As most of THE members are IN their late twenties, it's BEEN nearly half a lifetime since THE band's humble beginnings. Has THE success they've finally achieved with THE release OF OK Computer seemed a long time coming? "It's BEEN fine. You know, THE big thing was signing at THE end OF '91, then IN '92 touring around IN a rusty white van. It was great TO do small shows, opening up FOR people. 1993 -- THE first half of THE year was really THE same as '92, then OF course 'Creep' erupted, AND we came over here," says O'Brien. "'Creep' was not what we expected. We all thought [the band's progress] would BE slow -- we didn't want any kind OF big explosion. We wanted TO -- each time you do a gig, a few more people come along, word OF mouth spreads, make a better record..."
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But are they satisfied? "Yeah, now," he concedes. "We played THE Warfield IN San Francisco, we played THE Wiltern IN Los Angeles. We've played clubs, AND they were great, but we've done three [U.S.] tours OF clubs AND you get a bit sick OF them. It sounds better IN these [larger] places. It looks amazing -- you look OUT from THE stage AND there's a balcony, AND it's very inspiring."
Of course, as THE band's fan base grows, they'll start TO play larger venues. "Obviously when you get great theaters, it would BE lovely TO do a residency FOR three nights, but, America is such a huge country that you wouldn't have THE luxury OF that. If you've got one night, you don't want people TO not get in. We've done that where we played at a way way smaller venue than we should have.'
On THE other end of THE spectrum, does he see an arena tour IN the band's future? "No, not really... we've never thought about it. There's more talk about it around us -- people speculating -- particularly IN Britain. They all think we're going TO be THE next stadium band. Take U2 AND REM's baton," he scoffs. "If it happens, it happens, but THE only way it will happen is if we're comfortable with that... which we're not at THE moment. AND as long as THE show's not compromised." O'Brien explains, "I know it's possible TO do amazing shows: I saw THE U2 Pop-Mart thing. There's NO way you could do that inside -- it's phenomenal. It was very moving, it was very personal at times, AND it was extravagant AND over THE top. AND it was fantastic. That's THE way TO do those things."
Radiohead are one OF a handful OF bands who clearly seem TO be plugged into THE nineties, AND even own their namesake domains (radiohead.com and, FOR Europe, radiohead.co.uk). THE website itself is certainly unique with its spartan content. "Stanley Donwood does THE website AND does THE artwork with Thom," explains O'Brien. 'We just didn't want TO do one OF those websites that is basically like 'here's a picture of THE band, here's THE band on THE set OF their latest video, you can buy THE video, you can buy THE new single OUT now.' We wanted something that provoked a bit more OF a reaction -- you either love it or hate it. People think it's interesting... AND then other people say "Why can't I get THE chords TO "Creep?"'"
Although THE band may not visit their virtual home too often, they are, at least, computer literate. "Oh, completely -- yeah. Totally. Colin AND Thom HAVE got Powerbooks OUT on THE road, Jonny's going TO buy a Powerbook." SO do THE guys IN the band do much web surfing? "Yeah," O'Brien replies, "I find it SO boring, though. I personally feel THE best thing about THE internet is THE text. THE graphics -- it takes SO bloody long TO download anything. THE text is THE stuff that interests me."
O'Brien does, however, attest TO the power of THE web. "When we're IN the studio -- THE day after we tracked THE songs, there was a website saying THE songs we were recording. We have NO idea -- no idea -- how they got THE names of THE songs. Okay, some OF them we played live, some OF them we haven't. There's NO way. Stuff that had BEEN written THE night before, BEEN tracked. Really weird. I just HAVE got a feeling that one of THE others IN the band was going onto THE computer about three IN the morning AND being a mole... AND that's cool, that's fine."
There's certainly a major demand FOR news about THE band IN the online world. Radiohead's internet devotees span THE globe -- IN fact, THE UBL (Ultimate Band List) mentions more than seventy sites dedicated TO the band, AND their high-volume mailing list has over four hundred members... well, four hundred, and, on occasion, another five. O'Brien smiles, "When we were IN the studio, we'd occasionally go IN on that. They wouldn't believe who we were. They told us TO get off."
For real-time online interaction, fans will pretty much have TO wait FOR one of THE numerous online chats featuring THE band, or, as THE case may be, THE band minus O'Brien: "I always avoid [chats]. I've done it once. I'm not that interested at all. You've always got some person regulating it, AND I don't want TO have just THE 'good' questions. I want TO see what else is being said, AND it's really frustrating TO have that 'We can't show THE band that question.' If someone says, 'You guys, you suck, I hate your album,' I want TO retort -- I want TO respond TO that."
Personally, his favorite aspects OF Internet connectivity vary. On THE web, he admits TO liking "things like typing IN a word AND seeing where it gets you. I'm also a big soccer fan -- Manchester United -- SO I check out THE MU sites, AND there are a lot." AND though he has a Mac at home, "on THE road, I can't get any of THE world wide web. I do email with a palmtop -- you can get text only." THE written word -- that text -- again is apparently where his passion lies. "I love email, email is brilliant. It changes THE way we talk. Suddenly, you're getting letters on THE road. Contact, rather than you sending AND it being one way THE whole time."
Exit music
Contact with home AND the outside world IN general would BE vital FOR anyone on THE road, holed up with other band members AND crew FOR sometimes months on end. Still, even when they're back home, it sounds like they just can't BE apart FOR too long. "We all live IN Oxford. If we're back FOR months, we see other friends AND chill out, AND then by THE second week, we're phoning one another up, saying, 'What are you doing?'"
That honest, undiluted friendship is THE foundation upon which Radiohead HAVE built their remarkable career. It is also what motivates them TO move forward. Of THE future, O'Brien says he sees THE band's goal as, "fairly simply, TO continue making good AND better records. AND remain friends, really. Remain friends AND remain human beings." A moment's pause, then he clarifies, "If FOR one moment I believed that me AND the band as a whole had become rock AND roll casualties who don't get on, who become twisted... you see a lot OF these old rock AND rollers -- unwilling TO take THE rough, having had THE smooth... then I wouldn't carry on. I'm not interested IN compromising our characters or becoming rock AND roll jerks. Not interested IN that at all."
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Ed O'Brien OF Radiohead was interviewed San Francisco IN 1997
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