Phil Selway on Mary Anne Hobbs

OK Computer is going into the archive of the US Library of Congress, and Philip Selway tells Mary Anne Hobbs that his first knowledge of the library came from hearing the album was going in. Songs are made in the moment and can be ephemeral, so having one kept for posterity is an honour “you can't project to”. A century ago records went out on 78s, and he no longer owns a cassette player himself, so he likes the idea of somewhere that keeps the music for historians or listeners in the future.

He can still picture the room and the time of night they recorded it, an intense time, and hears it as the point the band were really starting to get their stuff together. What keeps the band exciting for him, though, is finding out where the five of them go next, and the new material they are working on now feels exciting and daunting at once. They keep “chipping away and sculpting it”.

He has been playing solo shows around Britain, and one listener told him his talk between songs was like listening to Radio 4. From now on, he says, there will be the pips on the hour and a short news bulletin.