This is a transcript from an audio recording of the broadcast.
[recording starts here]
Zane Lowe: “[…]because word spreads quickly when it comes to Radiohead, online, is that there’s two new songs - one of which will be debuted on 6Music, that’s tomorrow morning, Wednesday, morning, and one we’re gonna play in a few seconds’ time. And right now, on the side of a motorway of life, we have (both laugh), we have Ed on the phone - what’s happening? How are you?”
Ed O'Brien: “Good man, I’m in the car driving back from rehearsals, pretty good day.”
Zane: “Yeah I bet. So, needless to say - things are coming together?”
Ed: “Yeah, very nicely, very nicely.”
Zane: “We’re gonna play The Daily Mail, and look at you, you know, you ignore us for so long, and now you’ve been on the phone or in person doing press - twice in as many months! You can’t escape now dude.”
Ed: “I know. I’ve become a right veritable tart of the media.”
Zane: “Ah man I can’t wait to play this. This is so special. We’re gonna come back and talk you about this in a second, but right now let’s just get our ears around it. This is brand new Radiohead, on Radio 1 - this is The Daily Mail.”
[track plays]
Zane: “Tell us about that song and where it popped up, Ed.”
Ed: “Well, we have had that one kicking around for probably, well, at least six years.”
Zane: “(laughs) Good to see you guys have been productive, you know, with the new music.”
Ed: “Well we have a lot of these songs, you know, that just sit on the shelf. You know that they’re good, but it’s all about timing, or, you know, you might arse around with an arrangement and it’s not quite right. And what happens when we were putting together, we did this thing called From The Basement, which is basically filmed live, doing the songs off King of Limbs, and, um (laughs), because of King of Limbs’s eight tracks, we did two extra tracks, for this TV thing. And we had a bit of a swat on about it, you know, we had a week to do it, and it happened very very quickly. I think the fact is that we’ve got Clive drumming with us as well, and it just came together really quickly, everybody knew the song, and it also was kind of made by the fact that we knew we were going to have a brass section - and Jonny did a great arrangement - and it was one of those things, you know, just happened very quickly. And the version that you hear is basically, it’s all live, I mean there are no overdubs, it’s old-school in that regard.”
Zane: “Yeah, and thing when you listen to that as well, especially in the context of The King of Limbs, that to me is the sound of, that, you know, could have featured on any one of your records up ’til now.”
Ed: “Yeah, totally, I mean it’s…I mean that’s the thing about that kind of stuff that we do, it’s kind of like - we’ve got that, it’s kind of in the bag.”
Zane: “Stop showing off. Come on, that’s ridiculous.”
Ed: “I’m not showing off, that’s kind of - we can do that. But you know, the thing is it’s like…if you do too much of that, you get bored, so, like I told you last time I was in, it’s all reacting. I mean - that is a reaction. Before that version we’d probably played through it five times in total. You know, in terms of rehearsal, picking that song up again. So it’s literally, you know, after the [Studiohead?] of King of Limbs, it’s really refreshing to do something like that.”
Zane: “Yeah I bet, man. And it’s great to hear as well. And for fans of the sound that has been developed on King of Limbs, Staircase, more in line with that, and that’ll be played on 6Music tomorrow morning. And you’re gonna get these two songs as part of the whole From The Basement thing, which is coming out in January. And it’s a nice way to end the year with something new from you guys, because I know it was such an unorthodox way of putting out King of Limbs, certainly considering how everyone else does it, which is nothing new. But you know you guys are getting out on the treadmill next year and gonna be a real band - touring, arenas, watch out? Rehearsals?”
Ed: “Yeah, no, I mean we’re really excited about this because we haven't done arenas since, uh, we’ve only ever played arenas once before, which was on…OK Computer. And I think because of the meteoric rise of the time, and also probably it being post-Glastonbury 1997, everything after that was a bit of a, a bit of a blur. And not that much fun, so. We’re actually really excited about it - to be able to do, you know, I think one of the things about outdoor shows is that they’re great, they’re good communing experiences…”
Zane: “Hard to control though, huh?”
Ed: “Yeah man, absolutely. And the sound - we want, you know. We want you to be able to hear the bass, we want the full lights and everything. So.”
Zane: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. What kind of emphasis are you placing on the live shows in rehearsals at this point? You have so much to choose from, but the King of Limbs is such a very direct, personal sounding record, and, you know - how is it all going to cut around that?”
Ed: “I think the thing is, is that it’s gotta be creative. Because so often when you go out on the road, it’s kind of like you can become, like, the jukebox, and play the greatest hits. We’re not gonna do that - we’re gonna play the songs that seem apt for the show and I think we’re in a place now, you know, I think there will definitely be old songs, but it doesn’t feel like we have to play Paranoid Android every night.”
Zane: “Well I guess in a way they’ll feel more in line with King of Limbs than perhaps, you know, the journey you’ve been on before, which is left, right and everywhere.”
Ed: “Totally, and we’re really excited about - I don’t really want to, I mean I can say a few words but, you know, it just…I think the thing is to - we’re still figuring out and we’ve only just, we’ve done a week and half’s rehearsals so far - we’re gonna be doing something different, let’s put it that way.”
Zane: “Awesome. We can’t wait to see it. And you obviously got a really nice Christmas with the family planned, and a little bit of time, and then next year, you know your feet won’t touch the ground, I guess, in a way?”
Ed: “Yeah, exactly.”
Zane: “Exciting times, man. Listen, thank you for a few minutes, Ed, and safe travels home and you know, we love The Daily Mail and we’ll play it again before the end of the show tonight because fans who have missed it will want to hear it. It’s up on the blog and we’ll see you in the new year when the time is right, man.”