Radiohead's frontman, Thom Yorke, shares his castaway choices with Lauren Laverne.
Thom has been the lead singer of Radiohead, one of Britain’s most successful British bands, for over numerosu decades. They've sold over 30 million albums worldwide, and have won three Grammys and four Ivor Novello awards. Their debut studio album, Pablo Honey, was released in 1993, with their debut single, Creep, becoming a big international success.
Thom decided on his career at the age of seven, when he lay on the floor between large speakers at a friend’s house and listened to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He made his own electric guitar when he was 10, and wrote his first song at 11. At his secondary school he joined up with fellow pupils and they formed a band called On a Friday, as that was the only day they were allowed to rehearse. They all went their separate ways as university students, but then signed to Parlophone in 1991 and renamed themselves Radiohead.
Thom has collaborated with artists including PJ Harvey and Björk and has composed for film and theatre. His first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria, was released in 2018. His first classical piece, Don’t Fear the Light, was premiered in Paris in 2019, and he toured with his solo album Anima.
He is an activist on behalf of human rights, animal rights, environmental and anti-war causes.
DISC ONE: Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l'oye, M.60: 5. Le jardin féerique - Marielle Labèque and Katia Labèque
DISC TWO: It's Raining Today - Scott Walker
DISC THREE: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) - Talking Heads
DISC FOUR: Freeman Hard And Willis Acid - Squarepusher & AFX
DISC FIVE: After The Gold Rush - Neil Young
DISC SIX: Talk About the Passion - R.E.M.
DISC SEVEN: Blue Horizon - Sidney Bechet and His New Orleans Feetwarmers
DISC EIGHT: Lilac Wine - Nina Simone
BOOK CHOICE: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
LUXURY CHOICE: Solar-powered recording studio
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) - Talking Heads
Producer: Cathy Drysdale
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2019. Show less