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When they’d completed on OK Computer, Thom (and Jonny)
plunged into an alluring project—a soundtrack for a movie, Velvet Goldmine,
which Michael Stipe sat in the executive producer’s chair.
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Thom, Paul Kimble and Jon Rhys Meyers all shared vocals as
the group performed cover versions of Roxy Music songs. They recorded quite a
few tracks… one of which features Thom doing an almost perfect Bryan Ferry
impersonification.
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The ‘Paranoid Android’ video features the lead
character, Robin, who had many traits that remind Thom of himself.
“I think it’s the best video
we’ve ever done; and it’s great because we didn’t even do it. We
weren’t even involved.”
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When Radiohead are to perform Glastonbury in 1997 to promote
OK Computer, Thom had elaborated on his anxieties. He was having problems with
sleeping. He knew how big and important it was, and he was worried about what
might happen when Radiohead took the stage.
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Thom (and Jonny) were nowhere to be found backstage. Rumours
swirled that Thom was holed up in the tour bus fighting bouts of nerve-induced
nausea.
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Thom was in top vocal form, and although he appeared
inhibited by the sheer size of the venue, there was no doubt he was up to the
task.
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When OK Computer was released, it received favourable
reviews by journalists as one of the best album of the year. Thom, who always
found it so hard to accept praise at face value, wasn’t pleased with those
reviews. What he found was a truly compliment is when one journalist, who loved
the album, felt that OK Computer wasn’t the best Radiohead could do.
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When there were some technical faults later in the show,
Thom could neither hear himself nor see anyone in the audience.
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On tour in Toronto, Canada, Thom wrote a song entitled,
‘This isn’t happening.’
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In the months prior to the New York performance for Tibetan
Freedom Festival, Thom had become engrossed by the Tibetan way of life. He’d
read ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
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Thom had also begun meditating.
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Michael Stipe introduced Thom to a lot of celebrities and
artists who were hanging out in the backstage area.
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Thom wasn’t surprised when OK Computer falls at no. 21 in
US Billboard Top 200.
“We didn’t fit the fucking format.
Fucking obvious. No Doubt fit the format, and we don’t. That, to me, is a
kind of bonus.”
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Only a couple of days during the tour, Thom departed
temporarily to work with DJ Shadow on a project called UNKLE.
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On July ’97, Thom and DJ Shadow worked on the track
‘Rabbit in Your Headlights.’ He provided the vocals and lyrics while Shadow
created the music.
“Shadow is sort of a genius, and
basically one of my heroes.”
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One June, Thom shot the ‘Karma Police’ video on a
deserted stretch of road 3 hours from London. Thom was supposed to be the
storyteller rather than the subject.
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Thom fainted after the video when the car leaked as carbon
monoxide entered the car.
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Around this
time, Thom was making news of his own. A video for the track, ‘El President’
which was released on 20th April, was in the works and Thom had
agreed to participate.
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One video director floated the absurd idea of having Isabel
and Thom appear naked in the clip. However, Thom proposed to announce it to the
press. The Internet was soon washed
with rumours and fans were keen to watch Thom’s naked butt on their TV
screens.
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When the video was released, Isabel and Thom appear fully
clothed.
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On April 1st, Thom was in the public eye again
where KROQ asked Thom to do an early morning interview with 2 DJs. Bean, kept
harping on Thom’s bad eye, joking about how it never looked straight. Thom
later lunged at Bean and an on-air fight broke out. Thom was then rumoured to be
hospitalised. But again, that ‘Thom’ was an impersonator. It was April 1st,
an April Fools Day.
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By the end of the tour, Thom was telling his audience that
he really wanted to go home.
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Throughout 1998, Grant Gee had been editing ‘Meeting
People is Easy.’ It was actually Thom’s idea to video-shoot themselves for
the fans for Christmas.
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In June 1998, Thom (and the others) participated in the
third annual Tibetan Freedom Festival. Thom played lead vocals on REM’s ‘Be
Mine’ along with them. Thom also sung backup on ‘E-Bow the Letter’ since
Patti Smith was unable to make the show.
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Thom played acoustic version of ‘Street Spirit’ at the
rally on Capitol
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