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Radiohead blame Thom's throat for Reading in their fifth newsletter
Radiohead pulled out of the Reading Festival late because of a problem with Thom Yorke's throat, and the fifth issue of W.A.S.T.E., the newsletter the band write and post to fans themselves, gives their account.
The Ice-age descended upon Thom's throat, wiping out any form of life, and so our late cancellation was unavoidable.
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Until mid-December the band will be on the road. A long co-headlining tour of America with Belly comes first, then solo dates in Canada in early November, and the year ends with the band supporting James in Europe and Britain.
“Creep” runs through the rest of the issue. It has been a hit in America, where the band toured it widely and appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and MTV's Beach Party; re-released at home, it has reached number seven in a midweek chart.
A re-recorded “Stop Whispering” is next in the US, with a video by Jeff Plansker, and Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently wants Radiohead memorabilia in the boy hero's bedroom in his next film.
Of the summer's smaller trips, the band remember a short run through Denmark and Sweden in early June, whose one highlight, they say, was a day out with Ride, and France, enjoyable but short on washing facilities.
Phil Selway bought petrol in Oxford wearing a Radiohead T-shirt, and the cashier asked whether he was going to the band's gig at the Venue the next day. He said he was thinking about it. The others teased him about the shirt.