Features Radiohead: The Favourite Band Of A Generation

I woke up early Monday morning to work on a physics lab report I had due later that day. During a brief break in work, I made my typical morning rounds through the music blogosphere, only to happen upon a headline that seemed to stop time for a long moment. Upon reading the announcement of ‘The King Of Limbs’, my first reaction was to assume that DIY was playing a practical joke on its readers. But quickly, Google affirmed the story. I proceeded to wake my roommate, post the story on Facebook, and text every one of my friends who I knew to like Radiohead. What was shaping up to be an especially dismal Monday ended up being a delight.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Radiohead was my first obsessive venture into the world of indie music. Before names like My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, Joy Division, or Neutral Milk Hotel meant anything to me, I had obsessed over the entire Radiohead discography and even seen one of their rare Washington DC area shows (to this day the best and most memorable concert experience I’ve ever had). I like to joke that Radiohead was to me in high school what Bright Eyes seems to have been for every 14-year-old indie girl of the last half-decade.

It’s funny though, if you were to ask me now what my favorite band is, I might hesitantly say Los Campesinos! or divert your attention away from that question and instead talk about some of my favorite recent releases. I get the sense that folks of my parent’s generation have a similar feeling when it comes to The Beatles. It’s almost like it’s not personal enough to call Radiohead my favorite band because it’s just a given that an overwhelming number of people my age who follow music care more about Radiohead than any other band or artist in the world. They’re that band to my generation. And, among the many things that Monday’s news did for me, it reminded me that indeed, Radiohead are and always will be my favorite.