I admire Radiohead. You may not. It’s actually becoming chic to “hate” them. I guess that’s inevitable in this day and age. Popularity is meant to be scorned. Anyway, for the lovers out there, you might find this article interesting.

David Byrne and Thom Yorke on the Real Value of Music

The article is kinda like buckshot hitting all kinds of topics. The first that hit me was from the included audio interview (on the sidebar) where Thom talked about their process to write “Videotape”. I love that song. Haunting. Rythmic. Fascinating lyrics. And apparently, not at all in the style that Thom wanted it done. The process they describe sounds familiar to me, and it’s good to see that even the “successful” wrestle over and over again with the details.

The second topic that hit me came toward the end. What’s all the fuss about: record labels suing people for sharing files, artists crying out about their interests, music moguls wincing at the thought of a changing business model (cause, you know, it worked so well for so long!). What about the value of the music itself? Read the article to get more context. Thom doesn’t answer the question and alas it’s only touched briefly, but it’s got me thinking. Must do some more processing…

I’m glad that Radiohead wasn’t taking their album release too seriously. Sure it was a big deal for a big name band to let fans name their own price for a download, but it really was a gimmick. An experimental and interesting gimmick, but just for kicks nonetheless.