Why Damon Albarn wishes he was Thom Yorke
Radiohead and Blur were two of the most defining acts of the 1990s, but they were rarely mentioned in the same breath. The way Radiohead were held up as pioneering geniuses while his band were thrown in with all the Britpop rabble was a source of frustration for Damon Albarn, and he let his feelings known.
The musical landscape changed in 1997 as the hedonistic days of Britpop came to an end. In the same year, Radiohead also shared OK Computer, which sounded, unlike any other band. The Oxfordshire group were rightly celebrated for their flagrant showing of originality on the album, and Albarn became slightly jealous.
Following the death of Britpop, Blur moved on and experimented in new sonic territory. However, no matter how hard they tried, the band were still defined by their previous output and the tabloid fodder feud they had previously fought against Oasis.
During an interview in Details Magazine in 1999 to promote their new album 13, Blur guitarist Graham Coxon revealed Radiohead was “the only band we have any loose connection with.” His comment then interjected and questionably said, “It’s really crass to say but if [Radiohead singer] Thom Yorke looked like me, and I looked like Thom Yorke, everyone would have a different perspective.”
Coxon intervened and asked the singer, “Do you think some people are cursed with good looks?” Albarn responded, “Yes. It’s difficult to be taken seriously when you’re a pretty boy.”
Whether Albarn truly believes his looks are why Radiohead were more critically acclaimed than Blur, or if it was an undercooked throwaway drunken remark, is unknown. However, his love of Thom Yorke and co.’s work isn’t up for debate.
“I’m glad that Radiohead exists, they’re interesting and they’re independent in the true sense of the word,” Albarn said in 2003 to the NME. He added, “Which is an issue I’ve always had since right at the beginning because we signed with a major label, albeit through a quasi-indie, and when we started it was C86, the zenith of indie music, and we always felt that independence was something.”
The love between the two acts is reciprocal too. Following the release of Parklife, Yorke praised the record and said: “They’ve really got it down to a T – the thing they’ve wanted to do all along – they’ve got it down now. They know how to do it and I’m quite impressed with that. They’ve actually proved themselves, which is a difficult thing to do.”
Shortly after Albarn commented about his looks getting in the way of his art, he formed Gorillaz. The project provided him anonymity, and critical acclaim, which suggests, the singer did truly mean what he said, even if it was worded clumsily.
