8/8/2019 The View From the Stage - An Interview With Thom Yorke

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8/8/2019 The View From the Stage - An Interview With Thom Yorke

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I couldn't have lived with myself if we hadn't done it. It's like trying to give something backafter a year of taking and taking. For me and I think for most of the artists here, Tibet is thefinal test. If they let Tibet be wiped out then...This is not the first cause that you've promoted. There was something called Warchild.Yeah, it's about the Bosnian crisis principally. Generally speaking I think that sometimescharity is cosmetic. I mean, the only reason the Bosnian situation got out of control wasthat the U.N. and Western Europe turned a blind eye. Leading up to the war, they kept

having these talks: everyone turns up in suits with briefcases, including the Serbs, and justbecause they sat down at what the Western Europeans deemed their level, they werefooled blind. The Serbs committed mass murder, genocide, the most revolting crimes, butif they send someone off in a suit with a briefcase, then everything is fine. It's completelycosmetic. I think sometimes all the charities are doing is mopping up the blood. It's ashame. This is the black hole I always get lost in, so I'll pull myself out now.The thing about the Tibetan cause is that it's a bit more positive because of thenonviolence element and because there is no China-hating involved. Then it makes a bitmore sense.There's a moral stance you take with your audience.Yeah, which is dangerous. But there you go.Well, you're up there in a position where people listen to what you say. I appreciate thatyou do that for them.That comes from my dad, actually. My dad spent his whole life getting into fights for tellingwhat he believed to be the truth. Basically it comes from my dad-and he's screaming right-wing, so there you are.Going back to the nonviolence that's being promoted here, I've read that because of other 

children teasing you about your damaged eye, you had to defend yourself with your fists.Yeah, again that's from my father.Looking back on those years now, how do you feel about the fighting?(long pause) Well, it only dawned on me about six months ago that not everybody'sagainst me all the time. It was something of a revelation (laughing) . . . that's all I can sayreally.How many of your fans do you think are interested in the Tibetan cause?I don't know. There's something in the music about trying to validate yourself, and I hopethrough that they'll see why we're so interested in the Tibetan movement. I haven't reallygotten any feedback from them, but that's why we've kept going on about it. Maybe it doessome good or maybe it washes over people, but if it was me and I was getting newsletterstalking about it, then I would probably try to find out more. That's what U2 did for AmnestyInternational during the eighties, and it really worked.Our generation for so long has genuinely believed it has no power at all. Have you seenthat Pepsi advert where they are all going "aaaahhhhh youth!!"(thrusts his hand out as if holding soda can) and they get their kicks jumping off mountains or something? That's theconclusion of something. I think we should move on from there. I don't think young people

are as demoralized as the media and government would like us to think. The obvious signof that is how strong and how close personal connections are and how much people areable to build a life for themselves, despite all this stuff that's been thrown at them.Noam Chomsky has said that any member of society can change things simply by their consumer power. If nothing else at all, if you don't write letters or anything else, if you don'tbuy any of this stuff, the companies will freak out. It's that easy.The next day at the National Day for Tibet rally on the Capitol lawn, Thom Yorke closesout the speeches by singing "Street Spirit." He shouts "Power for the people" and departsthe stage. Sogyal Rinpoche takes the mike and leads the gathering in a few closingprayers, among them four lines from The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life:"For as long as space endures/ And for as long as living beings remain/ Until then may Iabide/To dispel the misery of the world";and from the Four Immeasurables:"May all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness/ May they be free of sufferingand the root of suffering/ May they not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering/ May they dwell in equanimity free from passion, aggression, and ignorance."

Judy Bond is a writer based in Baltimore.