Fake Plastic Podcast

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A podcast that unlocks the alchemy of Radiohead — one song, music video, or live performance at a time.

"Creep" / What Might Have Been

To discuss the evolution of Radiohead, we must contend with their first hit-single, “Creep.” It was the song that catapulted them to stardom and to this day remains their most-streamed and most recognizable song.  Although scorned by numerous Radiohead fans and even by the band itself, “Creep” is inescapable. In this episode we’ll focus specifically on the reception of “Creep” on MTV — at their MTV Beach House Performance in 1993 and on an episode of “Beavis and Butthead.” But before that: a little history behind “Creep.”

"Like Spinning Plates" / The Science of Radiohead

“Like Spinning Plates” may be one of the most experimental tracks Radiohead has produced. It appears near the end of their fifth studio album, Amnesiac. The tracks from Amnesiac were produced during the Kid A sessions. But rather than release a 20-track LP, the band decided to release the other songs a year later as a separate album.Brad Osborn, assistant professor at the Kansas University School of Music and author of "Everything In Its Right Place: Analyzing Radiohead" will will take us on a musicological exploration of “Like Spinning Plates.” We’ll discuss its bizarre origin story, how it follows the theme of memory in the album, and most of all, its distinct timbre.

On the Origin of Radiohead

Today’s episode isn’t about a specific song. But it does serve as a belated preface to the theme of our first season: Radiohead and the press. This season I’m interviewing journalists, authors, and musicologists. People on the outside looking in. And Baryney Hoskyns's Present Tense: A Radiohead Compendium encapsulates this theme. It’s the story of Radiohead from the critic’s perspective—an anthology of profiles, reviews, and other journalistic pieces about the band, their work, and their various solo projects. Like the book, this episode starts with the group's early performances in Oxford, tracing their efforts through each album cycle until the present day. This is Radiohead for beginners.

"Paranoid Android" / OK Some Humor

With a few exceptions, like “Lotus Flower” or “15 Step," all Radiohead songs are a bit sad in their own way. But that’s not to say that they’re only sad.In this episode, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic will uncover the unexpected humor of "Paranoid Android" and explain why identifying that humor is essential to fully understanding Radiohead’s work.