Radiohead Fans vs the World
Radiohead fans are the worst. There’s no in between with them, you’re either a fan or you’re not. And when you’re a fan, you are a fucking go-for-broke diehard fan. Something happens when you listen to Radiohead, it’s almost euphoric. It usually happens somewhere in OK Computer and Kid A. There’s a moment on those albums that triggers an emotion that you’ll never forget. It’s a terrifying calmness that mixes happiness with sadness and for a moment you are in complete Zen; Thom Yorke’s falsetto croon sails throughout your consciousness while the rest of the band ride the fine line between dissonance and beauty. And after that moment, nothing is ever the same again. Radiohead fans will tell you that too. Nothing else can ever compare once you’ve fall in love. People say that about their partner, they also say it about Radiohead. And no matter how hard you try to listen to something else, they keep pulling you back in, teasing you with their eerie electronics and beautifully composed ballads. Radiohead fans are the worst but I can happily call myself one.
Radiohead fans are a lot like Kanye West fans. “Yeah, it’s good, but it’s not as good as [insert Radiohead/Kanye West’s best album].” Usually it’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy for those Yeezy wearing, only-watches-Keeping-Up-with-the-Kardashians-for-Kanye, lovers. And for Radiohead it’s almost always Kid A or OK Computer. If you want to be a pain in the ass, maybe throw In Rainbows into the mix, but that’s a discussion for another time. Kanye West fans are usually pretty nice. So nice they tell you all his good songs so you can like him too. Because once you understand him, you’ll understand his music. This is similar to Radiohead lovers. The only difference is Radiohead have some of the best albums in modern music, sorry Kanye, so where are you supposed to start when you are searching for their best songs? Do you throw Paranoid Android in the list, knowing full well that the average listener will not understand what is going on? Maybe start with Creep, but that doesn’t really give a good impression of where the band are now? Do you go for their softer, easier songs like Fake Plastic Trees, How to Disappear Completely or Pyramid Song? The songs that will make you cry even in your happiest moments. It’s tough, and as a fan I’ve dealt with this struggle many a time. I just want people to see the beauty in Radiohead, because once you understand their music, you’ll understand life.
There’s a waft of pretentiousness that comes hand in hand with Radiohead fans, if you couldn’t tell already. Once you fall in love with their music, you judge every fucking thing you listen to and compare back to Radiohead. Even if it’s a different genre. It’s a sort of love/hate relationship. You know you shouldn’t love them as much as you do, and you hate yourself for it. It’s easy to understand though, the band have influenced many of the popular artists that we hear today. Bloc Party, Grizzly Bear, Death Cab for Cutie, the Strokes, the Killers, hell even Coldplay, have all taken a little piece from the Radiohead gene pool. Who can blame them though? Critically, Radiohead have never made a disappointing album, though the jury is still out for the King of Limbs. Am I right fellow Radiohead fans?
The pretentiousness doesn’t just include comparisons to other bands, but even within the Radiohead discography itself. A word of advice, try to steer clear from any arguments between whether Kid A is better than OK Computer. I’ve heard word that one argument lasted sixteen hours, and only stopped for meal breaks, to pee and to pray to the almighty Thom Yorke, hallowed be thy name. Radiohead fans will continually dissect each album searching for god knows what, except for their first album Pablo Honey. Not to be confused with the Life of Pablo, Pablo Honey is considered to be the worst album in Radiohead’s discography and has now turned into a running joke amongst fans. Even their break through hit, Creep, has turned into a meme or sorts amongst fans, Kermit the Frog even sings a cover. It’s not that it’s a bad album, it’s just different. It’s still a perfectly good alt-rock album, but try telling a Radiohead fan that. What other fan base makes fun of the same band for their earlier work? I don’t even think Kanye fans do that.
In saying all this, Radiohead are genuinely a fantastic band. They are herald by critics album after album, two of which are held to such high regard that they regularly make best album lists. NME even called them the modern day Beatles, I wouldn’t go that far, but hey, who reads NME anyway? I encourage all people to at least try to listen to Radiohead. Even if you don’t like them upon first listen, persevere and maybe one day you’ll have that eureka moment that every fan ultimately has. Then you might just join us as the annoying Radiohead fans. And just remember, Radiohead fans never let up.
Listen to Radiohead.
