Radiohead fans

[Joshuwarr]

People say Radiohead fans consist of a lot of nobs but I had never been part of a nicer and happier crowd than at a Radiohead gig. 40,000 joyous people all dancing together and singing. It was just like Glastonbury :')

[TheBoyInTheBubble]

My hubbie doesn't like Radiohead and loves Bruce Springsteen - but I still married him!!!!

[usatoglas]

what ever became of the rumour about thousand upon thousands of radio head fanclub members buying up glast tickets due to rumour of them headlining with the proviso that they would not pay their balance if not true and therefore a bumper booty of re-sale loveliness

Lets hope this is true coz my sis aint got a ticket yet.

[Craigston]

Yeah, It's not like they're The Smiths!! Now there's a band worth being obsessed with. For me at least. I never really listen to them anymore, however, but I'd always say they were my favourite band ever. That is what I think Radiohead have done to a lot of their fans. They've become a habit as opposed to a real love.

Pretty much anyone who rates Radiohead as one of their favourite bands ever (particularly if they're including the last few albums or are under 25 years old) doesn't have a valuable opinion about anything they do now because they've already blindly given their heart to anything Radiohead do (or don't). Like me with Morrissey and The Smiths.

I once claimed that "Kill Uncle" was a brilliant album that rivaled anything brought out around the same time. I still think that, actually. But then I am still obsessed with Moz.

[Red Day]

Anyone who obsesses about one band to the detriment of all others is a waste of time. Radiohead are undoubtedly a superb band - but they don't half attract a load of nobs as fans. Theres a really middle-class spoilt brat sense about them. The Irish ones I know anyway.

I guess Radiohead's continued success has bred this into their fanbase. Their fans view them so passionately and without question that it can put the rest of us off.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Red Day

[Okky]

I don't think that there is anything embarassing about being passionate about something to be honest! And if that something happens to be a band and their music then so be it!

[Nineacire]

Been meaning to get this, is it very good for radiohead or just very good because of the other chart trash music?

[LondonTom]

Yet when I say how much I like Muse I just get called another generic fanboy

[Okky]

Its cos Muse are so mainstream and play all the time and cos the radio plays them. You can only be super obsessive about a band if they were big before 2000 apparently and all subsequent bands are rubbish to.

[Buglet]

For some reason, Radiohead are just one of those bands that invoke devotion in their fans.

Some bands really seem to do that, others not so much so. The example of the Smiths etc is probably the best, I mean don't get me started on that miserable twat, he's a terrible c**t, but their fans treat it like a religion. I knw because my wife is one of them.

For me, it's Spritualized. Jason could record the sound of himself pissing into a polystyrene cup and I would likely call it art.

I like Radiohead and can see why people feel that devotion.

There could be a case for the idea that some bands instill devotion, and it is precisely that devotion that allows them to experiment. The fan base is willing to accept them falling on their arse occasionally because they trust them to usually deliver something special. Bands feeling that they have that freedom are more likely to come up with something special because they aren't frightened of loosing their audience, who then get rewarded with new better material and so on and so on,

What it is that makes some bands receive that initial trust and then go with it, I don't know. Presumably something in the character makeup of the individual artist as much as anything else.

This ramble brought to you by the letter G and the number 13.

I made the "Yum Yum" noise that Gremlin did in Gremlins 2 before he guzzled down the potion that turned him into a bat.

[MrZigster]

You should meet some Rush fans that I know.

[jameshunt]

You should meet some Rush fans that I know.

[VCK]

Radiohead fans are no worse than fans of Nirvana, the Manics (guilty as charged! ), Morrissey/The Smiths, Metallica or Muse when it comes to talking their band up and coming out with some very FFF! inducing remarks.

The only problem I have with Radiohead fans is that most of them hate Pablo Honey. The shame of it!

Edited February 5, 2010 by VCK

[norainplease]

Did you know that beforehand? Otherwise that is grounds for an anullment.

[sifi]

I'm a Bob Dylan fan. Some of those guys are hugely obsessive. I mean the boot-leg hunting, recording details of his gigs, writing college-degree thesis on the meanings of his some of his lyrics.

[ivan]

You should meet some Rush fans that I know.

[rockinthecasbah]

Radiohead do indeed attract some idiots as fans (on the internet at least, their live crowds have always seemed like a good bunch, and there's always a decent atmosphere.) I think part of their defensive nature is down to the fact forums so often contain the predictable allegation of 'everything after Kid A is tuneless rubbish,' or 'they're so depressing, I want to commit suicide.' I should know, as one or two of my friends spout this sort of thing out, and I find myself getting overly defensive.

Alternatively, it could be the reason people get so excited about them is that they're a spectacularly good live band.

[fatyeti24]

some Radiohead fans are very passionate, bless 'em! many years ago now i was in Ibiza and heard the dj Dave Clarke play Idioteque as part of his set in Amnesia. on my return to England i told a big Radiohead loving friend of mine this tale and he replied "well i don't think the band would like that". it still makes me laugh and still makes him cringe whenever i remind him. he also frequents these pages, and as such will remain nameless!

said friend was also with me at Glasto in 97, and came with me to watch Primal Scream headline the dance tent instead of watching Radiohead on the main stage. the Scream were awful that night, and we all know how Radiohead went down... ive never been much of a fan of theirs, so im not bothered i missed that show, but i think it's a decision that still haunts him!

[idiotheque]

i'm a radiohead fan and gosh, a majority of radiohead fans are complete twats.

radiohead fans are usually big fans of cult films and consipricy theories - says it all.

so guys, it turns out i can no longer spell.

[Alpha Kenny 1]

i'm a radiohead fan and gosh, a majority of radiohead fans are complete twats.

radiohead fans are usually big fans of cult films and consipricy theories - says it all.

so guys, it turns out i can no longer spell.

[judyblue110]

I have a friend who's a huge Radiohead fan (i.e. he has pretty much everything they've recorded, including physical copies/tapes of early E.P.'s etc...) yet he hates them with a passion.

Work that one out.

[scudetto_boy]

I mean, I like Radiohead just as much as the next (normal) person. But the more I read the "OMG please, please please please I think I've just come in my pants!" comments, the more embarrassed I get for their fans. Does anyone else feel this?

[usatoglas]

What a band !

Soundtrack to my youth !

[Laura_Babs]

I'm someone who would be thrilled if Radiohead played. I would be one of those people you find annoying probably and would post how excellent it would be to have them play and how amazing i think it is. But as much as they are one of my fave bands, there are lots of bands I would post similar comments to.

I just am quite an excitable (and probably irritating) person!

[4AssedMonkey]

Interesting one this.

I think that a lot of people go through a stage at a certain age where this band or that band really ignite something in them and fandom turns a bit obsessive. I went through it with the Stone Roses. I was about 16 when they went stellar and I was completely hooked and wouldn't shut up about them to the point where people actually started threatening to hit me. With hindsight, I realise I went off the deep end but I was just so, so passionate about them at the time.

It's fair to say that people who really appreciate decent music, and not just the melodic side, but the technical side and the performance side etc etc could be forgiven for hitting that obsessive phase and getting hooked on Radiohead. They are brilliant and talented and unique.

HOWEVER

What completely freaks me out are people who are my age now and are STILL obsessed with a single band or act. In my experience, there is 1 band who tends to attract this kind of stalky-freakshow. That's U2. So so so many middle-aged Bono bunny boilers it's almost funny. Hell, we all had a butchers at the U2 forum when the Glasto slot was announced and saw the evidence.