More about: Radiohead#radiohead#creep#hello#ovenready

TikTok has been a lot of people's saving grace in 2020 and 2021. Whilst nationwide lockdowns have held social engagements hostage, people have taken to the video sharing platform to do challenges, dance, learn new skills or duet with others. As a result, with the site's increasing popularity, it’s no surprise we are saying more and more well-known faces signing up to the app. One group we didn’t expect to make an appearance though, was Radiohead. 

Now, before you jump from this article to TikTok, I should warn you that, disappointingly, Radiohead’s videos do not consist of Thom Yorke dancing to 'Blinding Lights' or duetting Karma Police with an electronic drummer from Montreal. No, instead - and in true Radiohead fashion - the three videos they’ve uploaded are nonsensical gibberish. Also in true Radiohead fashion, it is nonsensical gibberish that I am going to analyse the shit out of and then swiftly pass off as genius.

Let's break it down: 

Video One

@radiohead

 

♬ original sound - Radiohead

All these clips feature the same person on the same set. Said person looks like a cross between Piers Morgan and that fish/man in The Shape of Water. From this point on I will refer to him as Pablo. Pablo sits behind a news desk which reads ‘Mews’ because even the brightest minds are prone to spelling mistakes. The video is split into two halves, one of which establishes Radiohead’s metaphor and the other half a warning to all those who abide by it.

In the first half, there is a voice off screen that demands Pablo to, “say something”, to which Pablo responds, “what do you want me to say?” Wow. Just wow. In these few seconds Radiohead manage to peel back the curtain on what it means to be creative today and highlight the toxic relationship between the internet and those who use it. 

There is the man off camera (the internet) demanding Pablo (the content creators) to say something (create content). That is the nature of the internet now as we use it for all of our entertainment, be it on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or streaming sites such as Amazon and Netflix. But the metaphor doesn’t just stop there. Pablo (the content creator) responds to the man off camera (the internet) by asking, “what do you want me to say?” This is a true reflection of the fact that all the content that we absorb from the internet is merely a derivative version of something that has already happened. It is a challenge or a trend that has been pre-determined by the internet and it is the job of the content creator to continue taking those hints from the internet and repeating them to their audience until it’s viral. Unbelievable. 

The next half of this video is a warning. Still dressed up by this morning show Mews façade, Pablo begins saying, “tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock, this is your wake-up call.” Of course, Pablo does not mean these words so literally. He highlights the toxic reliance that the internet and creators have and in this second half is calling for an end to it. He is straight up warning all of these social platforms that the means by which they make entertainment are soon to be history. 

What comes across as, “tick tock, this is your wake-up call,” is actually to be interpreted as, “TikTok, this is your wake-up call!” 

Chills. Genuine chills. 

Video Two

@radiohead

##radiohead ##creep

♬ original sound - Radiohead

This clip is reminiscent of Rene Magritte’s ‘Ceci n’est pas une pipe’ (this is not a pipe). It breathes more life into the idea that the content we consume isn’t original and has been pre-determined by stats and trends. Radiohead convey this by not giving us anything original, and instead make a ten second clip which is a poor cover of the song ‘Creep’. What better way to replicate the fact that all consumerism now is simply accepting worse versions of things that have already happened than doing a bad cover of a song of that you wrote. These guys. 

The first two videos set up the metaphor and the warning to the internet that it is time for change. The third video; however, is much more harrowing than that, as it shows us the consequences of not making that change and instead plummeting into an addiction to mediocrity. 

Video Three

@radiohead

##radiohead ##hello ##ovenready

♬ original sound - Radiohead

“Hello” “hello” “hello” “hello” “hello” “hello” “hello” “hi” “hi” “hi” hello”. These are the only words to be heard in this third clip, well, these and the distinct sound of laughter. Truly harrowing. But what does it mean? 

It is another clear representation of what we now consider entertainment, as the laughter in the background is triggered by the constant creation of words, but not by the quality of what they’re saying. The “hello” is an engagement with an audience and the laughter is the audiences acceptance of that engagement. It reflects the fact consistency is much more important in this age of entertainment than quality is, which again plays into this lack of originality angle that Radiohead are going for. 

The looping of this video with the constant hellos followed by laughter is truly is a haunting spectacle and Radiohead’s ability to capture the social climate in so little is truly a testament to their brilliance. 

What Happens Now? 

Dunno, they’ll probably bring out another mediocre album or something. 

More about: Radiohead#radiohead#creep#hello#ovenready