Am I the only one who hates Radiohead?

In My Humble Opinion
1

It seems I can’t read music news or turn on the TV without hearing something about Radiohead being the greatest band of our time. One of my roommates is obsessed with them, and he’s slowly converting my other roommate. Not a single day goes by when I don’t hear the sounds of Radiohead coming from the other room.

And I can’t stand them. There are about two songs that I can bear: Creep and Street Spirit. I just don’t see what there is to like about any of their others.

Please tell me someone out there knows what I’m talking about.

2

Sorry. You are the only one. :smiley:

I’m sure you’re not. Just mark me down as another vote for the Radiohead camp. I love Paranoid Android, above all their other songs. It’s just… great!! Radiohead! They’re just… great!

3

You ARE NOT the only one! I feel I’m pretty diverse in my musical tastes and for the life of me can’t see what the big deal is about Radiohead. Not one of their songs “speaks” to me.

4

I honestly believe Radiohead is the best band of our time. Their music expresses emotion, isolation, alienation, fear, urban decline, brokenness, technology issues, automation, and relationships… (I could go on) so poetically and concisely that it’s irresistable.

They are definetely not an easy listen though. Most of their work since “The Bends” is difficult material to digest. The subject matter is dark, but I always enjoy reading into the lyrics and music to find the meaning behind their songs. (I did a paper in college on how “paranoid android” is about the victim of an abortion in the context of reincarnation… I got an A!)

Thom Yorke uses abstract lyrics and music to convey universal emotions. Political, scientific, social, psychological commentary… it’s all there, if you are willing to listen. For anyone who doesn’t like to contemplate his existence in this world, or explore the deep chasms of the psyche, Radiohead is not for you.

“Fake Plastic Trees” gets my vote for saddest song ever. Listen to it on an overcast, windy autumn day and I dare you not to cry.

They push the envelope musically and currently represent the only bastion of originality in an otherwise vacuous landscape of recycled pop atrocities and I’m glad to see their record sales are strong in spite of all that.

The only fault I can find with Radiohead is that sometimes… ok, most of the time they take themselves WAY too seriously… musically and otherwise.

Also, lately songs like “Treefingers” and “Hunting Bears” are a little too out there for my tastes, but to each his own I suppose.

My girlfriend won’t listen to anything that doesn’t have a syncopated dance beat… there’s no hope for her.

If you are willing to explore the darker side of yourself, give Radiohead a chance… you may be thilled/scared/alarmed at what you uncover!

5

I don’t hate them, and in fact I like some of what I’ve heard, but I’m not sure why they’d be considered “the greatest band of our time.” WAG, maybe it’s because music like theirs is, to many, a welcome difference from all the boy-band, girl-band, top 40 type stuff. Granted, I don’t listen to the radio as much as I used to and when I do, I’ll tune in to just about anything-- I like pop, I like alternative stuff, etc. But if you hate 'N Sync (or is it N’Sync), I suppose you can’t get much further away from them than Radiohead.

6

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate them – I can think of few bands I actively “hate” – but I don’t listen to their music. I did think that “Creep” was probably the best single of the 1990s, and that includes anything by REM or Nirvana, and I liked that song “High and Dry,” but nothing else they’ve done in the past few years has piqued my interest in the slightest.

7

I don’t like Radiohead anymore. They once had a lot of potential. Their first two albums (The Bends and Pablo Honey) were pretty decent, but I don’t like anything I’ve heard of the last three. And they certainly aren’t anywhere near the best band for exploring the darker side of yourself, although that’s a very subjective assessment.

8

Who? :smiley:

Seriously, I haven’t heard any of their work, nor have I been moved to hunt them down.

9

I used to really love Radiohead. The Bends ruled my world. But then I just starting finding them uninteresting, unoriginal, and whiney. Somehow they crossed over from alienation as an emotion, and turned it into alienation from all emotions. Lyrically, I thought they were banal and sterile. I don’t really know what happened. I just kind chalked it up to me growing up.

10

They’re not for everybody. To paraphrase Roger Ebert, only bad music is for everybody.

That said, I do think they’re one of the best bands working today. They’ve made five albums now, none of which sound all that much alike and all of which are brilliant. I’m listening to Kid A right now–as much as I liked it at first, it has continued to grow on me, revealing itself slowly with every listen.

The fact that an album like Kid A was #1 on the charts, even for only one week, makes me think that there might be some hope for music after all.

But hey, everyone has some unpopular musical opinions. I think U2’s new album is their worst in years, maybe ever.

JP

11

I don’t really hate them, I just don’t get them. I like music that makes me think, or causes strong emotion, but generally Radiohead doesn’t do this for me. I like “Paranoid Android,” “Creep,” and “Karma Police.” After that, I really don’t care for them. I find them almost pretentious.

12

From what I’ve heard, I think that I could like them were it not for Yorke’s voice, which I can’t stand. I can’t listen to it for long enough to decide whether or not I actually do like it other than that.

13

On a scale of 1 to 10, one being hate, ten being love, I rate them a…6. Just slightly above indifference. I like several of their songs, but love none of them. I’ve never felt the urge to buy one of their cds or see them in concert. That’s about how I feel about Nine Inch Nails, come to think of it.

14

Radiohead is a bit of an anomaly (did I spell that right??). They are a non-mainstream band that has made a tremendous impact in mainstream music. They are a contradiction in terms. Their stuff is not at all geared towards “fitting into” the norm of what is successful in this flavor of the month musical society we live in. Love it or hate it, it is absolutely uncompromising. Radiohead are not even remotely a product of marketing. They create what their artistic and creative sides fashion, without worrying about what the reactions are going to be by the listening populace. Those that love them, are impressed, moved, and enthralled by them. Their extremely individual style does not work for everyone’s ears. Their sound is absolutley unique, and therefore will not necessarily jive in the ears of the majority.

The contradiction is that despite all of this, they are one of the biggest bands in the world. Like them or not, GOOD FOR THEM. Because like them or not, whether they move you, or simply strike you as pretentious, they’ve made it to legendary status without compromising themselves or their music. To that end, they are reminiscent of many of the great art rock bands from the early 70s who achieved legendary status by going against the grain of what’s expected musically, and instead of what had been done before. Like them or not, they are original and distinct. Good for them. (-:

           - Freewill39.