Thom Yorke Hates CDs

08/06/09 1:14pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Thom Yorke dislikes CDs, but says if it wasn't for the invention of the CD, the music business would have died a while ago.

"I mean, I always hated CDs," the Radiohead frontman told The Believer magazine in a recent interview. "Me and Stanley [Donwood, Radiohead album cover artist] always hated CDs. Just a fucking nightmare."

Yorke added he was "happy to see the CD format disappear" before he began speaking about the current state of the music industry, saying declining CD sales represents that "there's a process of natural selection going on right now."

"The music business was waiting to die in its current form about 20 years ago," he said. "But then, hallelujah, the CD turned up and kept it going for a bit. But basically, it was dead."

Yorke also said he has no interest in downloading "free" MP3s, despite his disdain for CDs.

"I don't spend my fucking life downloading free MP3s because I hate the websites," he said. "No one seems to know what they're talking about. I'd much rather go to sites like [independent retailer] Boomkat, where people know what they're talking about."

Yorke also told the magazine Radiohead may just release EPs and singles in the future instead of albums. (Billy Corgan is yelling somewhere.) He wouldn't reveal more information about any future recording plans, but the band recently said they're working on the follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows. It's not known when it will be in stores or what format it will take.

You can see Radiohead here:

Aug. 21 Sankt Polten, Austria @ Frequency Festival
Aug. 23 Prague, Czech Republic @ Vystaviste, Bruselska Cesta
Aug. 25 Poznan, Poland @ Cytadela City Park
Aug. 29 Leeds, England @ Bramham Park (Leeds Festival)
Aug. 30 Reading, England @ Richfield Avenue (Reading Festival)