Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood in conversation with Gareth Evans

Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood in conversation with Gareth Evans, writer, film producer, Whitechapel Gallery’s Adjunct Moving Image Curator, and the author of an essay for the forthcoming KID A MNESIA catalogue.
In celebration of the exhibition
How to Disappear Completely: Stanley Donwood x Thom Yorke
at Christie’s 9-15 October 2021

[@grantwallace1882]

The first few chords of Kid A still put tingles up my spine.

[@petecampbell3929]

Scary right?

[@metrach8901]

my man Thom probably spent hours playing that riff in a daze

[@darkcnotion]

@@matteondes That's from Idioteque actually

[@metrach8901]

@@matteondes that's for idioteque not Everything in it's right place. one was a sample the other was Thom's mind baby

[@AyyyGabagool]

do do do do dooooo

[@carolinest.george8202]

I find this fascinating: it’s the ongoing and heroic struggle Thom has worked though for his entire career: how to be a thoughtful “artist” while making music for popular culture. Stanley has helped him stay firmly connected to the “serious artist” - I think his partners have done the same - but in the end he has to figure out how to reconcile many opposing forces: identifying with posh companies like Christie’s while holding ideologies counter to the “rich and powerful” winners of capitalism, making serious art while making products to be comsumed in exchange for big money - I love the way this has informed his art, and the ways he shares this struggle with his audience.

[@lukasdonald1639]

heroic struggle, lmao

[@John.Christopher]

@@lukasdonald1639 cringeworthy lol

[@Carcosahead]

@@John.Christopher hard, great, maybe painful… but I don’t think that’s heroic in this context

[@John.Christopher]

@@Carcosahead I haven't been able to watch this through I find it pompous and pretentious, at least the interviewer, maybe I'll get over him

[@John.Christopher]

@@Carcosahead you know what maybe it was just his intro, I'll be a good man and give it a chance

[@jgummow1]

I live Cornwall & have spent ages walking around the coast listening to Kid A so to hear that they spent time here doing the same thing whilst making it is amazing. Brings a new dimension to listening to the album now!

[@thomasvanloo1906]

Makes me think of: “Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, I’ve got a message I can’t read.”

[@-doggy-6670]

Thoms got a place near Bude

[@alejo7365]

You really lucky

[@gregorygruzdov-sk8gm]

You are on a roll

[@camcorelli]

when thom said he would endlessly play the riff to everything in its right place attempting to meditate his way out of not feeling the music :0

[@armrugatewood9110]

I haven’t listened to Kid A. Just this year, discovered the Radiohead rabbit hole and still falling through it’s layers- beautiful yet daunting. So much to assimilate! I’m even watching bits where musicians/ engineers are showing how to set up the 5/4 time signatures that Radiohead uses in most songs-I don’t read music but am intrigued by their ballooning use of electronics..I’ve watched several bits about Stanley & Thom’s artistic collaboration. It must be nice to be so artistically gifted!! It’s Radiohead’s world-we’re JUST lucky to be in their presence.

[@theothertonydutch]

Kid A was one of, if not, the first CD I ever bought.

[@theblowupdollsmusic]

What a fantastic interview. The interviewer asked excellent questions and had impeccable composure. Thom and Stanley's answers were inspiring and informative.

[@TheLavJoy]

Omg how Tom describes creative processes it give me chills! It resonates so much with me on so many levels. He is explaining the flow state of making art which is an art in itself!

[@effsixteenblock50]

It really is an art unto itself! It's like you have to sort of trust-fall into your own arms.

[@lillyinthepond]

Thank you for feeling for us during the war we had in Yugoslavia, for remembering it and speaking of it here and making music that speaks of the mad society we live in.

[@darrellgrant4775]

Such legends. Thank you Christie's for giving us this video and thank you Thom and Stanley for the glorious art you've been giving for thirty plus years.

[@markhoffman]

Hey Thom. Thank you for not having a giant support group and internalizing it, and processing it all yourself. You handled it brilliantly. You are brilliant.

[@MartinBaldock]

I identify with their process, the influence of music on my art and vice versa is a major driver for me too. Love what they do, so thanks for this

[@liadcohen8327]

Thank you for this. I love when "the Radiohead project" peels back the curtain and we learn more about the processes of how they create. I think these talks will be watched for generations as people go back to this work. There are few events in music history as significant as the Kid A/Amnesia era, and having this conversation is another treasure for future time capsules.

[@mindovermarrow]

This was not the Gareth Evans, writer, film producer that I was expecting. I thought it would be the guy that directed The Raid!

[@jb7451]

I thought the same but it was still cool

[@greenheadblackvoodochild2487]

thom yorke came through with the collar popped i love this man

[@michaelgreene4816]

It's an English thing.

[@CipherSerpico]

Save a balloon. Pop a collar.

[@alistair2111]

This interview, from the moment Thom and Stanley pop up on screen to the end, is 47 minutes and 16 seconds long. Kid A on Spotify, front to back, runs 47 minutes and 11 seconds. Just in case you thought it was a bit quiet...

[@MrMurph73]

Only a true Radiohead fan would ever discover this :)

[@ab8jeh]

Why doesn't it run the full length on Spotify? Don't tell me they cut the end?

[@alistair2111]

@@ab8jeh they didn't cut it, just removed the long silence before the bonus track

[@ab8jeh]

@@alistair2111 ah, that's a bit of a shame still though.

[@sonakshi8378]

Thom looks so comfortable and calm. Amazing interview

[@HappyAppart]

He's not supposed to be ?

[@artiemilano378]

@@HappyAppart he was very tense and internally broken for a good 20 years. I've only seen him happy from 93-95 and 2017-now. Hence the meeting people is easy era , plus his departure from his wife somehow gave him a new breathe of light tl;dr fame and marriage ruins a man

[@Rain_power]

Thom looks really good. Fascinating interview and Thom and Stanley have matching glasses.

[@davis267]

how comprehensively special this is; thank you all for making it happen 💜

[@robbiepeterh]

I’m really enjoying al the Kid A / Amnesiac nostalgia. Those records defined me as a teenager. I never loved a band as much as I loved Radiohead when I was young. They taught me so much about society and the environment and provided so many musical experiences. My favourite band was and always will be Radiohead because of how much they meant to me and my mates all those years ago✌️

[@superclarendon8648]

Now that I think about it, Thom’s speaking voice hasn’t changed that much over his career. It’s makes him still feel youthful to me despite his older appearance.

[@pimposki6232]

i think his accent has become a little more upper class, compared to how he sounded, say, around the bends. its subtle, but i guess it makes sense. there is likely something alienating and isolating about being fantastically wealthy, which leads you mostly to interact with your socioeconomic peers. doing that for decades would likely change his accent subtly

[@Noname-rr5en]

@@pimposki6232 I think he changed his accent intentionally. It depended on the image, he created over his career

[@snufkin2245]

I loved watching it live, they're such interesting individuals.

[@MagneticalyStriped]

It totally lagged out here.

[@snufkin2245]

@@MagneticalyStriped I'm sorry, that sucks.. at least you can watch it here

[@user-kc1cc5tt9l]

Tell me one interesting thing? Bore

[@spookypen]

I wish more interviews had random fax machines lol

[@JV-cz6fz]

thanks for the upload!

[@loreyhobbs1112]

Wonderful dialog. Thank you.

[@dosesandmimoses]

I love the sound of the faxcimile machine! Gentlemen, your geniuses are so inspiring… words cannot express my gratitude for you all. Thank you

[@pandaroc1]

The entire interview was enjoyable. One suggestion, would of been nice to see the actual paintings/art work. Other than that, I’m very excited for the remaster of these two great albums.

[@TurnerRentz]

I agree with Arte about the art.

[@phgkeets12]

I like how Radiohead's artwork uses computer software to create digital art and I think that added to their music from The Bends era onwards and accompanies well the increased presence of electronic music in their output particularly Kid A :)

[@sylviaharing8329]

thanks to all ,had such a interesting, joyfull and heart warming time,love Sylvia...

[@electricrelaxationhd3952]

Such a great interview.

[@bernlin2000]

3:22 To where Thom and Stanley come in.

[@frostialien9191]

I really like this new interviews with Stanley, as a young artist i really look up to what he says about his creative process, especially about Radiohead's artwork because it was/is such a big referent for me. And i like listening to Thom talking about that art too and how he use it to create mixtures and connections with his music.

[@hughgrection5674]

This has only just come up in my recommended, where has it been? As a lifelong Radiohead fan I’m aware of all the struggles and barriers Thom faced betwixt OkC and Kid A, but to hear him speak about it is fascinating 🤔 one of the most interesting speakers, he should do things like this much more 😉

[@Soundofsilver2007]

This is a great great great great great great great & (CELESTIAL) interview.

[@csestini]

Great interview!

[@ruukaoz]

There is an important lesson here i think. they might not agree with me at all, but i'd like to think that radiohead's involvement with the visual accompaniment might have been born out of "necessity", but they quickly realised a higher potential and power of it, and by the time of Kid A / Amnesiac the visual side might have saved them from breakdown, and propelled them to new places. Music and picture require a different mindset and either can be great source of inspiration if one feels stuck and in need of a fresh eye/ear. Music has the dimension of time, while you need to give the time to an image to make it come alive.

[@petecampbell3929]

Thom has aged with grace

[@vatslauvadkevich6089]

We weren't really worried about being liked. That's it. That phrase explains what is happening now amongst artists. That's all that matters for instrgarammers, many many artists. It has changed. And I hope there is a way to go back....

[@brendantaylor3570]

Crazy to think actual “likes” generate money since exposure is god now. Standards have changed and substance is continually missing.

[@metrach8901]

for true art this is the only way, uncut raw and indulgent. but we live in a world, and the world is greedy. either way, in my opinion, as deluded as it may be, the best art is unheard, unseen, and unwitnessed, lost to time and the world. This world of humans isn't all there is, and art that is known isn't all that is out there.

[@huma2002]

Good interview.

[@thetanster6036]

This was wonderfully educational.

[@sudanbewaobdedebo]

If I had one wish, it would be to have a nice long lunch with Thom. I find him fascinating that he can produce such beautiful music and sings with an amazing angelic voice. 💖🎸

[@strangerthanfiction4014]

The bears are still the most frightening and duplicitous characters of modern time. They upset people beyond belief.

[@MattXScott]

thank you for this

[@StopBaizuo]

Thom, you're a real artist, don't be silent about what is happening.

[@hollowmoon9]

he's too woke to see truth unfortunately

[@Carcosahead]

@@hollowmoon9 which is…?

[@metrach8901]

he knows, yet he chooses another way. All that being said Thom is from a different generation, he had a certain upbringing in a certain era, you surely cannot expect him to understand the times.

[@StopBaizuo]

@@metrach8901 That's because he's from another generation that he should not be silent.

[@ab8jeh]

@@metrach8901 what are the times? If you're referring to Climate Action, the man has campaigned for years.

[@hannah.AsaSul]

♥️I love Thom♥️

[@sylviaharing8329]

I think I've got this year's later ,nevertheless I am luckily supprised by them ,precious souls and I feel a person out of the attic which was able to still hear this somehow, love Sylvia. ..

[@iemisebastian]

Such enjoyable conversation. Trying to comprehend they're ideas help me more than actually know what they did. Cheers from Argentina

[@tangibleandroid285]

I super for reals love the smell of Uranus.

[@melikairandoost9587]

Love you Thom thank you for being you🙏🙏♥️♥️💎💎

[@ivankotevski6192]

stanley closing with the bleakest statement ever

[@mpbrainwave]

i can relate to what Stanley is saying about ex Yugoslavia being from eastern Ukraine during russian aggresion\occupation in 2014 and hearing mortars shells landing around your childhood home and it's surreal, you just think this is not possible all these horrors should be lost somewhere in the past centuries

[@Noname-rr5en]

Дійсно жахливо. Співчуваю

[@RelentlessxGamers]

Hope you and your family are doing okay. Felt odd reading this comment during this time.

[@milanheusschen]

Who also noticed that Thom and Stanley wearing the same glasses.

[@mattiemclean9882]

Really? Thats the best comment you could think of?

[@petratetris5944]

Love the insight

[@Olivershawmusic]

Really, Really, REALLY. Enjoyed this :)

[@TRUEiMPROrecords]

Same album cover artist, same producer and same guys in the band their whole career. Quite something.

[@sebastianreyes4839]

Thom has such a dad vibe in this interview lol

[@davidbeukes505]

man started the interview spitting bars

[@lastpedestrian]

This video is exquisitely lit.

[@evzzs]

Unfortunate how the interviewer keeps interrupting them mid-story to try and keep with his Q-card agenda. He could have let them speak, after all, we’re all here for them as they are the creatives.

[@leguman3780]

He seemed to be more interested in demonstrating how erudite his pre-prepared questions/statements were than engaging in an honest, dynamic, spontaneous dialogue. Ass.

[@TheLetterH111]

@@leguman3780 i think the problem is more with the format of the interview than the character of the interviewer himself. It's hard to interview properly when the only questions you can ask come from an unseen participant. A really good interview involves an active dialogue between two parties The interviewer is trying to express himself as much as possible within the constraints of the format

[@midierror]

Great chat

[@useme2305]

for a second i thought i was gareth evans the director of the raid and the raid 2.

[@coolingpie]

From 31:06 on is quite remarkable stuff...thanks for this

[@jasonshuttleworth3131]

Smart grounded people.. Thom reminds me of Brian Eno these days, not sure why.

[@angelurbina8158]

Prolly 'cause he's HEADING that way.

[@DMDN5]

Pure genius🤩

[@djtomoy]

I wish you’d used coasters with those glasses on that lovely table

[@user-ob9zo9cr4c]

legendary

[@niganools1502]

Man that Thom Yorke and dababy feat finna go crazy 💯

[@darklingeraeld-ridge7946]

"It's doing that thing... Press start!"

[@TisTheDamnStickSeason]

Gods amongst we mortals

[@WorldInMyEyes1]

Stanley: "I just wanted to delete it..... good job we didn't" classic :)

[@CraigStCyrPlus]

I'd like to speak with the overseer of that office space.

[@ricardopitamusic]

💎

[@africanman24]

of course

[@VR_JPN]

"That sounds interesting Thom, but hold on a moment for this fax"... "That's probably interesting, Stan, but hold on a minute while I take this fax"... "Sorry, where were we? Oh, hang on..."

[@coneyislandbaby1]

😂😂😂

[@nosakus]

I agree. That fax machine was annoying af.. .)

[@CipherSerpico]

How else was he supposed to know what his lines were?

[@brendantaylor3570]

Are the fax messages on purpose in this interview? Because it was Kid A era.

[@kintsugisan]

Aw man I was well into Jenny Holzer at college

[@aurelehisbelliard9940]

Even better with Thom Yorke live from the basement behind ^^

[@nikyt36]

Cornwall!❤

[@acmegd]

I hope against hope that these two - in their big dark-rimmed glasses - can find some measure of joy in expressing their creativity. Unless of course it would result in a less-than-perfect end product!

[@StewartGladstone]

Gareth is chieftain mews . Check out his fingernails

[@MagneticalyStriped]

No he isn’t mews. He looks like a damn hobo.

[@kkesce]

@@MagneticalyStripedcan you go be a pretentious judgmental weirdo somewhere else?

[@dianaa-b6516]

Would love to see what Thom looks like clean shaved now. He just looks so much like my dad now and I'm 35.

[@user-nz4yd3iu4t]

멋찝니다~~

[@SlowUnsteadyTV]

Man...I love the British accent

[@aidanisenor]

44:25 Oasis😂

[@yayayaokoksure]

Nice gold scarf

[@aryabanerjee1179]

Starts from 3:00

[@colinmcghee8730]

Of course, of course, of course....how many times....

[@lamodernista]

Are Yorke and Donwood wearing the same style glass frames? Or am I imagining things?

[@jeremymr]

21:48 - I don't know if a printer is considered an appliance, but it sounds like appliances have gone berserk...

[@ItsOnlyJMan]

How dare you drop a sneaky lyric and play it off as a casual comment, ya snot nose little punk! ;)

[@MarionRelics]

Was someone feeding him questions by fax machine…?

[@GiulianoViale]

i need to know the brand of eyewear of theirs

[@foundfool]

I miss the old Thom Yorke, the OKC - Kid A one. I'm going through a lot right now. Thanks for being there. Every day I try not to kill myself.

[@plenku]

You're fighting hardest fight of your life right now man, that says a lot about how strong you are. I've been there my self and Radiohead definitely saved my life. You'll come out of this on the other side stronger. I promise.

[@danielismyname3727]

Hey, it might not seem like it now, but life is worth living and it isn't easy but you can get there. Much Love to you fellow human. I wish you the greatest happiness. Keep your head up

[@pedrokoury1352]

If you focus for long enough, the host will slowly morph into Dr House

[@jacksonwaldon]

Imagine Thom Yorke playing Wonderwall… now that’s scary!

[@mohammad4110]

It would be funny af Or Oasis playing Paranoid Android or Everything In Its Right Place

[@milanchlebak9071]

from nowhere to nowhere..with sunglasses

[@andrewpike1993]

Jesus a three minute intro?!!

[@itsithinkso]

KiD A : Amnesiac really changed the World history! Never expire

[@burrrrrrrrrrrrrrp]

Where are you? 😆

[@AB-wy7dr]

Why is there a giant phone/fax combo machine on the table?

[@bnosel]

Guys wearing the same glasses always have a similar vision

[@DavidSGrop]

3:20 You're welcome.

[@chaich1421]

what, matching glasses now?