Thom Yorke Vs. Nuclear Power

11/10/09 12:26pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke isn't very happy that the United Kingdom has decided to build new nuclear power stations.

Yorke took to Radiohead's website to protest nuclear power on Monday (Nov. 9), writing that Britain doesn't have the money to build the stations and thinking it can just keep consuming energy the way it has been is silly.

"under pressure from [UK lobbying organization] the CBI," he wrote, "and under the confused assumption that we can carry on consuming power as we do now into the future

"and too afraid to think out of their own isolated political fuzzy cloud

"the british government is commiting [sic] to build a new round of nuclear power stations

"for which we don't have the money.

"great.

"just perfect.

"well done fellas.

"you've really thought about this haven't you?"

Yorke left links at the end of his post to Greenpeace and Friends Of The Earth's websites. They've also spoken out against nuclear energy.

Of course, this isn't the first time Yorke has advocated "green" energy. In 2006, he and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood played a benefit concert for Friends Of The Earth, and Yorke refused to meet then-British prime minister Tony Blair to talk about climate change the same year, claiming Blair had "no environmental credentials."

Yorke has previously said he finds the music industry's use of air transport environmentally harmful and unsustaintable.

Before touring last year in support of 2007's In Rainbows, Radiohead commissioned a study by sustainable development organization Best Foot Forward, which the band adopted to attempt to reduce the amount of carbon used on tour.

Yorke recently performed In Rainbows' "Reckoner" at the premiere of The Age Of Stupid, a documentary about climate change.

In unrelated news, Yorke contributed two remixes — one of which is instrumental — to rapper DOOM's upcoming Gazzillion Ear EP, due out digitally and on vinyl Dec. 8 through Lex. Additional contributors to the EP include TV On The Radio's David Andrew Sitek.

Here's Yorke's remix: