“Yorke's lyrics make me want to give up. I could never in my wildest dreams find something as beautiful as they find for a single song — let alone album after album.”
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Figure timeline
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the singer and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his wide vocal range. Rolling Stone described Yorke as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.
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entertainment · English musician (born 1968) · guitarist · singer · composer · singer-songwriter · pianist · ecologist · dancer · multi-instrumentalist · rock musician · also Thom Yorke, Thomas Edward Yorke, Yorke
Born 7 October 1968 · Q188668
140 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 57 entries
“I grew up under Thatcher. I grew up believing that I was fundamentally powerless. Then gradually over the years it occurred to me that this was actually a very convenient myth for the state.”
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“I think the most important thing about music is the sense of escape.”
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“It matters. It's as much as you can ask for. The rest is bullshit.”
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“I don't think young people are as demoralized as the media and government would like us to think. The obvious sign of that is how strong and how close personal connections are and how much people are able to build a life for themselves, despite all this stuff that's been thrown at them.”
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“You think I have the responsibilty... I have the responsibility to give the fans a good time! (nods at camera, then pauses)... that just sounds... kinky.”
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“It's basically [about] having to make a decision whether to do nothing or try to engage with it in some way, knowing that it's flawed. It's convenient to project that back on to someone personally and say they're a hypocrite. It's a lot easier to do that than actually do anything else. And yeah, that stresses me out, because I am a hypocrite. As we all are.”
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“no environmental credentials”
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“Make no mistake, new artists you discover on Spotify will not get paid. Meanwhile, shareholders will shortly be rolling in it ... New artists get paid fuck-all with this model.”
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“messing around with the idea of being the rock star or the uptight [1990s] guy. I can choose to do something completely different and be stupid or jump around.”
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“pretty fucking different for me”
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“When I got back to Oxford I was unbearable ... As soon as you get any success you disappear up your own arse.”
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“profound fear of having so much to prove”
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“guys singing in falsetto with an acoustic guitar”
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno Among 200+ Musicians Urging Prime Minister to Reject New North Sea Oil and Gas Fields - ROE Trend Analysis
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno Join 200+ Musicians Urging PM to Block North Sea Oil and Gas Expansion - Consensus Beat Rate
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno, and 200+ Artists Urge UK PM to Block North Sea Oil and Gas Projects - One-Time Gain Impact
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno, Massive Attack Among 211 Musicians Urging UK to Reject Rosebank and Jackdaw Drilling - Earnings Cycle Outlook
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Far Out Magazine: The 1997 Radiohead song that terrified Thom Yorke: “Nothing was in our control”
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Romy and Brian Eno Join 211 Musicians Urging PM to Reject New North Sea Drilling - Peak Earnings Alert
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Published video “Unmade - Electric Lady Studios, 2018”.
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Sopitas.com: ¿Qué es el proyecto Rosebank y por qué Robert Smith, Thom Yorke y Massive Attack están en su contra?
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Female First: Thom Yorke and Brian Eno among musicians to sign letter calling for UK PM Andy Burnham to reject North Sea oil drilling
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno and Over 200 Musicians Urge PM to Reject New North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling - Margin Guidance
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Far Out Magazine: Thom Yorke, Brian Eno and Robert Smith sign letter against North Sea oil drilling
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Hotpress: Bicep, Massive Attack, Thom Yorke and more urge Burnham "to reject development of the Rosebank oilfield"
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The Guardian: Thom Yorke, Romy and Brian Eno among 200 musicians urging PM to reject new North Sea drilling
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The Independent: Robert Smith, Thom Yorke and Brian Eno among names to sign anti-Rosebank letter
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NME: Thom Yorke, Massive Attack, Robert Smith and Brian Eno pressure Andy Burnham over controversial oil field plan
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Vinanet: Thom Yorke, Romy and Brian Eno Among 200+ Musicians Urging UK PM to Block New North Sea Drilling - Low Growth Earnings
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Mshale: Anouk & Douwe Bob Hold Me Reaction! Thom Yorke (sj9jPom5dP)
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Far Out Magazine: The “vile” 1989 album that changed Thom Yorke’s life
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Mshale: Almirante Brown 4-2 Chacarita | Primera Nacional | Fecha 1 Thom Yorke (7nyIWP9bEJ)
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Mshale: BRASIL VS ESCOCIA REACCIÓN⚽🏆| MUNDIAL 2026 EL TRIBUNO | Thom Yorke (xG0AxhfmtU)
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Published video “Dawn Chorus - Sydney Opera House, 2024”.
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Far Out Magazine: How Flea and Thom Yorke reaffirmed the value of live music to Brad Pitt: “AI can’t do that”
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“No. 7 mix made for Sonos Radio back in April 2022 now on @mixcloud.bsky.social - waste.lnk.to/sonos7BS”
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Published video “Harrowdown Hill - Atoms For Peace at EXIT Festival, 2013”.
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Published video “Suspirium - Maida Vale, 2018”.
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Published video “Black Swan - Atoms For Peace at Roundhouse, 2013”.
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Published video “Analyse - From The Basement, 2005”.
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Published video “The Clock - The Henry Rollins Show, 2006”.
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Published video “Atoms For Peace live From The Basement. 20 years of The Eraser https://waste.lnk.to/theeraserYT”.
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“Atoms For Peace live From The Basement. 20 years of The Eraser waste.lnk.to/theeraserBS”
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“This Friday is the 20th anniversary of the release of The Eraser. To mark this, XL have organised a series of playbacks with partners around the world. For where and when, visit waste.lnk.to/theeraserBS”
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Published video “Judge Jury and Executioner - Atoms for Peace at Fuji Rock, 2010”.
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Published video “Bloom - Electric Lady Studios, 2018”.
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“Live from Electric Lady Studios EP: now streaming waste.lnk.to/ty.lfelsBS”
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“The Live from Electric Lady Studios EP is now available on all streaming services waste.lnk.to/ty.lfelsBS”
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“Tickets for Hamlet Hail to the Thief at London's Barbican Theatre are now on general sale waste.lnk.to/hhttt2BS”
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- #bluesky
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“The W.A.S.T.E pre-sale for Hamlet Hail to the Thief at London's Barbican Theatre is now open. Sign up for access waste.lnk.to/signupBS”
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“"I'm into finally bringing 'Hamlet Hail to the Thief' to London, and to the Barbican of all places! It is fascinating and very strange to me how this came to life and how it has worked...”
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“Re-sharing mix no. 6 made for Sonos Radio in December 2021. Listen on @mixcloud.bsky.social waste.lnk.to/sonos6BS 📸 Alex Lake”
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“with Flea at Koko, London on Tuesday 26th May 📸 Sophie Vaughan”
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Yorke said he was "not a solo artist" and would "go round in circles" when working alone
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Consequence named Yorke the 52nd-greatest
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Yorke referred to Israel's war as genocide and said he "totally agreed" with the anti-Israel protests
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2025· 7 entries
American Songwriter: Why Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Is so Infatuated With John Lennon’s Voice: “I’m a Little Bit Obsessed”
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The Guardian: Radiohead’s Thom Yorke says he would ‘absolutely not’ play in Israel now
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The Guardian: ‘A succession of bad paintings’: Stanley Donwood and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke – review
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The Guardian: Thom Yorke calls Netanyahu an ‘extremist’ in statement on Gaza
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Released album “Tall Tales”.
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Released ep “The Spirit”.
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The Guardian wrote that Donwood and Yorke had "created some of the most recognisable, ubiquitous and maybe even iconic album covers of their generation"
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2024· 5 entries
Released album “Slipping Away -Everything Japan Tour 2024 Tokyo 1st Night-”.
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Released album “Not Scared -Everything Japan Tour 2024 Tokyo 2nd Night-”.
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Released ep “Live From Electric Lady Studios”.
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Released album “Confidenza: Music for the Film by Daniele Luchetti”.
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Released the albums Wall of Eyes and Cutouts, recorded simultaneously
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2023· 1 entry
Yorke said that his vocal range had dropped with age and that he now found "Creep" difficult to sing
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2021· 2 entries
“entering a new type of silence”
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Yorke debuted a new band, the Smile, with the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and the drummer Tom Skinner; they have released three albums
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2019· 4 entries
Released album “ANIMA”.
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Released ep “Anima (preview limited edition)”.
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Released ep “Suspiria: Unreleased Material”.
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And awarded an Ivor Novello fellowship in 2026
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2018· 2 entries
Released album “2018‐12‐15: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA”.
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Released album “Suspiria: Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film”.
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2017· 1 entry
Released album “2017‐08‐20: Sferisterio, Macerata, Italy”.
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2016· 6 entries
That he was "the most overrated lyricist in music today", and that fans, critics and academics had "taken the bait and delivered one overwrought interpretation after another"
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“No more fuss, just put it out. It takes away from things a bit, and it”
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Pitchfork wrote that Yorke "weirdly comes off as the weak link", with understated vocals that did not resemble the Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry
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Yorke said he had tired of surprise releases: "No more fuss, just put it out
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Pitchfork wrote that Yorke's voice had evolved from "semi-interesting alt-rocker" to "left-field art-rock demigod" to "electronic grand wizard"
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“No, not exactly ... I wanted to show that, in theory, today one could follow the entire chain of record production, from start to finish, on his own. But in practice it is very different. We cannot be burdened with all of the responsibilities of the record label.”
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2015· 6 entries
Released album “The UK Gold: Original Soundtrack”.
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Said: "Really I just enjoy writing words sitting at a piano
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Criticised YouTube for "seizing control" of contributor content, likening it to Nazis looting art during World War II
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“In the 60s, you could write songs that were like calls to arms, and it would work ... It”
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Yorke released a statement accusing the British government of "siphoning money through our tax havens for the global super rich, while now preaching that we the people must pay our taxes and suffer austerity"
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Yorke contributed a soundtrack, Subterranea, to an installation of Radiohead artwork, The Panic Office, in Sydney, Australia
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2014· 1 entry
Released album “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes”.
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2013· 4 entries
Yorke and Godrich made statements criticising the music streaming service Spotify, and removed Atoms for Peace and Yorke's solo music from the service
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Released album “Unreleased & Early Versions”.
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Yorke cited Aphex Twin as his biggest influence, saying: "Aphex opened up another world that didn't involve my fucking electric guitar
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Yorke told the Guardian he feared the release had instead played into the hands of content providers such as Apple and Google: "They have to keep commodifying things to keep the share price up, but in doing so they have
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2012· 1 entry
Yorke contributed music to a show by the fashion label Rag & Bone, and sang on "Electric Candyman" on the Flying Lotus album Until the Quiet Comes
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2011· 4 entries
Released album “Boiler Room: Thom Yorke in London, Oct 11, 2011”.
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Alongside Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack and Tim Goldsworthy of Unkle, Yorke played a secret DJ set for a group of Occupy activists in the abandoned offices of the investment bank UBS
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Radiohead released their eighth album, The King of Limbs, which Yorke described as "an expression of physical movements and wildness"
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Rolling Stone readers voted Yorke their 10th-favourite dancing musician
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2010· 4 entries
Released album “2010-02-25: Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK”.
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Rolling Stone ranked Yorke the 66th-greatest singer and wrote that he was one of the most influential singers of his generation, influencing bands such as Muse, Coldplay, Travis and Elbow
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Performed a benefit concert at the Cambridge Corn Exchange for the British Green Party and supported the 10:10 campaign for climate change mitigation
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And for "Shipwreck" and "This" on the Modeselektor album Monkeytown in 2011
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2009· 3 entries
Released album “2009‐05‐09: Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles, CA”.
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Yorke released a cover of the Miracle Legion song "All for the Best" with his brother, Andy, for the compilation Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy
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Yorke performed via Skype at the premier of the environmentalist documentary The Age of Stupid, and gained access to the COP 15 climate change talks in Copenhagen by posing as a journalist
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2008· 2 entries
Released album “If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Already”.
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Radiohead commissioned a study to reduce the carbon expended on tour
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2007· 3 entries
Released album “The Eraser Rmxs”.
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Radiohead independently released their seventh album, In Rainbows, as a pay-what-you-want download, the first for a major act
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“The piano playing involved two hands doing things separately. I don”
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2006· 8 entries
Released ep “Spitting Feathers”.
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Released album “The Eraser”.
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Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed at the Big Ask Live, a 2006 benefit concert to persuade the British government to enact a new law on climate change
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Told Pitchfork that Radiohead had "ripped off R
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Yorke said: "It annoys me how pretty my voice is
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On the independent label XL Recordings, backed by the singles "Harrowdown Hill", which reached number 23 in the UK singles chart, and "Analyse"
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Called major record labels "stupid little boys' games – especially really high up"
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“It annoys me how pretty my voice is. That sounds incredibly immodest, but it annoys me how polite it can sound when perhaps what I”
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2005· 2 entries
Yorke performed on the pilot episode of the music television program From the Basement, created by Godrich
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Performed at an all-night vigil for the Trade Justice Movement, calling for a better trade deal for poor countries
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2004· 1 entry
Yorke was photographed having chocolate poured over him as part of the Make Trade Fair campaign to raise awareness about dumping commodities
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2003· 2 entries
“I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say”
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Yorke became a spokesperson for the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth and their Big Ask campaign
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2002· 2 entries
Released album “Outside the Bends”.
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Yorke performed at the Bridge School Benefit, a charity concert organised by the Canadian songwriter Neil Young, one of Yorke's influences
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2001· 2 entries
“encourages enthusiasm for music in a way that the music industry has long forgotten to do. I think anybody sticking two fingers up at the whole fucking thing is wonderful as far as I”
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Yorke criticised the American live music industry, describing it as a monopoly controlled by Clear Channel Entertainment and Ticketmaster
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2000· 2 entries
During the recording of Kid A, Yorke became "obsessed" with the Worldwatch Institute website, "which was full of scary statistics about icecaps melting and weather patterns changing"
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As many songs did not require him to play guitar
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1999· 1 entry
Yorke travelled to the G8 summit to support the Jubilee 2000 movement calling for cancellation of third-world debt
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1997· 1 entry
Yorke provided backing vocals for a cover of the 1975 Pink Floyd song "Wish You Were Here" with Sparklehorse
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1993· 1 entry
Became disenchanted with being "right at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping sell
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1991· 2 entries
As most of the members were finishing their degrees
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When Yorke was 22, On a Friday signed to EMI and changed their name to Radiohead
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1985· 1 entry
Formed a band, On a Friday, named after the only day they were allowed to practice
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1978· 1 entry
Where Yorke attended primary school in Standlake
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1968· 1 entry
Born 1968-10-07.
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- #birth