When you’re as booked and busy as Thom Yorke, certain engagements take priority over others. That means someone’s invitation to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame is about to conveniently get lost in the mail. Radiohead has been picked for induction into the Rock Hall this year against their will so, of course, Yorke already has a prior commitment that night. Yorke tells Variety that he, at least, won’t be attending because he’ll be at the Paris Philharmonic (for the premiere of a piano piece he wrote for Katia and Marielle Labèque), but also mostly because the Rock Hall is just all so bloody American. “We’ve always been very blasé about that stuff. We just think that we just don’t quite understand it. We’ve had it explained to us, so it’s cool,†he says. “But we don’t really understand it as English people. I think our problem is essentially that every awards ceremony in the U.K. stinks. We grew up with the Brits, which is like this sort of drunken car crash that you don’t want to get involved with. So, yeah, we don’t really know what to make of it.†(It’s unclear if the rest of the band will attend.)
But what about the Academy Award he might be up for if his Suspiria song makes it past the shortlist to a nom? Now you’re speaking his language. He continues, “But the Oscar thing makes a bit more sense, I guess, because I’ve had it explained to me a bit more. I mean, I hope it gets nominated. That would be great, because it was a year and a half in my life, and I worked bloody hard on it. So, you know, sometimes it’s nice to be recognized. Sometimes, if you understand what it means.†So what’s Yorke doing the night of February 24? A date with Oscar, duh: “Oh, yes, of course! … I’ll make a note!†Trent Reznor would be so pleased.