I'll have that special...

Richard Cheese has put an album out entitled 'Lounge against the machine' a while ago. The album features his version of Radiohead's 'Creep'. Have a listen over at mixtaper.com [you'll find it]. More cheesiness at iloverichardcheese.com. [thanks transdimensional for the reminder]

Radiohead's Glastonbury gig - Ultimate live moment?

The Times wants to know which was the gig that changed the world? The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club? Bob Dylan going electric? It’s up to you to vote for your favourites. Radiohead's Glastonbury from 1997 performance is also nominated. Click on the lists on the Times website to vote, and send your comments, photos or suggestions - the best will win a cameraphone. [thanks Joseph]

Radiohead won the five decades of music Glastonbury special on BBC Radio 1 last Thursday and Friday on the Colin and Edith's show, as voted by Radio 1 listeners. You can listen again to the result online (2hrs 52mins in for the thursday). [thanks Kiran]

PS: Talking about live gigs... I'm currently in Paris to see Alamo Race Track play the Nouveau Casino tonight. So all you Parisians out there... Go, go, go

Ether Festival now online at BBC Radio 3

For a full week you can listen to BBC Radio 3's broadcast of the Ether Festival. For those who missed it or want to hear it again:

London Sinfonietta performing: 'Piano for Children' by Jonny Greenwood (13'48"); 'Smear' by Jonny Greenwood (9'55"); 'Arpeggi' by Jonny Greenwood/Thom Yorke (5'50"); 'Where Bluebirds Fly' by Jonny Greenwood/Thom Yorke (3'50").

Happy Birthday Colin!

Our favourite bass player is celebrating his Birthday today. Colin Greenwood turns 36 today. Have a great a great one Colin!

Sigur Ros on touring with Radiohead

In an interview with the Morgunblaoio newspaper Sigur Ros talked about touring with Radiohead. Sigur Ros played with Radiohead on their autumn 2000 tour, and later joined them in making the music to 'split sides' in 2004.

"We never got to know thom or the other guys very well," says Jonsi. "We did around ten concerts with them and it was like two bands in separate corners doing their own thing. there was very little interaction, although we did chat quite a bit with Colin. He is an absolute top guy."

Kjartan remembers the immense crew that followed Radiohead. with walkie-talkie security guys everywhere, it's no wonder the interaction was so little. "during tours like these you first and foremost interact with your crew. it's not a given that two groups travelling together will mingle."

Earlier that year, the band had toured with the Canadian band 'Godspeed you black emperor!'. Jonsi says touring with bands as different as these two was a valuable experience. "It was a learning experience for us to see how these things are done. Godspeed did everything themselves and they were really serious about everything. Radiohead on the other hand were surrounded by this huge staff, which surprised me a little." [thanks Daniel]

Thom Yorke For World's Sexiest Vegetarian

Forget the album charts or the hard fought ‘Biggest Band In The World’ title, some of the world’s most famous musicians, including Thom Yorke, Chris Martin and Anthony Kiedis, are up against each other for the title of World's Sexiest Vegetarian.

Oh yes, this is the poll the world’s biggest acts have been waiting for. Forget about creating a truly legendary and emotionally resonant album attempting to publicise the plight of the world’s starving millions in the medium of song, as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have launched their fifth annual poll to find out the world’s sexiest vegetarian.

As such there's many a famous mung bean muncher from the world of music in the list with Andre 3000, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, Bryan Adams, Chris Martin, Damon Albarn, Eddie Vedder, Moby, Morrissey, Paul McCartney, Perry Farrell, Prince, Thom Yorke and Kenny 'Dangerzone' Loggins all go head-to-head for the title.

But there's some names for the boys too, as you’ll be able to vote in the Girls category for a myriad of hotties like Avril Lavigne, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Erykah Badu, Brigitte Bardot (?), the appropriatly named Fiona Apple, Annie Lennox, Joan Jett, k.d. lang, Natalie Imbruglia, Pamela Anderson, Thora Birch and Sadie Bloody Frost.

As a statement on the PETA website explains, “Vegetarians are sprouting up all over Hollywood! Going green is all the rage among the red carpet set, as more and more celebs are embracing broccoli and giving beef the boot. It’s no easy task to narrow the list of vegetarian delights to just one vegetarian Venus or Valentino, after all, what’s sexier than someone who exudes both passion and compassion?”

Indeed.

Cast your vote today for the World’s Sexiest Vegetarians by clicking here and the winner will be announced in July. [from xfm]

Spin Magazine Picks Radiohead CD As Best

Spin magazine named Radiohead's "OK Computer" the top album of the past 20 years, praising a futuristic sound that manages to feel alive "even when its words are spoken by a robot."

The British band's album edged out Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and Nirvana's "Nevermind" on a list in Spin's 20th anniversary issue, currently on newsstands.

"Between Thom Yorke's orange-alert worldview and the band's meld of epic guitar rock and electronic glitch, (`OK Computer') not only forecast a decade of music but uncannily predicted our global culture of communal distress," reads the editorial note on what separated the 1997 disc from the other 99 ranked albums.

Sandwiched between Radiohead's straight-ahead rock disc "The Bends" and the more experimental, electronic "Kid A," "OK Computer" was the album that propelled Radiohead to worldwide, stadium-sized popularity. Though it never went higher than No. 21 on the Billboard charts, it won critical raves and a Grammy for best alternative music performance.

Spin's Chuck Klosterman says the album "manages to sound how the future will feel. ... It's a mechanical album that always feels alive, even when its words are spoken by a robot."

Years earlier, Spin ranked Nirvana's "Nevermind" the greatest album of the nineties. In the time since, however, editor-in-chief Sia Michel and others simply found they were reaching for "OK Computer" more than the slightly less relevant "Nevermind."

"Whereas when Nirvana came out, everybody was talking about negation and slackers and everything like that -- seven years later, it was the dot-com boom and 22-year-olds were making $80,000 on Web sites," Michel recently told The Associated Press.

Chris O'Riley debuts on Billboard Crossover Chart

Hold Me to This, pianist Christopher O'Riley's second CD of music by Radiohead, made its first appearance on the Billboard classical crossover chart this week at number 18. Like its predecessor, True Love Waits, Hold Me to This consists of expanded "reimaginings," rather than transcriptions, of its source materials. O'Riley, host of the public radio program From the Top, has also produced a book of his Radiohead arrangements.

Live 8 - Bono has a missile for Thom

As reported earlier, Radiohead have declined the invitation to play at the second edition of Live Aid (Live 8 - July 2nd). BBC's Jo Whiley spoke to U2's Bone before their gig in Belgium - Bono said he hoped Thom Yorke would change his mind.

Bono: "It's very difficult for people, they can do whatever they want as far as I am concerned. They are that great, they're that special to me. If they don't want to do this, then fair play to them. I would love to see them, Thom if you heard this, I've a little missile on the way."

Radiohead break silence over new album

Radiohead have broken the silence over their new album. Thom Yorke has told nme.com sessions for their new album remind him of working on "Kid A". The band recently regrouped to start rehearsing and recording new songs for the follow-up to 2003's "Hail To The Thief".

The album, not due until next year, will be the band's seventh. Thom said that early sessions had seen the band changing the way they work, reminding him of the change between 1997 LP "OK Computer" and "Kid A". He said: "It's going well. It's a bit like "Kid A" - we're going through a period of change. But that's good. We'll get there". [thanks Ivan]

'House of Cards' video now available on TJM website

Thom Yorke lent his voice to the cause of trade justice during the recent Wake Up to Trade Justice all night vigil in London. As reported earlier Thom played a surprise, short acoustic set, including the yet unreleased track 'House of Cards'. Exclusive live footage is now online on the Trade Justice Movement website.

Radiohead decline Live 8 request

Radiohead have turned down a request to play at Live 8. Thom Yorke has campaigned on some of the same global issues as Live 8, such as the reform of trade laws. But a band spokesman said they could not play because the band were too "spread out" and guitarist Jonny Greenwood's wife had just given birth.

Yorke and Greenwood did appear on the Band Aid 20 single. The Live 8 concerts take place in five cities on 2 July.

The London leg of the event in Hyde Park will feature Madonna, U2, REM, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney. Fans have until midnight on Sunday to enter a text message competition to win one of 72,500 pairs of tickets.

Radiohead spokesman Murray Chalmers said: "They were asked but they can't do it. Jonny is out of action because he and his wife have just had a baby and the rest of the band are spread out all over the place at that time."

The spokesman added he did not know whether the band endorsed Live 8 and its aims. In April, Yorke joined an all-night protest in Westminster Abbey to call for "trade justice" for the world's poorest workers.

He said he was seeking an end to "a series of misguided economic policies".

Live 8 is aiming to raise awareness and pressure to improve the plight of the poor in Africa ahead of the G8 summit near Edinburgh. Organisers are demanding reformed trade laws to give African traders a fairer deal, a cancellation of international debt and increased aid.

From BBC News