Thom Yorke, the iconic frontman of Radiohead, has made an indelible mark on the music industry. As of 2023, his net worth stands at an impressive $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. But how did he amass such wealth, and what has been his journey in the world of music?
Thom Yorke’s journey to stardom began with Radiohead, a band that has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Their debut single, Creep, released in 1992, catapulted them to global prominence, thanks in part to MTV’s promotion. Over the years, Radiohead has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Kid A and OK Computer, the latter of which many music critics hail as one of the greatest albums of all time.
While Radiohead remains his primary focus, Thom has ventured into solo projects. Albums like The Eraser (2006), Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes (2014), and Anima (2019) showcase his versatility as an artist. His collaboration with Atoms for Peace further solidifies his position in the music industry.
Personal Life And Activism
Thom Yorke (Photo by sarahphotogirl/WireImage)
Born on October 7, 1968, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, Thom’s early life was marked by challenges, including surgeries on his paralyzed left eye. His passion for music began early, with his first guitar acquisition at age 7. Beyond music, Thom is vocal about various social and political issues. He’s been a critic of the meat industry, a supporter of climate change initiatives, and has expressed his views on political figures and events.
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 23: Thom Yorke of Radiohead performs on day 2 of the Glastonbury Festival 2017 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 23, 2017 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/Redferns)
Thom’s contributions to music haven’t gone unnoticed. As a solo artist, he’s received accolades like the UK Music Video Award for Best Choreography in a Video for “Anima.” Radiohead, on the other hand, has bagged three Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album and numerous other awards, further cementing their legacy in the music world.
Conclusion
Thom Yorke’s net worth of $45 million in 2023 is a testament to his talent, dedication, and influence in the music industry. From his early days with Radiohead to his solo ventures and activism, Thom continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide.
Anytime Lizzo is in the building, she’s guaranteed to kill it — on or off the stage. Last night (July 18), following the Melbourne stop of her Special 2our, Lizzo paid a visit to a karaoke bar. While in the bar, she couldn’t help but deliver a special encore.
In an Instagram photo and video carousel captioned “What does Lizzo do after her shows…???,” there is a video of her singing a ’90s classic. Lizzo is seen belting out notes to one of Radiohead‘s signature songs, “Creep.”
Last year, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Lizzo revealed that Radiohead has always been one of her favorite bands, but she was rather clandestine about her love for the band when she was a kid.
“I kept it hidden, even when I was in a rock band,” Lizzo said, “because I didn’t want to be made fun of by my peers — they’d yell, ‘White girl!’ Also, I was wearing these flared bell bottoms with embroidery down it — and they’d say, ‘You look like a white girl, why do you want to look like a hippie?’”
You can see a clip of Lizzo’s karaoke performance above.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
After more than a year away from the small screen, Yellowjackets finally returned to the small screen last week for season two. So far, things are off to a great start for Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson’s beloved television show. Yellowjackets was able to set a new series record and a new Showtime record with the first episode of season two. The episode, titled “Friends, Romans, Countrymen,” debuted to about 2 million viewers across all platforms, which was more than double the number the show had for its season one premiere. The number was also the most for any season two debut of a series on Showtime since 2012 when Homeland launched its second season.
In addition to great numbers, Yellowstone also features some great music to soundtrack the show’s episodes. There was a small shake-up in the music department when Euphoria‘s Jen Malone left the show after season one. Stranger Things‘ Nora Felder stepped in and things are going well so far. This is especially clear with the records that were selected for the second episode in season two. Here’s a list of the songs that made it to the latest episode of Yellowjackets:
SadGirl — “Little Queenie”
Peachy! — “No Room For Nihilist In Hollywood”
Massive Attack — “Inertia Creeps”
Radiohead — “Climbing Up The Walls”
New episodes of ‘Yellowjackets’ are available on the Showtime app on Fridays at 3 am EST / 12 am PST.
It may be a while before we hear SZA’s remix to Lizzo’s “Special,” but her new album, SOS, features a song of her own called “Special.”
On “Special,” SZA looks back not-so-fondly on lost love. She recalls the many things she changed about herself in order to please this person.
The song opens with a sweet, simple strum of a guitar, as she recalls comparing herself to a “girl from the Gucci store” who “never wore any makeup and owns couture.”
As the song reaches the song’s chorus, SZA sings, “I wish I was special / I gave all my special / away to a loser / Now I’m just a loser.”
Though there’s no direct or clear sample, the song sounds similar to Radiohead‘s “Creep,” notably the song’s pre-chorus, on which, Thom Yorke sings, “I wish I was special / You’re so f*ckin’ special.”
Both songs are somewhat self-deprecating in nature, but SZA is aware that the song’s subject wasn’t worth her time. Lyrics like “regret that I changed me / I hate that you made me / just like you” show SZA’s reaching a coming-of-age in her early 30s, moving on from the insecurities she lamented in her debut album, CTRL.
Check out “Special” above.
SOS is out now via RCA Records and Top Dawg Entertainment. Stream it here.
Welcome to another installment of Ask A Music Critic! And thanks to everyone who has sent me questions. Please keep them coming at [email protected].
We are now almost 22 years into the 21st century. It’s been a pretty weird couple of decades! But rather than dwell on the many disasters of our era, I’m going focus on something positive: Music. Also: Lists! Here’s a big question for you: What is the best album of the 21st century so far? — Kenny from Little Rock, Arkansas
That is a big question, Kenny! And one that I feel like is impossible to answer definitively, because it can be answered in so many different ways.
For instance, I wrote a book a few years ago called This Isn’t Happening: Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’ And The Beginning Of The 21st Century. (Have I somehow not mentioned this before? It is still available wherever you buy books!) The thesis of This Isn’t Happening is that Radiohead’s fourth album is an overture for the 21st century, in that it captures how it feels to be alive during this moment in history better than any other record I can think of. What I’m arguing, I suppose, is that it’s the most important album of the past 22 years, which is usually how music critics contextualize a “best album” for a particular period of time. It’s understood that for an album to be designated “best” it must have the following qualities (aside from being musically great, of course): cultural import, widespread influence, lasting relevance across generations, an ineffable “meatiness” or “weightiness” that suggests a certain towering stature. Kid A to me fits the bill better than any other album released during the 21st century.
But I am only one person! Clearly, there are people for whom the idea of a British rock band making the best album of this century is laughable. Didn’t British rock bands stop impacting culture in a major way after the last century ended? I can’t say I have a compelling argument to refute that. If the standard then for “best album” is wider critical consensus, I would say that the best album of the 21st century is a toss up between Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. I’m basing this on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, published in 2020, in which those two albums placed the highest (No. 17 and 19 respectively) of all the albums released this century. This is an imperfect metric, I know, but anecdotally those two records (along with Beyonce’s Lemonade and Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black) seem like the most canonical records of recent times.
But what about influence? I’m not sure if any of those records are as influential as Daft Punk’s Discovery or Frank Ocean’s Blonde in terms of how pop music in general sounds in our era. If we’re talking strictly about Kanye West records, you could make a case that 808s And Heartbreak changed hip-hop more profoundly than My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, paving the way for Drake, Kid Cudi, Post Malone and so much Soundcloud rap.
How about the populist angle? If we judge “best” strictly on the basis of record sales — an insane proposition, I know, but let’s proceed with the thought experiment anyway — then the top record is easily Adele’s 21 — it’s moved a staggering 31 million units! — followed by Eminem’s The Eminem Show, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, Adele’s 25, and Evanescence’s Fallen. How’s that for a list to make you regret that music continued to exist after Y2K? The list of most streamed albums is somewhat better: Ed Sheeran’s ÷ is No. 1, followed by Post Malone’s Beer Bongs And Bentleys, Dua Lipa’s Dua Lipa, Post Malone’s Hollywood Bleeding, and Ed Sheeran’s x.
Finally, I guess I’ll just go with my gut: My favorite album of the 21st century so far is probably Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs. I can’t say it’s the best based on the aforementioned criteria, but it’s the one I’ve played the most, and maybe that’s enough.
As we’ve watched tours from 2020 finally get off the ground in 2022, I can’t remember a time when so many bands face possible tour-destroying injuries. I personally was present for Pearl Jam’s recent Oakland shows where Matt Cameron had Covid and they had a rotating cast of drummers helping them out. Recently, My Morning Jacket had to cancel shows due to Jim James contracting Covid. Now Rage Against The Machine canceled their European tour due to Zack De La Rocha’s torn achilles. Fans are obviously bummed, especially with “destination” shows like Red Rocks. The financial pressure to keep these tours going must be immense. We’re so used to injuries in sports, but now it seems like music is experiencing its own DL. Do you see the way bands tour changing in the future? — Scott from San Jose
Hey Scott, this is an interesting question. Before now I hadn’t really considered that not touring for a few years might have been especially detrimental to aging legacy bands whose members aren’t as limber as they once were. All of that downtime might have really softened up those old bodies! In the future, these bands might have to start touring with a bench of support musicians who can step in should one of the starters pull a proverbial hammy and have to go on the DL. That’s basically what happened this summer during the Dead & Company tour, when drummer Bill Kreutzmann exited a show in Cincinnati and was swiftly replaced in the second set by substitute drummer Jay Lane.
Obviously, RATM can’t just plug in another singer when Zack De La Rocha goes down. (They already tried that with Chuck D in Prophets Of Rage.) So, how can bands avoid these types of costly and frustrating cancelations in the future? I imagine one of two scenarios will unfold, and possibly at the same time. One, bands will continue to tour in a bubble, in which interactions with anyone outside of the tour party will be all but eliminated. That’s been the rule with a lot of tours post-Covid, though it hasn’t always kept Covid out of the inner circle. Two, Covid will slowly be normalized to the point where it’s equated with the flu, which means if you feel well enough to play you will go on stage in a mask.
As for De La Rocha, rock laws might have to be changed so that singers over the age of 50 are no longer allowed to jump around on stage.
Curious to hear your take on Cass McCombs, who to me is only getting better as time goes by. He seems to be the guy that your favorite artist will namecheck, but will never get that same level of props. He literally seems like he stepped out of a Topps baseball card from the ’40s. Does he pass the Hyden Five Album Test? It might be eight or nine for me, depending on the new one. I know. I’m a nerd for this guy. — Justin in Los Angeles
Hey Justin, your question is very well-timed, considering that “the new one” from Cass McCombs — it’s called Heartmind, and it’s his 10th record — is out on Friday and it’s very, very good. If you like the jammy turn that his albums have taken in recent years, you’ll definitely enjoy this record, though there is less of an emphasis on guitar solos than there was on 2019’s excellent Tip Of The Sphere.
For me, he definitely passes the Five Album Test — including Heartmind, he’s put out six albums in a row that I flat-out love, going all the way back to the 2011 double-shot of Wit’s End and Double Risk. I’m admittedly not as familiar with his aughts-era work, but it’s safe to say that he’s never made a less than good album. And I agree with you — I think he’s definitely getting better over time. The problem (in terms of his career anyway) is that he’s a pretty unassuming person with a reputation for being a difficult interview. (Though when I spoke with him in 2019 I found him to be perfectly pleasant and engaging, if also deeply thoughtful and prone to long silences as he pondered his answers.)
Here’s an idea: We need a new version of the Traveling Wilburys made up of eccentric, brilliant, and very middle-aged singer-songwriters from the indie world. Enlist McCombs, Dan Bejar, Will Oldham, Bill Callahan, and Damien Jurado. This tour will take over 1,500-cap rooms across the nation!
Sitting alone with an electric guitar, Halle delivered a stripped down version of the song that showcases her excellent voice with flourishes and trills that most artists who take on this cover could never pull off. But the best part is when she launches into the wordless vocals that Yorke employs to accompany the song’s breakdown, and though her version is decidedly different from his, it’s definitely on par! “My version of creepppp this song was in my head all day I had to sing it to get it out !” she captioned the clip.
Kudos to Halle for showcasing her ability to pull off songs in all different kinds of genres, and maybe we’ll get a few more indie covers during the rest of the holiday season? I wouldn’t mind hearing her take on some Killers — whose melodies go great with female vocalists, as that recent Phoebe Bridgers mashup revealed — or maybe something by The Strokes?
Then again, she did go a bit indie earlier, with a take on Coldplay’s “Fix You,” check that out below as well.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of November below.
The Black Keys — El Camino (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Nonesuch
The Black Keys were at the height of their power with 2011’s El Camino, and in just a few days, the album celebrates its tenth anniversary. To mark the occasion, the band has re-released it in various expanded editions. Aside from the remastered album, bonuses include a photo book, a limited-edition poster, and a previously unreleased concert recording from a 2012 show in Portland, Maine. Coincidentally, I was actually at that concert, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was a good one.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter series is an iconic hip-hop institution, and now he’s collected the highlights all in one place. On Tha Carter Singles Collection, you get 19 of the finest songs from the series pressed on ten 7-inch records, as well as a booklet full of rare photos, two lithos, and brand new art.
After the all-time classic album The Joshua Tree and the not-as-beloved Rattle & Hum, U2 made a drastic change to their sound with the alternative- and electronic-inspired album Achtung Baby. That album dropped 30 years ago, so now the band is celebrating its three decades with a new anniversary edition. This version of the album has been remastered and also includes remixes of songs from both Achtung Baby and its follow-up Zooropa.
Los Angeles played a major role in the story of jazz legend Charlie Parker, and now some formative recordings from the Kansas City native’s time in the City Of Angels are all together on this new collection. The release features the only known recordings from Billy Berg’s on December 17, 1945; three previously unknown JATP recordings from the Shrine Auditorium on November 22, 1948; and the complete recordings of the July 1952 party at Jirayr Zorthian’s Altadena ranch. For those wanting more context on the meaning of these recordings, the project’s producer, John Burton, offers just that in his liner notes.
Kiss — Destroyer (45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
UMe
1976’s Destroyer was a formative and landmark release for Kiss, and now, 45 years later, they’re expanding upon it with a new reissue. Aside from the remastered album, the amount of goodies that is included with the Super Deluxe box is extravagant but not surprising coming from perhaps the most merchandised band ever: There are iron-ons, stickers, posters, trading cards, stage blueprints, a newspaper, a hardcover book, and much more.
Much has been made about the 30th-anniversary edition of Nirvana’s Nevermind, and truly, this is a must-have for Nirvana fans. There are a variety of editions, the beefiest of which comes with 8 LPs that feature the original album (newly remastered, of course), four full concerts, a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos, and other goodies. If physical music isn’t your thing, the band also has a bunch of new merch to coincide with the album’s anniversary.
Speaking of anniversary releases, Radiohead had a big one this year, although it’s pretty different from the Nirvana one. Kid A Mnesia actually celebrates two albums, Kid A and Amnesiac, by collecting both albums as well as B-sides and unreleased tracks from the era. Again, if you’re not looking to buy a record/CD/tape, the gift-able merch offerings here are diverse, including everything from a paint-by-numbers set to holographic stickers.
Who’s that girl? It’s Zooey Deschanel! And also that guy, M. Ward, who is known collectively alongside Deschanel as She & Him. The duo dropped a delightful Christmas album a decade ago and now they’re celebrating the project with a rerelease. It’s super holiday-ready, too, as it’s pressed on tinsel silver vinyl and comes with a new 7-inch, which features covers of Madonna’s “Holiday” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”
Yusuf / Cat Stevens — Teaser And The Firecat (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Box Set)
A&M/UMe
Teaser And The Firecat helped establish Stevens as a premier singer-songwriter of his era 50 years ago. Now he’s celebrating the anniversary with a deluxe edition of the album that is described as “the most in-depth and definitive version of the album possible.” This version includes a remastering of the original artwork, 41 previously unreleased tracks including studio demos and alternate mixes, and a 108-page essay book.
Billy Joel is still going strong today, but on The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1, he looking back on the ’70s. The massive 9-LP collection features his first six solo albums (Cold Spring Harbor, Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, The Stranger, and 52nd Street), his first live album (Songs In The Attic), and a previously unreleased concert recording (Live At The Great American Music Hall — 1975). All of the aforementioned come right from the original album tapes, and there’s also a 50-page booklet to offer more context on these classic projects.
RZA — Bobby Digital In Stereo (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Gee Street/V2/BMG Records
RZA went out on his own outside of Wu-Tang with his debut solo album, 1999’s Bobby Digital In Stereo, a project that helped him establish his own unique identity outside of the iconic hip-hop collective. Vinyl Me, Please always nails it with the vinyl color and they did so again here with their reissue of the album, which is pressed on “Mantis” Green vinyl that’s a perfect visual complement to the cover art.
Sigur Rós’ 2008 album was a defining release for post-rock fans and buttcheek lovers everywhere, and while it’s not celebrating a round-numbered benchmark anniversary this year, the group is still going ahead and giving it a vinyl reissue. It was a good call, though, as the album was previously out of print worldwide, and now it’s available in both heavyweight black vinyl and a limited run of sky blue vinyl.
Rihanna — Rih-Issue (Music Of The Sun, A Girl Like Me, Good Girl Gone Bad, Rated R, Loud, Talk That Talk, Unapologetic, Anti)
Rihanna
No, Rihanna hasn’t announced a new album though. However, for those looking back on her old projects in the meantime, she is now offering a tremendous way to do so. She recently announced a cleverly titled new series of “Rih-Issue” releases, which features fancy rereleases of her entire eight-album discography. Each one comes with an exclusive shirt, making this the best way to fill any Rihanna-shaped hole in your vinyl library.
