Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea discussed Radiohead and Thom Yorke in a new BBC interview. Alternative Nation transcribed the quotes.
“I met [Thom Yorke] first, Chili Peppers and Radiohead were on a festival together, I think on The Bends. It was such a beautiful record, I think for all of us who loved Radiohead at the time, it was mind blowing to hear him sing. Then we would see each other around, I went to his shows, and surprisingly enough, he liked the Chili Peppers, and came to see us play.”
The host then asked why he was surprised that Yorke liked the Chili Peppers.
“Well you know, because we’re a completely different kind of band, but he connected with something in us that he really liked. I just love him, definitely a kindred spirit, he’s someone I just really admire as a musician. Then when he decided to put a band together to play his solo record, The Eraser, he got in touch with me and asked me to come play, and it was a blast, just really fun. [Thom’s crew] are all great musicians in completely different ways. Once again with that band, I feel like some of the wildest funnest stuff is the jams we would do.”
During Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recent show at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer covered Radiohead’s song “Spectre.”
When interviewed by StingRay recently, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith seemed open to a tour with Radiohead. “The last record I bought, I think I got Radiohead’s new album.”
“We were shooting a video in Brooklyn, and they were at Madison Square Garden both nights, and of course we couldn’t go there. They [were] playing Lollapalooza in Chicago, then we [were] playing [the next night].”
The interviewer suggested the bands do a ‘battle of the bands’ type series of shows. Smith then said, ‘Or together,’ hinting at an openness to work with Radiohead.
Setlist:
Intro Jam
Can’t Stop
Dani California
Scar Tissue
Dark Necessities
The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
Right on Time
Sick Love
Spectre (Radiohead cover) (Josh solo)
Nervous Breakdown (Black Flag cover) (sung by Flea)
If You Have to Ask
Go Robot
Californication
The Getaway
Suck My Kiss
Soul to Squeeze
By the Way
Encore:
Chad & Josh Jam
Five Years (David Bowie cover) (Josh solo)
Goodbye Angels
Give It Away
