Twenty years ago today, the world officially met Radiohead when they released their debut studio album, Pablo Honey. While an albumversary like this usually leads to panic attacks, a fleeting mid-life crisis, tearful fits of nostalgia, and an extra therapy session, the band has transformed so much between then and now that this one is less jarring than others—it feels like it's been twenty years. Over the past two decades Radiohead has never looked back, releasing seven more albums, never derivative of their last... which is possibly why this clip from MTV's Beach House (circa 1994) has become more and more awkward with each passing year:
And while seeing Thom Yorke performing in the broad Hamptons daylight alongside a pool and MTV's spring breakers is an odd thing to stare at now, the band did credit the network with some of their success. When we interviewed Matt Pinfield in 2009, he told us a great Radiohead story from the time, recalling: "one of the most amazing and satisfying days for me was when Thom Yorke came in to give us gold records for The Bends... Thom Yorke walked up to us and said, 'I know you guys took a lot of shit for staying behind this and backing us on this record. And I just want you to know how much it means to us.' And Thom Yorke actually broke into tears before he walked out of the room. He was literally in tears."
But let's get back to two years prior to the release of The Bends—in 1993, Pablo Honey's other charting singles were "Anyone Can Play Guitar", and "Stop Whispering." The producers of the album, Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade, told MTV News: "When we finished... I thought they could be a really great band... I attribute their amazing leap forward with the fact they had gone out and played for a whole year, and physically became a different band. A great band." Below, check out some of those live shows, as well as some interviews from that year.
"Anyone Can Play Guitar" (live in Chicago, 1993):
"Stop Whispering" (live in Lisbon, 1993):
Here's an interview from 1993 featuring a very young Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood:
Here's another where they discuss the grunge movement and the future of music ("basically you're gonna get... every new band that comes out is gonna sound completely unlike every other band. There's just gonna be fewer and fewer scenes.") Note how much larger Thom's hair became by late 1993!:
And did you know the album title is founded right here in New York? The name comes from Queens' natives the Jerky Boys, specifically a prank call that includes the line, "Pablo, honey? Please come to Florida!" (The clip is sampled in "How Do You?").
