Colin Greenwood finds America free of Radiohead's British baggage

Colin Greenwood talks to Manchester Online ahead of Radiohead's sold-out night at the MEN Arena on Saturday, in a lighter mood, partly down to the band's reception in the United States. They're independent of that baggage that we tend to get in the UK.¹ The media image the band carry in Britain counts for less there, he says, and he finds that refreshing.

Schoolchildren in San Leandro, California were asked to draw pictures to Radiohead's music, and came back with stickmen saying “I hate my life” or falling off a mountain, the Grim Reaper, ghosts, aliens and a giant ice cream. Colin loved them, has kept copies, and wants to put them on the band's website with the music behind them.

Chris Harding of Shynola, who made the band's Kid A blips, calls them down to earth. One blip had a bear made of bread pecked to death by geese, because the horns in “The National Anthem” sounded to Shynola like angry ducks, and the band were happy with it. For the “Pyramid Song” video Thom Yorke met them and told them where all his lyrics came from.

The current single, “2+2=5”, was the first song they recorded for the album in Los Angeles, and he calls it representative, fast and loud and packed with melodies. He likes the sound of Jonny Greenwood plugging in guitar and laptop at the start. It's like 'let's go to work', very direct and clear.¹

The band are playing arenas now, under a light show triggered by Jonny's guitar, and have started playing “Creep” again. the more you play it, the less of a 'thing' it becomes¹, Colin says.