Here at Spermatikos Logos,
the Great and Illustrious Quail and I, Dr Larry Daw, have received many letters claiming
that the modern-day English supergroup Radiohead has been influenced by the works of
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon. The primary evidence used to support such a position is the fact
that the acronym "W.A.S.T.E " appears within their literature, most frequently
at their web site at the W.A.S.T.E. products clothing merchandising centre. There is also
the following lyric, from the song "Fake Plastic Trees" on The Bends:
"He use to do surgery
On girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins"
A
letter from childhood friend of bandleader Thom Yorke,
one Jon Butcher, has confirmed such suggestions. It
seems as if Yorke has read many Pynchon works, including
his famous piece on Luddism, and that his band probably
includes several of Pynchon's major themes in their
work. Precise evidence has not been made available,
but this does not indicate any need to question the
authority of our sources. Besides, the Quail and Dr
Larry Daw think OK Computer kicks ass anyway,
so who are we to complain!
RADIOHEAD premiered another brand new song on the last
date of their European tour.
According to the unofficial Radiohead website www.followmearound.com,
the band played the song 'Alligators In New York Sewers'
at the Old Roman Amphitheatre in Caesaria, Israel last
night (July 9). Thom played the song alone on piano,
as the first song in the encore.
Following the gig, possible lyrics to the song were
posted on the official Radiohead website, www.radiohead.com.
The lyrics run: "Alligators in New York/There's
a little child/Running round this house/And he never
leaves /He will never leave/And the fog comes up from
the sewers/And glows in the dark/Baby alligators in
the sewers grow up fast...how did you go bad?/ Did you
go bad?".
The new song will not feature on Radiohead's forthcoming
album, which, as exclusively revealed on nme.com is
called 'Kid A' and is released on October 2 through
EMI.
Following the release of the album the band intend
to release the rest of the other songs they recorded
during the sessions for 'Kid A' as either a series of
EPs, or possibly another album.
CDs
Pablo Honey
Radiohead / Audio CD / Released 1993
Our Price: $12.99 ~ You Save: $3.98
The Bends
Radiohead / Audio CD / Released 1995
Our Price: $12.99 ~ You Save: $3.98
OK Computer
Radiohead / Audio CD / Released 1997
Our Price: $12.99 ~ You Save: $3.98
Journey to
the Center of Kid A-- 3 Oct 00, Pitchfork. Brent Sirota compares Radiohead's
new CD to Finnegans Wake; also talks about Pynchon and W.A.S.T.E. A very good
article!
Radiohead Card
-- At the Ultimate Band List, this page has a collection of links to Radiohead Web sites
and information.
Macondo Music: Radiohead -- The
Libyrinth's Gabriel García Márquez site has a page that looks at Radiohead's
"Banana Co.", a song that may have been influenced by One Hundred Years of
Solitude.
Anderson,
Laurie.
Famous New York performance artist Laurie Anderson
dedicated a song to Pynchon on her Mister
Heartbreak album.
Benatar,
Pat.
Believe it or not, she named a final album Gravity's
Rainbow.
Benny
Profane.
English hard rockers from Liverpool, they took
their name from a character in V.
Blowtorch,
Eric
Reggae influenced artist putting Pynchon's lyrics
to music.
Cassiber.
An avant garde German group used Gravity's
Rainbow to tell a different tale.
Corey,
Prof. Irwin.
The man who was the infamous stand-in
for Thomas Ruggles Pynchon.
Dangtrippers.
They recorded Maxwell's Demon Box on
their album, Days Between Stations.
Einhorn,
Richard.
Another rendition of music devoted to the
Demon, and much more.
Fariña,
Richard.
An long-time friend of Pynchon, this folkie named
an instrumental work after a Pynchon novel.
Favorite
Color, The.
A New Jersey band sets a selection from V.
to music on their album Color Out of Space
(1996).
Fool,
The.
Surely not Slothrop's band, this was a short lived
group which did, in fact, have a harmonica player.
Forked
Yew.
Independent, highly experimental rockers and Pynchon
fans from the American South.
Frith
& Kaiser.
An instrumental pair with a piece called The Kirghiz
Light.
Hall,
Ed.
An early 90's band influenced by Pynchon, they
named a song Roger Mexico.
Insect
Trust.
This jazzy, psychedelic group mined V.
for lyrics to The Eyes of a New York Woman.
Jazz
Butcher.
AKA Pat Fish, who named a track Looking for
Lot 49 on his Fishcoteque album.
Jones,
Spike.
Pynchon himself wrote the liner notes for Spiked!
Knopfler,
Mark. The Sultan of Swing sails to Philadelphia!
Koron,
Barry.
Weilding the Sjambok never felt so good!
Lot
49 (Ontario).
This now retired hardcore outfit hailed from the
hometown of Spermatikos Logos' own Laurence
Daw.
Lot
49 (NYC).
Indie NYC rockers named after Pynchon's second
novel.
Lotion.
A New York group whose liner notes were penned
by the Man himself.
Maas.
A visit to San Narciso.
Nirvana.
Wasthe famous tune Smells Like Teen
Spirit acutally inspired by a song from Gravity's
Rainbow?
Nova
Mob.
A "Rock Opera" filled with references
to Gravity's Rainbow.
Ocker,
David.
Musical meditations on Eight Facts About
Thomas Pynchon.
Okasek,
Ric.
Ride The Rocket with the former frontman
of The Cars.
Pere
Ubu.
David Thomas' legendary, seminal band shows some
Pynchon influences.
PopCanon.
These literate Indies hail from Flordia, and have
a song about Wanda Tinasky which is highly recomm-ended!
Poster
Children.
This group from Champaign, Illinois, covers a
lot of Pynchon ground!
Radiohead.
English art-rockers who incorporate many Pynchon
motifs into their work.
Rapoon.
An offshoot of Zoviet France, Robin Storey's
group named Rapoon released an album
called The Kirghiz Light.
Sauter
& Dietrich, Moore.
More liner notes written by Pynchon !!
Six
Finger Satellite.
Indie electro-rock futurists Six Finger Satellite
make a reference to Gravity's Rainbow.
Soft
Machine.
Seminal "proggies," they recorded a
full-scale work called Esther's Nose Job
in 1969.
Spock's
Beard.
In memory of "the evil Spock," they
do homage to V.
Time
in Malta.
A California metal group with a name taken from
V.
Ware,
Tim.
Pynchon scholar, Web master, and MIDI Musician.
Whole
Sick Crew, The.
Purveyors of pirate folk-punk, truly a gang like
their Pynchon namesakes.
XXX
Atomic Toejam.
F. Thorendal, from praised thrash-heroes Meshuggah,
gets one in for the Vikings.
Yo
La Tengo.
Making music indebted to The Crying of Lot
49.
Yoyodyne.
Related to New York's Lot 49, ths Florida
group also takes their name from Pynchon's work.
Zevon,
Warren.
He recently released an album containing work
inspired by Pynchon.
