Quote of the Week...from Thom Yorke

Being in a band turns you into a child and keeps you there.           ---Thom Yorke.

And exactly who is this Thom Yorke, you might ask...the quote gives a telling hint.  He is the lead singer of the British alternative rock band Radiohead, a group that has been around for decades but which I only began to follow in earnest seven years ago.  You may know them from their early 1990s debut hit Creep, but there is a lot more to Radiohead than that one song...which I incidentally didn't care for all that much.  They're still together and have made nine studio albums...someday I plan to list my favorites from those recordings in much the same way I did for R.E.M.'s discography just this past Tuesday.  And I'll always associate this band with my training in late 2010 and early 2011 for the marathon...just about all of my long runs featured me listening to a shuffled mix of their albums on mp3...

Radiohead is a band whose members delight in musical experimentation and innovation, not at all afraid of failure.  They all clearly have a childlike enthusiasm for their craft and doubtless feed off each other's efforts.  As adults we need to have learned how to live a mature, responsible life...but that does not mean forgetting or demeaning the joys of our childhood.  Nor does it exclude us from returning to that sweet state of exuberance when we allow ourselves to plunge into an exciting field of endeavor.  Music has been that for Thom Yorke, keeping him essentially young at heart.  But with each of us it could be something different...we need to explore and discover what brings out our inner child and cultivate it.  That doesn't mean we're being childish and immature...on the contrary, it makes us more complete and presents us as a positive, attractive light to the rest of the world...