never did it at school. I read a book by Eric Osbourne, history book the final chapter is all about world debt. I read other pieces... first advert in newspaper I thought this is exciting.

Then read editorial that Bono wrote and decided I should really get involved properly

DropTheDebt
email: Boss@
Will you be going to the Drop The Debt March in Cologne for the G8 thing - if so will you be performing?

Thom_Yorke:
No playing involved - no repeat of Live Aid. Only reason famous people involved because that's the way to get more cameras there. There will be 100,000 people in the human chain - not only us

DropTheDebt
Will Radiohead be on tour soon where are you guys going.?

Thom_Yorke:
That's not relevant.


Thom_Yorke:
:-)

DropTheDebt
vince:
Hi Thom When the next album?

MSN:
Paranoid android:
Thom I have a question what is the title of your new album???

Thom_Yorke:
That's not relevant :-0 :-0 :-)
LOL -

DropTheDebt
winnie:
my question: apart from dropping the debt, what else do you think will be necessary for things to change in third world countries, and how can we help?

Thom_Yorke:
To the relevant question...I think we need to change our economic relationship with the rest of the world from the master slave to something similar to democracy, which is what we're supposed to be living under :-) :-)

DropTheDebt
What do you expect to get out of the world leaders conference is there any real hope of getting them to do something?

Thom_Yorke:
Apparently... yes. They might shake hands with some people, which will be nice. They may cancel the first 100 billion, which is a first step but when you read in the newspapers the next day that they've done everything we've asked patently it will not be true.

It will only change if the people here go and find out about the campaign a bit of reading won't take long :-)

Actually, you know the G8's trying to worm out of it by shaking our hands.

DropTheDebt
Don't the people who lend all this money to poor country have to be realistic - isn't it partly their fault I mean if you owe a bank a thousand quid then you should worry - if you owe them a million quid then they should worry ?

Thom_Yorke:
I think it's very much the west's fault. I think if this is all a legacy of the cold war. Putting in place brutal and corrupt regimes to try and maintain a convert hold over large areas of the 3rd world.

I think everyone should be worried because people are dying because of it

DropTheDebt
I just signed this petition - it's cool Radiohead are supporting it. Do you feel that Rock is becoming the conscience of the young like with Rock against Racism, Live Aid and now Drop The Debt - it used to be the "devils music" - do you feel sometimes your playing for the other side - I guess what I'm asking is has the stuff you've done for these issues has it effected you and your music?

Thom_Yorke:
It's affected me very much, it's affected me very deeply because I think I spent the first few years of being in Radiohead not aware of outside issues like these. I had tunnel vision but as we travelled a lot it became very obvious that the wonderful west was not the wonderful west we thought it was... the trip to Mexico and Thailand made that bloody obvious

DropTheDebt
What did you see in Mexico and Thailand?

Thom_Yorke: My personal experience was in some way feeling that everyone was trying to be western but it was obvious that the country's were only doing this because culturally they had been destroyed and they were at the west's mercy.

I think any artist or any writer or any creative person is more acutely aware of their surroundings which is unfortunate sometimes but it does mean sometimes its difficult to ignore wider issues... it's hard to sing about "humping your baby" when you're seeing all this other stuff it's difficult to live with a bad conscience.

DropTheDebt
GetMiles whispers to little_flower:
What's to stop these countries just getting into more debts if or when the current ones are cancelled?

Thom_Yorke:
The thing is there needs to be a re-evaluation of the way that we deal with these countries. The IMF has gone into a lot of these countries and set up cheap labour, cheap resources, cheap everything in the guise of the free market when actually its slavery by another name.

DropTheDebt
j_manga whispers to little_flower:
do you think that even if the debt is cancelled, 1st world countries are still going to be able to yield such extraordinary power over the 3rd world? isn't it really a case of *letting them win*? its just hiding the problem, not finding a solution?

Thom_Yorke:
Without debt you have no power - it's true and that's why it's really important that those that we put in charge are aware that we know what it is they are doing

DropTheDebt
ifyouwereanangel whispers to little_flower: Don't u think that dropping the debt although its obviously a start, it wont solve any problems.. do you not think that the countries would borrow more to try and get back on track?

Thom_Yorke:
I think that's what I'm saying about changing our relationship with those countries so they can claim their own resources they can have proper assistance in building their countries not just a bunch of crooked loan sharks.

DropTheDebt
GetMiles whispers to little_flower:
but isn't this re-evaluation totally out of our hands? isn't it still in the hands of the people who made the debts in the first place?

Thom_Yorke:
I don't think any major issue like this is out of our hands the point about it being that if enough concern is raised our wonderful G8 will panic and that's what this is about.

DropTheDebt
shahins
The concept of Jubilee is Biblically-rooted - how do you conciliate that with a generation that knows little of moral conviction and ethics? Will not many fans adhere to the movement only because it is sponsored by such international icons as Radiohead, U2, REM, Lauryn Hill, etc., therefore misunderstanding the underlying concept of forgiveness and compassion?

Host Thom_Yorke says:
I don't think that we are a generation of little morals and ethics I think we were sold that a few years ago just like we were sold Pepsi max personally I feel under a sense of crisis coming into 1999 anyway and things like the Jubilee 2000 are kind of way of addressing it.

I think Jubilee 2000 is a way of addressing it for me and coming to terms with the unbearable knowledge about what was going on in the rest of the world.

DropTheDebt
shahins
- With Rock n'Roll, in its most generic sense, having become such a hormonal, brainless, and often pubescent movement, do you think you will be able to draw some respect and recognition from the G-8 countries for such a noble cause as eradicating Third-World debt? Will it not be seen as a joke?

Thom_Yorke:
That hormonal brainless stuff you're talking about is the only place that's still happening is in the US so get the fuck out!

DropTheDebt
Tuesday5 whispers to little_flower:
Although developed countries offer their 1st world status as a future goal for under developed countries to aspire to, 1st world countries need 3rd world countries...do you think it's possible to change this relationship with so much money on the line?

Thom_Yorke:
It will happen one way or other it will happen either by the collapse of the economic system like we saw the crash South East Asia financial crash in 1998 same week as that bloody hurricane Mitch it'll happen by us reempting the disaster which will be paid for in human lives

DropTheDebt
Radiohead whispers to little_flower:
So, what's the Jubilee 2000 campaign gonna do about it?

Host Thom_Yorke says:
Basically make it an issue worldwide it's very simple to begin with but a lot behind it the press make it sound simple....Jubilee 2000 is making it simplistic... but that's not the case...with the G8 summit next week will be the first major step.

The Jubilee 2000 campaign is however a Millennium issue and we have to do something unusually positive to make this happen and especially in Germany and Japan. If you've got friends on email in Japan or Germany then you email them please tell them to email dropthedebt@hotmail.com and tell the world leaders to drop the debt.

DropTheDebt
two questions at once folks

SaraLG whispers to little_flower:
I was wondering if the debt is dropped, is there a way to ensure the money will go towards helping people and not just back into the government?

winnie whispers to little_flower:
even if debt are dropped...won't some countries still use their money for stuff like nuclear weapons, making more debts? what can be done about that?

Thom_Yorke:
What can be done is to make the system transparent and accountable we carry on lending money to Mubotu in Zaire long after we knew he was siphoning it off we've inherited a very corrupt system and we need to change it. Hopefully with all the people reading this. They'll look back in 20 years and see how archaic and barbaric their system was this is the new slavery under a very clever name and we should all know about it

I see Nataly has - thanks Nataly - pass the parcel.

DropTheDebt
Any last words about Germany and the G8 ?

Thom_Yorke:
I'll be there and if you could email like we talked about... that'd be great...if you 're in the area come and form the human chain....

DropTheDebt
What will you be doing for the Millennium ?

Thom_Yorke:
Staying very sober and trying to keep it together.

DropTheDebt
Thanks Thom that was brilliant. Good luck in Germany on June 19th and best wishes for the future. Special thanks to Host little flower and Joanne Meekin.