Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has shared that one song by the Thom Yorke-fronted band is far from his favourite.
While fans of the band may remember Greenwood’s response to hearing the first bars of Creep during a live show from the band, a classic song the group rarely plays, it’s actually an In Rainbows song that Greenwood has soured on. While the veteran guitarist, who also featured on Yorke’s The Smile project, believes the song is right in its current arrangement, he admits to having pushed for a different sound when it came to the recording process. Greenwood says House of Cards should have had a far different, strikingly punk sound to it, but that it would’ve ruined the much-loved Radiohead song.
Greenwood said: “There are songs I feel like we could have better arrangements for, but everyone else seems to like. I was convinced that House of Cards should sound like an Iggy Pop track. But I can accept that it would probably have killed something beautiful and tender.”
Elsewhere in the interview with Mojo Magazine, Greenwood suggested returning to touring with Radiohead had been a great experience, but he missed making new music with the band. A Moon Shaped Pool, released in 2016, is the latest release from the band, and it does not appear the group has any interest, currently, in recording new material.
Greenwood said: “Yeah. It’s incredible that we’re playing live again and that it feels so great, and everyone is loving each other’s company. You hear of other bands getting together and having multiple managers and multiple sound people. We seem very blessed.”
Greenwood, who has also worked on filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent projects, says The Smile was born out of a place of frustration for not having the chance to release new material. He said: “Just that same frustration of unfinished ideas. The Smile was just about playing songs in a small room with a drummer [Tom Skinner].
“And working fast. Radiohead are an amazing band but things tend to go quite slowly. It’s a bit like filming an epic film with lots of cast and scenes. This felt more light on its feet. During The Smile tour I kept thinking, ‘Who gets a second chance like this?” It’s unbelievable to write a whole set of songs and start again.”
The Smile were set to perform at the 2024 edition of Øyafestivalen, the annual Norwegian rock festival. But the group were forced to pull out of their performance at the festival, headlined by Pulp and Jack White, due to Greenwood’s illness at the time.
A statement at the time confirmed the illness. Greenwood’s team wrote: “A few days ago, Jonny became seriously ill from an infection that needed emergency hospital treatment, some of it in intensive care. Mercifully he is now out of danger and will soon return home.”
