Foals’ Jimmy Smith on Radiohead

Posted on March 25th, 2008.

Foals, who are about to release their new album ‘Cassius’ (March 30th), are slowly making their way to stardom. Just like Radiohead they hail from Oxford and went to same school as well. Our reporter from Down Under, Scott McLennan talked with Foals‘ Jimmy Smith.

After meeting R.E.M. last night, are there any heroes left to meet?
“There’s a certain band that I’d love to meet, who actually hail from the same city as us. I think you can guess who.”
Aha – well I believe that they also went to the same school as you.
“Yeah, they did – we were a few years apart. Radiohead are massive at Abingdon. Me and Walter – who also went to Abingdon – were in the school newsletter recently and that’s the height of stardom there!”

Thom wrote Bishop’s Robes about his time at Abingdon – how was your experience?
“Good and bad. As I got older I liked to do my own thing and they didn’t really like that. I don’t know the exact story [of Bishop’s Robes] but I don’t think he got on with the proper old-school English headmaster who was there. St John Parker was seen as a bit of a tyrant but he practically saved me from all the horrible teachers. They were trying to expel me for smoking a cigarette but he really stook up for me, so he was good in my books. He used to wear the full bishop attire and I was always terrified of him growing up in the school, but to almost hang out with him and talk to him on an adult’s level later on was alright. That was his last year though then they drafted in a totally robotic headmaster who was a bit of a tool. So maybe I’ll write my Bishop’s Robes about him!”

So have you passed them in the street?
“I tell you what – every other member of the band has either met them or seen them around Oxford. I’ve seen them live but I’ve never just seen them on the street. I’m terrible at recognising people, so I might have looked straight at them and just not recognised them. Jonny Greenwood lives really close to where I live, so I might try to find his letterbox and drop in some demos. We sent them our album as a kind of hint as supporting them, but I don’t think anything has happened yet.”

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