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Colin Greenwood, known to most as the bassist of Radiohead, steps into the spotlight with a different kind of creation: a photography book titled How to Disappear: A Photographic Portrait of Radiohead. Over the years, Radiohead has cultivated an enigmatic image, and Colin’s collection, spanning from 2003 to 2018, gives us a peek into the band’s quieter moments. Kyle Meredith sat down with Colin to discuss the book, as well as his upcoming shows with Nick Cave and a possible Radiohead reunion. Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts.
“This book isn’t about the time when KROQ was blasting Creep in ’92,” Colin explains. “It’s not about us being super massive, or when people thought we were on the skids. It’s about that in-between — when we were just getting on with it, unsure of what we were or where we were going.” Greenwood credits Nick Cave, a close friend and touring companion (get tickets here), with helping refine this approach during a road trip chat through North Carolina.
The book primarily contains photographs Greenwood took while the band was recording, writing, and touring albums like Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows, and A Moon Shaped Pool. It’s a collection that celebrates the band’s more mundane but intimate moments. “There’s always this idea that rock bands are surrounded by chaos and debauchery, but a lot of the time it’s just us sitting around, waiting — drinking tea or walking through some little shop in the middle of nowhere,” Colin laughs. “The guys hated having their pictures taken,” he admits, smiling, “apart from my brother Jonny, who was always willing to ham it up.”
Of course, there’s the question every Radiohead fan is asking: when will the band be back? Next year marks Radiohead’s 40th anniversary, and fans have been eagerly awaiting news. “We’ve all been supportive of each other’s projects,” Colin says, alluding to his work with Cave, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s and The Smile, and Ed O’Brien’s solo ventures, among others. “We’re talking to each other. We had a sort of brief jam, play together in the summer in London. That was really fun. Everyone really enjoyed it, and it was really nice to see everyone and check in with everybody… Hopefully we’ll do some stuff sort of sooner rather than later, I think.”
Listen to Colin Greenwood discuss How to Disappear: A Photographic Portrait of Radiohead above, or watch the interview below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.