Radiohead man Thom Yorke has spoken to Observer Music Monthly about a song on his new solo album 'The Eraser', about the suicide of Dr David Kelly. The singer said he did not, however, like to discuss the track, 'Harrowdown Hill', out of respect for the family of the deceased scientist, which perhaps makes you wonder why he wrote it in the first place. Referring to the family, he said: "I'm sure they're still grieving over his death. It's the most angry song I've ever written in my life. I'm not gonna get into the background to it, the way I see it. And it's not for me or for any of us to dig any of this up. So it's a bit of an uncomfortable thing."
In the same interview, he discussed his reasons for working on a solo album, saying that spending so much time with Radiohead was getting boring, but insisting that it doesn't mean he wants out of the band. He said of their recent work on a new album: "It felt like everyone was under obligation to do it rather than because we wanted to do it. And one of the things I had wanted to do for ages was get stuck into a bunch of things that I had been mucking around with that didn't fit into the Radiohead zone."
Speaking about the decision to release the solo album, out 10 Jul, via XL, he explained that it "didn't feel right" to release it via Radiohead's former label EMI, adding "It was done with the doors shut... without anybody watching. And it was done in a different context so it felt like it should be put out in a different context. Which is not saying that we won't put things out through EMI or whatever. I just don't personally feel that we owe anybody anything."
As previously reported, Radiohead have recently expressed a desire to stay unsigned, or rather, sign one-album deals only. Asked if the band might re-sign to EMI, Yorke said: "I don't know. I don't think we'd sign to anybody. Give someone a record when it's done if we feel that they can do it justice. That's it."