Exit Music

Book excerpt: Radiohead doesn't play by the rules of rock stardom. When conventional wisdom urges a turn to the right, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway unfailingly turn left. Despite or perhaps because of this, Radiohead has become one of the world's most famous bands, and more important, unique in its style, themes, and ability to connect to a loyal fan base. But Radiohead's journey to fame over more than a decade has been fraught with tension. As the quintet continues to search for sounds that haven't been heard before, each new album and tour is a potential crisis point, threatening to split the band apart. Through it all, these consummate outsiders have revealed little about themselves. But Exit Music: The Radiohead Story uncovers the details behind the songs. In this new, updated, and revised edition, author Mac Randall follows the band from its beginnings in suburban Oxford, UK, through the success of Creep and OK Computer to the traumatic recording sessions that spawned Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, on to the award-winning In Rainbows and beyond. This new edition also includes coverage of the band's most current release and eighth studio album, The King of Limbs.