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Desert Island Discs

Thom Yorke, musician

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.413.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2019

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Thom Yorke has been the front man of Radiohead, one of Britain’s most successful British bands, for 34 years. They have sold over 30 million albums worldwide, and have won three Grammys and four Ivor Novello awards. Their debut studio album, Pablo Honey, was released in 1993, with their debut single, Creep, becoming a big international success. Thom decided on his career at the age of seven, when he lay on the floor between large speakers at a friend’s house and listened to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He made his own electric guitar when he was 10, and wrote his first song at 11. At his secondary school he joined up with fellow pupils and they formed a band called On a Friday, as that was the only day they were allowed to rehearse. They all went their separate ways as university students, but then signed to Parlophone in 1991 and renamed themselves Radiohead. Thom has collaborated with artists including PJ Harvey and Björk and has composed for film and theatre. His first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria, was released last year. His first classical piece, Don’t Fear the Light, was premiered in Paris this year, and he has also been touring his latest solo album Anima. He is an activist on behalf of human rights, animal rights, environmental and anti-war causes. DISC ONE: Ravel - Le jardin féerique – the Labèque sisters DISC TWO: Scott Walker - It’s Raining Today DISC THREE: Talking Heads - Born Under Punches DISC FOUR: Squarepusher and Aphex Twin - Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid DISC FIVE: Neil Young - After the Gold Rush DISC SIX: REM – Talk about the Passion DISC SEVEN: Sidney Bechet - Blue Horizon DISC EIGHT: Nina Simone - Lilac Wine BOOK CHOICE: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki LUXURY ITEM: A recording studio CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) by Talking Heads Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Cathy Drysdale

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts

0:04.7

Hello, I'm Lauren LeVern and this is the Desert Island Disks podcast.

0:08.4

Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take

0:13.1

with them if they were cast away to a desert island.

0:16.4

This is an extended version of the original Radio 4 broadcast and for right reasons the

0:21.5

music is shorter than the original broadcast.

0:24.4

I hope you enjoy listening.

0:30.0

Music

0:46.0

You know you're in trouble when people stop listening to sad music because they're

0:49.3

turning themselves off.

0:51.0

So speaks this week's cast away Tom Yorke and if anyone would know it's him.

0:55.8

Along with his bandmates in Radiohead he has expanded ideas about what pop music

0:59.9

can be and what it can do.

1:02.0

As a child he learnt to play the guitar and then built his own.

1:05.1

He wrote his first song at 11 about an atomic bomb and it's been performing in a band since

1:09.8

his school days.

1:11.3

Radiohead have endured for 34 years, been critically acclaimed the world over and sold over 30

1:17.1

million albums.

1:18.4

Beyond the band Tom has continued to push boundaries as a solo artist and now as a composer.

1:24.3

He recently created his first classical piece Don't Fear the Light and scored the horror

1:28.8

of film Susperia.

1:30.3

He says when an artist starts repeating themselves because they think that's what people want,

...

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