Thom Yorke fears In Rainbows played into Apple and Google's hands

Thom Yorke now fears that In Rainbows, which Radiohead released themselves in 2007 for whatever people wanted to pay, ended up helping Apple, Google and the rest. In a long interview with Tim Adams in the Observer, put online on 23 February, he says those companies have made music and newspapers worthless to keep their share prices up, and he expects the arrangement to be undermined in some way.

His suspicion goes back to the Kid A years, when people in meetings began calling the band's work “content” and showed them letters offering millions for mobile phone deals. I was like, what is this 'content' which you describe? Just a filling of time and space with stuff, emotion, so you can sell it?¹

Amok, out on Monday, began as a test. In 2009 Yorke wanted to know whether The Eraser could be played live, and gathered Flea, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco, with Nigel Godrich to hold it together. At their first meeting, somewhere in Laurel Canyon, they played “The Clock”. The band, later named Atoms for Peace, toured America playing the whole album, then spent three days improvising in a studio. Yorke edited what they made into Amok and wrote its words, working with Godrich. Nigel was constantly on at me: 'Don't make it dark!'¹

He thinks of Tony Blair every time he sings one line of “The Gloaming”. The Blair years I was most angry with. Still am. Just the level of hypocrisy.¹

He has started trying to enjoy the work. I'm 44 now. And I did start thinking, if I can't enjoy this now, when am I going to start?¹