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Product Description
What's On In London, December 10, 2003
Clarke gets behind the myth and gives a real insight into the band and the 'personal demons' of leader Thom.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
'There aren't many things that scare me, but Radiohead are so good they scare me. ' - Michael Stipe, REM.
With their third album, OK Computer, the British rock group Radiohead is emerging as one of the most popular and influential bands of the 1990s. The distinctive combination of Thom Yorke's beautiful yet chilling vocals and a background of richly textured guitars has gained them fans around the world and already spawned a host of imitators and cover versions. Two years ago the press hailed Radiohead as 'the new U2'. Now any new band that displays the same intense, cinematic rock sound is hailed as 'the new Radiohead'.
In Radiohead: Hysterical and Useless Martin Clarke is the first author to delve deeply into the history of this band - its origins in Oxford where the members were childhood friends; the slacker-friendly single 'Creep' which launched their first album Paublo Honey; the second, multi-platinum, album, The Bends; and the unusual recording process for OK Computer, their complex concept album confronting the fear of a world taken over by technology.
He also examines the psyche and personal demons of the enigmatic Thom Yorke and produces an incisive vision of one of the most charismatic musical forces in the world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like most Radiohead biographies, most hardcore fans will know everything here. However, for the beginner it does provide a decent read, with some good quotes from Thom and some decent pics as well. Radiohead, for all their great music, dont provide the most thrilling of stories so Clarke does well to gather as much material and make the book an interesting read. However, he still produces some ridiculous blunders - Stanley Donwood helps produce the Radiohead website not Dan Rickwood! Oh, and a general note to those writing a Radiohead biography, there is more than just Thom in the band, it would be nice to read some more of the other members.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been a Radiohead fan since 1995 and this book is great for any long-serving fan. I really like Clarke's writing style and his research is spot on. This book is probably the best thing to come out on Radiohead while we wait for the new album.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
ho hum...
20 Feb 2004
Format:Paperback
It is obviously a bit premature to be writing a biography on a band while they're at the height of their career, but you would expect the story to date to be a little more consistent...
The only interesting information the book offers is in the beginning, which describes a little bit of back history and childhood info on Thom Yorke. From this point on its a slapdash of misquoted interviews and half-truths... The book is overladen with mispellings and mistakes (he says at one point that the fan club is called Wasted... ugggg).
What is perhaps most disheartening is how the details seem to peter off towards the middle of the book... He goes into exhaustive detail talking about the making of Ok Computer (all the while offering his own assinine interpretations of the songs) and then almost immediately transforms his writing style into a quick summaration of events. He also blatantly LIES to try to make his point at times... For instance, he tries to claim that KID A was rated poorly by both the American and English press, using a quote from the Rolling Stone review to prove his point, while failing to mention that the very review he was quoting from gave the album 4 Stars... Indeed, the book is entirely composed of half-truths and selective interpretations of events... I think I've met fans who seem to have a better understanding of the band and their songs than this author does...
The book also seems to focus almost entirely around Thom Yorke, as though he were the only reason the band were interesting at all... I'm rather glad that this book is not the only source from which I had gathered information about the band, otherwise I probably would have walked away feeling unimpressed with their story. He fails to capture on every level just why this band is such a phenomenon, missing every point or example that would solidify their brilliance. I would suggest hunting down a copy of the NME collection of interviews (even though that magazine is pathetic) instead of this book, as it shows a much clearer portrait of how the band progressed and got to where they are today. Sad to say, but the interviews seem to be the only glimpse we have at the moment as to what is going through the band member's minds... I think we'll have to wait until their music making carreer is over and the the totality of their work has made its impact before a book such as this one can be complete and worthwhile. Don't waste your time or money on this reader's digest summary of this great band.
The only interesting information the book offers is in the beginning, which describes a little bit of back history and childhood info on Thom Yorke. From this point on its a slapdash of misquoted interviews and half-truths... The book is overladen with mispellings and mistakes (he says at one point that the fan club is called Wasted... ugggg).
What is perhaps most disheartening is how the details seem to peter off towards the middle of the book... He goes into exhaustive detail talking about the making of Ok Computer (all the while offering his own assinine interpretations of the songs) and then almost immediately transforms his writing style into a quick summaration of events. He also blatantly LIES to try to make his point at times... For instance, he tries to claim that KID A was rated poorly by both the American and English press, using a quote from the Rolling Stone review to prove his point, while failing to mention that the very review he was quoting from gave the album 4 Stars... Indeed, the book is entirely composed of half-truths and selective interpretations of events... I think I've met fans who seem to have a better understanding of the band and their songs than this author does...
The book also seems to focus almost entirely around Thom Yorke, as though he were the only reason the band were interesting at all... I'm rather glad that this book is not the only source from which I had gathered information about the band, otherwise I probably would have walked away feeling unimpressed with their story. He fails to capture on every level just why this band is such a phenomenon, missing every point or example that would solidify their brilliance. I would suggest hunting down a copy of the NME collection of interviews (even though that magazine is pathetic) instead of this book, as it shows a much clearer portrait of how the band progressed and got to where they are today. Sad to say, but the interviews seem to be the only glimpse we have at the moment as to what is going through the band member's minds... I think we'll have to wait until their music making carreer is over and the the totality of their work has made its impact before a book such as this one can be complete and worthwhile. Don't waste your time or money on this reader's digest summary of this great band.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
could be better
2 April 2002
Format:Paperback
this book is "good looking". it has many interesting pictures of the band and it has good cover. it's lovely. but this is not for the die hard fan. most of what mr clarke wrote is what we know already, almost nothing new. and a lot of mistake. a lot of misquoted sentences and stuff. spend your money on better book. but if you're still new to radiohead, this book can give you basic information about the band just fine.
16 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Million Dollar Band
9 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
This book is one of the few books available on Radiohead, and although I have not had the pleasure of reading the other books, this Radiohead book is great. If you are fan of the eccentric group, you will enjoy reading about the band from the beginning to their current worldwide success. This book will definitely interest you if you love the brilliance that is Radiohead.
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