Thom Yorke Tipped Off About REM Split
The Radiohead frontman wasn\'t surprised when REM announced their end
Yorke revealed to Rolling Stone that R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe texted him before they announced their split last month.
"I think it was kind of going one way for a while. I just wanted to check that Michael was alright," said Yorke.
The two bands became friends in 1995 when Radiohead supported REM on their Monster tour. In the interview with Rolling Stone Yorke revealed why he was such a big fan.
"What I liked about watching R.E.M. - and this is something our band picked up straight away - was how they allowed shit to happen, not trying to add to it but just fucking stand there,. waiting for the fire to start," Yorke goes on. "Sometimes it would be mid-set, and it's still not kicking off yet. But no one's freaking out. They're staying with it... and then bang!"
"That was the first time I'd seen that in a big environment," Yorke continued. "You see it with little bands in small places. But to do that in a large space and get away with it, without using any tricks, was cool. I've seen the same thing in Neil Young – standing there, stamping his foot, looking down as he plays, just letting that do it. It's very purist. It ain't Lady Gaga."