'Just' video voted 4th in all time video poll

The video for Radiohead's 'Just', came fourth in an all time video poll voted by 31 pop stars, video directors, agents and journalists commissioned by mobile phone operator 3. The panel included Natasha Bedingfield, Björk, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook, Jamie Cullum, Tom Fletcher of McFly, Avril Lavigne, Mike 'the Streets' Skinner and Amy Winehouse.

On the video for 'Just' Judge Garry Mulholland, a music author and expert, said: 'The film completely overwhelms the song and the band. A man lies on the pavement in New York. When people stop to ask what's wrong, he says he can't tell them because they won't be able to take the truth. After a crowd begs him for this truth, he finally whispers it to the nearest person. The last shot shows everyone in the street lying motionless, rendered catatonic by whatever he said.

It was 'the most intense and mysterious short film I've ever seen,' Mulholland said. The video for Johnny Cash's 'Hurt' was voted number 1. Check the full story and top 20 at the Guardian.

Tate's book delayed, new RH lecture coming up

A small update on Joseph Tate's book. His book 'The Music and Art of Radiohead' was scheduled for release on January 28th, but it has now been pushed back until late February or early March.

Another bit of small news: Joseph will be giving a lecture entitled "Radiohead's America" this coming May 6 at Warwick University in Coventry, England. The lecture will be part of a larger conference on "America in the British Imagination. More info on that soon.

Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors video

On filmmaker Ed Burke's website you can find several short films. On one of them, entitled 'Japan', Radiohead's 'Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors' scores the film. The movie was shot with a hand held camera, and edited in Final Cut Pro. Enjoy.

Fantasy Festival on 6Music

BBC Radio 6 are having a Fantasy Festival this weekend. Re-playing live
tracks from festivals. Marc Rileys Rocket Science on Saturday from 1300 GMT will be playing tracks from the Legend Stage: Radiohead's 'Fake Plastic Trees' & 'Karma Police' recorded at Glastonbury 2003. Check out 6 Music for more details. [thanks Robert]

Nothing in its right place

For those who haven't already, check this nifty remix/mash-up of Radiohead vs. Roots: 'Nothing in its right place'. The remix is done by DJ BC and available for download at djbc.net [thanks Magnus]

SlowlyDownward.com & Radiohead.com updated

Stanley Donwood's SlowlyDownward.com is announcing a new version of "Small Thoughts" with updated packaging. The site has had slight updates as well. Same goes for Radiohead.com, with another new frontpage. [thanks Jody]

'My Iron Lung EP' 2005 issue

Parlophone have a new Radiohead release scheduled for Monday January 31st. The disc is a reissue of the My Iron Lung EP, compiling tracks from the original 2 UK CD singles plus an acoustic version of 'Creep'.

The My Iron Lung EP was previously released in the Netherlands with the same tracklisting back in 1994. You can pre-order the item at eil.com.

Chris Martin mentions 'Airbag'

In an interview, published in today's Sun newspaper, Coldplay's Chris Martin talks about a terrifying plane landing. Martin was on his way to Ghana with Oxfam to publicise fair trade issues, was coming into Tamale Airport when disaster struck. "I couldn’t see the ground and as it turns out, nor could the pilot. I found out we were about 200 metres up. The plane dropped off violently to the right then way over to the left it. It was lurching all over.

There is a Radiohead song called ‘Airbag’ which says that every time you get out of a car you should celebrate that you are alive. I felt that getting off the plane. But it fired me up for the trip. I thought, ‘I’m going to learn as much as I can and meet as many people as possible.’"

Underground Online on Radiohead.com

Underground Online have posted their Music Year in Review with a special citiation for Worst Website. There's some good and bad news:

Radiohead

We're sure we're just ignorant folks who 'don't get it.' We're sure there's some kind of deeper meaning. That being said, radiohead.com, to anyone who isn't either insane, a performance artist, or both, is a confusing, worthless, mess. With dozens of buttons that lead to nowhere, users must navigate a matrix of pictures and words, each of which will take you further away from anything you may be trying to find out. Most people will just give up, and you really can't blame them. The band should take Elliott Smith's lead and just hand over the official reins to their best fan site, in this case, ateaseweb.com.

G4's 'Creep' gets a release after all

X Factor band, G4, have signed a £1.5 million deal with Sony Music, reports the Sun. G4 missed out on releasing 'Creep' because they didn't win contest. Now, a release is expected next month. The first project for the four classically-trained boys will be a compilation of covers, including X Factor highlights Bohemian Rhapsody, Radiohead's Creep and Nessun Dorma. Their album will be released on February 28, after they've finished taking part in the X Factor tour.

EW knows what's good for Radiohead

From the current Entertainment Weekly (#802 January 21, 2005) music writer David Browne opines that Radiohead needs to get their act together in 2005 (along w/Lauryn Hill, Fiona Apple and others) on pages 83, 84:

"They haven't made a brilliant album since OK Computer or even a truly significant one since its follow up, Kid A. Thom Yorke Jonny Greenwood, and the gang need to either take the guitars back out of the closet or, conversely, make a straight-up electronic disc. What they've been doing lately- creating a mushy middle ground between those two styles- isn't working. It's also about time Yorke took a cue from late '90's Michael Stipe and started penning more direct, less obtuse lyrics." [thanks Doug]

Radiohead on Glastonbury Anthems DVD

Glastonbury Festival has teamed up with EMI to create the first Glastonbury DVD compilation, to be released on Monday 21st March. Called "Glastonbury Anthems – The Best Of 1994 to 2004", it contains performances from the last ten years, voted for inclusion via the Festival's website.

Included are Blur, Radiohead, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Basement Jaxx, The Manic Street Preachers, Franz Ferdinand, and Paul McCartney.

Also included is a short film showing some other aspects of the Festival, including a short clip from the 1971 film "Glastonbury Fayre", and interviews with Michael and Jean Eavis (filmed in 1995), a photo gallery, and an ariel tour of the site from 2004. [from eFesitvals]

Vote for 'OK Computer'

In 2005, to celebrate the greatest albums ever made, Channel 4 will be bringing a four-hour celebration of these classic recordings. Radiohead's 'OK Computer' is one of the nominated albums. Vote here. [thanks Cris]

Almost $ 19,000 for Tsunami Aid

We're on day three of the AE/GP fundraiser for the Asian Tsunami victims. Right now the Radiohead community has raised $18,982!!! Only a thousand dollars away from the goal. Personally, I think we should forget the goal and go way past it. Keep up the good work!

When you make a donation to assist the victims of the Asian tsunamis to the charity of your choice, send an email to DONATIONS@POLITICK.INFO with the amount you donated in the subject line. For more info and recommended charities, check Politick's Tsunami Fundraiser page.

Update: we're at $24,883 right now

TMGLMOAT review in NY Times

In yesterday's NY Times Radiohead's latest DVD got a review.

'It's 2005, but for a critic, last year hasn't ended yet. Here are some 2004 albums that deserve notice before turning the calendar page.

Radiohead: Artiness looms when the DVD "The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time" (www.radiohead.com) is subtitled "Twenty-four Short Films With Music by Radiohead." (When did music videos become short films, anyway?) The DVD is part scrapbook, part video demo reel. Fans sent clips to Radiohead's Web site, and the band added its homemade video, including unreleased music and informal performances. It's an analog lovefest of grainy images, strobing and hand-drawn animation, as the fans reflect the vertigo and anomie of the songs. Now Radiohead can never claim to be misunderstood.' [thanks Doug]

Paranoid Android tops the X list

Dominating this year's shortlist with six tracks, Radiohead reclaim the top spot with the epic 'Paranoid Android' beating close contenders, the Manic Street Preachers and former winners Nirvana, in the closest run race to date.

Radiohead in The X List 2004 - Last year's positions are in brackets. 
1. 'Paranoid Android' (4)
8. 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' (9)
17. 'Fake Plastic Trees' (34)
21. 'Creep' (13)
26. 'Idioteque' (24)
32. 'Just' (17)
66. 'The Bends' (New entry)

[thanks Shaun]
 

Keep on donating

Two days ago At Ease and Green Plastic asked to donate in order to help the Asian Tsunami survivors and their families. Dylan from GP just reported that you guys have already donated $2000 in only 24 hrs. Please keep this going and help to reach the $20.000 goal.

When you make a donation to assist the victims of the Asian tsunamis to the charity of your choice, send an email to DONATIONS@POLITICK.INFO with the amount you donated in the subject line. For more info and recommended charities, check Politick's Tsunami Fundraiser page.

Update: we're currently at $11,767. thank you! keep it going

Happy New Year!

First of all a Happy New Year to all At Ease readers. 2004 was another great year for ateaseweb.com with millions of visitors. The site was a runner-up at the Digital Music Awards in the Best Fan Site category after winning the prize last year.

Looking back on Radiohead, 2004 was not the busiest year for the band, but certainly not without highlights:

Jonny Greenwood's classical composition 'Smear' was performed by the London Sinfonietta in Leeds and Bruges. Jonny's score for Bodysong was released on DVD and the album got released in the USA.

Radiohead have won 2 NME awards (Best Video & Best Album). 'Hail to the Thief' has won a Grammy Award for Best Production (Nigel Godrich). A range of artists were covering Radiohead songs. From Brad Mehldau, Jamie Cullum to String Quartets, Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung and even Hanson. And don't forget the classic 'Rodeohead'.

The band released a collection of b-sides on their Com Lag EP, anticipating their tour through Japan and Australia. Their last Australian gig (Melbourne) had to be cancelled due to Thom Yorke's voice troubles. Only a few days later, the band ended their lenghty Hail to the Thief tour with their - now almost legendary - Coachella performance in California, USA.

Right after their tour, Jonny Greenwood got hired by BBC Radio to produce modern classical pieces for the BBC concert orchestra. And Ed, Phil & Colin team up with the actor Bill Nighy to perform the saccharine Love is All Around in Oxford for charity. Thom led a 'No Star Wars' rally at Fylingdales. A while later Thom appeared in a poster campaign for Oxfam.

In September a remixed version of 'Go To Sleep' got released through WarChildMusic.com. And some of Radiohead's music was finally included on Apple's iTunes store. The biggest Radiohead release in 2004 was the DVD 'The most gigantic lying mouth of all time' a collection of four Radiohead.tv episodes. The most succesfull release is Thom and Jonny's contribution on the Band Aid 20 single 'Do they know it's Christmas' which ended up at number 1 in the UK charts.

What will 2005 bring us?
Radiohead have said they will be returning to the studio this year. There's also that rumoured Thom Yorke solo album. And the Field Day Festival organizer wants Radiohead to perform on his 2005 edition of the festival again. We'll just have to wait and see if anything from the above actually takes place.

A new Radiohead book by Joseph Tate will be release in January, entitled 'The Music and Art of Radiohead'. Some new work from Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood will see the light, performed by the London Synfonietta at the Ether Festival in March. Phil & Jonny will appear in the new Harry Potter movie as the 'Wyrd Sisters'.

And for At Ease... the site turns 8 this year. The new ateaseweb.com t-shirts (with an excusive Stanley Donwood design) are in and can be ordered soon. Ateaseweb.com will move to a new server this month to speed things up and serve you better. Let's hope this will be another great year with lots of new music and great gigs!

Have a great one!

Adriaan