Radiohead frontman and newly minted film composer Thom Yorke sat down with Variety over the holidays to discuss “Suspirium” getting shortlisted for the 2019 Oscars’ Best Original Song category and his band’s impending induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It turns out that he’s way more excited about possibly taking home a statue for his contribution to Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake than he is by the prospect of attending a Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In fact, he doesn’t even plan on showing up to the latter because he says he has a previous engagement.
“I can’t. I know I can’t, because of these piano pieces that I’ve written,” Yorke explains when asked if he’ll attend the induction. “There’s the Paris Philharmonic, so I have to be there for that.”
Variety clarified that “the piece [Yorke] wrote for Katia and Marielle Labèque premieres at Philharmonie de Paris” in April, nine days after the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland. It sounds like he just doesn’t want to go.
“The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… we’ve always been very blasé about that stuff,” Yorke explained. “So we don’t want to offend anyone. We just think that we just don’t quite understand it. We’ve had it explained to us, so it’s cool. But we don’t really understand it as English people. I think our problem is essentially that every awards ceremony in the UK stinks.”
He later added, “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.”
When asked if he’d be at the Oscars, assuming he’s nominated, Yorke was far more emphatic.
“Oh, yes, of course!” Yorke said, before adding “When is it?” He then promised to “make a note” upon learning the ceremony broadcasts on February 24.
