Thom Yorke Turned Down Paul McCartney Collab

Paul McCartney has revealed that Thom Yorke turned him down when he asked him to collaborate on his latest album.

In an interview for T4 he said that he had asked Yorke but was truned down because the front man didn’t feel comfortable working on other people’s material.

He said: “My daughter was putting an album together and she put us in touch. I asked Thom to do a duet, but he said he couldn’t because he only felt happy working on his own and Radiohead’s material.”

McCartney worked with long time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on his last record ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’.

Thanks for the report to GIGWise.com.

Comments

[Comeback Kiddd]

ouch!

[TedElMecanico]

Thom has worked with PJ Harvey on her album "Stories from the city, stories from the sea"...

[incubator]

and bjork? and he did 'wish you were here' and that other song 'rabbits on your headlights' or something like that with 2 diff bands...hmmm ?

[andersoncouncil]

Just because he's done it before doesn't mean he's just making excuses. If you don't try something (collaborating), then how do you know whether or not you'll like it? Maybe he's decided he doesn't like it. Or maybe he just doesn't want to collaborate at this time because he's busy with Radiohead.

[andersoncouncil]

I think Thom was perhaps quoted out of context.

[Here_is_no_why]

Am I the only one who thinks the end result would have be a tad too crazy?

[blackstar5]

OLY THOM CAN TURN DOWN AN OFFER FROM AN EX BEATLE

awsome.....i love it.....in your face Mcartney!!!

[potatoes rock]

Good job, if Thom Yorke collaberated with someone it'd have to be someone who can match Radiohead's quality - Paul McCartney may have helped put together catchy pop in the 60s, but stuff he comes up with these days is quite frankly crap.

[ZeppelinruleZ]

i wouldve loved to have seen paul's reaction... "he said no? what the ****..."

[alyxmelia]

lol lets face it thom would damage his own credibility working with modern day paul >.<

modern day paul does indeed equal

potatoes rock: quite frankly crap

[shwilly]

TedElMecanico wrote:

Thom has worked with PJ Harvey on her album "Stories from the city, stories from the sea"...

Which is probably why he came to the conclusion that he doesn't like collaborations in the first place, so I don't see any contradictory about his reaction. Now it would be a different story if he ended up making an album with Snoop or something...

[deportivo]

i just imagined a mix of idoteque and lucy in the sky with diamonds in my head. wasn't pretty. not in a conventional way, anyway.

[dovic]

deportivo :
i just imagined a mix of idoteque and lucy in the sky with diamonds in my head. wasn't pretty. not in a conventional way, anyway.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds was written by John Lennon.

[GuitarSymphony]

If I Paul McCartney wants to collab I wouldn't turn down at least chancing it. Some small time artist, eh, not so much. BUT PAUL McFRICKIN'CARTNEY!

[guitarguy.jerem]

UBER POWNAGE!!!!!

[mdsmith1]

blackstar5 wrote:

OLY THOM CAN TURN DOWN AN OFFER FROM AN EX BEATLE

awsome.....i love it.....in your face Mcartney!!!

dude, thom is amazing, but paul mccartny is a legend. whens the last time thom yorke owned the music world?

[vindapop]

good man

[LetTheBassPlay]

Maybe I'm just being picky, but "truned"? huzzah spellcheck since you're posting a UG News article.
I mean, if he wants to turn down the offer, go ahead and let him, its not that big of a deal. Yes, its Paul McCartney and yes he's legend, but if he's not comfortable with it, just let him be.

[SixStrings]

i think it could have been really cool, a piano type track in a minor key, with thom doing faulsetto's while paul gives it that 60's soul/rock sound, a slow start into a climatic middle with strings(violin, cello, viola etc...) and acoustic bass, then spirling back down into a collaberation of whispers and soft keys!!! could have been great, but sadly we all shall never know. lol

[blackstar5]

blackstar5 wrote:

dude, thom is amazing, but paul mccartny is a legend. whens the last time thom yorke owned the music world?

THAT WAS THE PAST DUDE THIS IS THE PRESENT AND PAUL HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING GREAT SINCE LENNON QUIT HIS ASS.....

On the other hand Lennon Continued to make history...
true legend...

[blackstar5]

mdsmith1

thats the response to this guys response to mine

[Regular_Guy]

blackstar5 wrote:

OLY THOM CAN TURN DOWN AN OFFER FROM AN EX BEATLE

awsome.....i love it.....in your face Mcartney!!!

It doesn't really sound like it was a big blow to McCartney or anything. You act like this somehow makes Thom bigger or better than Paul. I haven't really like much of Paul's post-Beatles music, but compared to Paul, Thom is nothing.

[blueseattle]

Pretty self righteous of Thom Yorke. But, I'm not really surprised.

[Guitar Monkey]

I'm mixed.

On one hand I think it's an absurdity to turn any legend, regardless of anything, so this angers me somewhat.

On the other hand I can understand Thom's wishes, and if he doesn't want to do it, then just don't it. Simple as.

[hghwaychile]

i bet he really said no so he could read all of you make such a big deal about it. "publicity".

[Chaingarden]

Well, their music really is vastly different. Radiohead's music is extremely introspective, whereas Paul McCartney's newer music, whether you like it or not, tends to lean more towards being superficial and trite ("Everybody gonna dance tonight!") I mean, I kinda like Paul McCartney's music, but I can't really think of a more different artist from Thom.

[copet]

I don't know why people are bashing on modern-day Paul. Did you see the success of Chaos and Creation? I doubt any of you have even listened to either of his two newest albums.

[whotheledbeatle]

shame that yorke turned it down, would've loved to see them together.

And yes, McCartney is better then yorke, and i'm with you copet...chaos and creation was a great record, haven't heard the latest though.

[Gsh]

Paul McCartneys' Chaos and Creation is fantastic. I bought that a year or two ago when it came out after hearing Nigel Godrich produced it. That CD surprised the hell out of me. I love it. I didn't find Memory ALmost Full, his follow up, nearly as listenable but there are some very cool tracks on there. "Mr. Bellamy" in particular is pretty damn creepy and cool. I think it's funny Thom turned him down. I also think it's not that big of a deal. Newsworthy? eh. Interesting? Sure.

[Gsh]

whotheledbeatle

McCartney is better then yorke

I think it's a bit odd to say something like that as if it were a fact when it's only your opinion.

[Bananapatata]

Yorke just wants the attention of turning down a Beatle. Odd decision. But, he probably thinks he's pretty badass.

[A Poe]

he knows hes badass

[guitarguy.jerem]

Thom Yorke IS BADASS!

[getts182]

I like you people are acting like this could have in any way affected Thom Yorke or Radiohead negatively. Even if their song turned out to be pure crap, neither McCartney nor Yorke/Radiohead would lose fans over it.
Personally, I think it's a bit of a mistake on Yorke's part. Like McCartney or not, he was a Beattle, and is almost universally a legend--it's likely to help Yorke's career, and at the least, who had a legendary musician say "hey, I want to work with you"?

[getts182]

Oops, that should say I like how people.... not I like you people.... at the beginning

[guitarguy.jerem]

Thom Yorke doesn't need help with his career. I believe he is doing just fine.

[last_biscuit]

McCartney hasn't released a good record for a very long time in my opinion, and while I'm not the biggest fan of Radiohead or Thom Yorke in general (haven't really heard much by them) I just find it nice to see people who haven't got their heads so far up Macca's arse that they see everything with a brown tinge.

The Beatles may well have been a brilliant pop band, but they aren't the only good thing to come from past music.

[SL!!!]

Okay

[tamargoguitar]

Its funny how thom yorke and the rest of radiohead always say that the beatles are one of their main influences.... honestly i would be thrilled to work with someone who has inspired me to do music, even more if HE asked ME

[Deacon Blues]

hahahaha. props to Thom for shoving it in McCartneys face . In all seriousness im sure Thom probably likes Paul, but thats still so tight. I had mad respect for Thom before but now i like him even more

[Jeffray85]

yeah, so where is the news?

[NorCalLos]

Collaborations between "legendary" artists rarely come out nearly as cool as you imagine them, though I do like the old Michael Jackson/Paul Mc Cartney stuff:

Ebony and Ivory
The Girl is Mine

[dirtymexican863]

haha, Yorke must have a huge pair

[SimpleMan008]

pride > money?

[Lemmon]

I like radiohead, but McCartney is a legend. Prefer Lennon though

[NorCalLos]

Lemmon wrote:

I like radiohead, but McCartney is a legend. Prefer Lennon though

I agree, and I'm sure Jodie Foster would have been much more impressed had the assassin taken out McCartney rather than Lennon.

[nonstickbandaid]

I think you're going for Reagan's would be assassin.

[lordpaco18]

man...i would have really loved to have heard it

paul and thom are easily 2 of my favorite singers ever

[smileyface]

blackstar5 :
OLY THOM CAN TURN DOWN AN OFFER FROM AN EX BEATLE

awsome.....i love it.....in your face Mcartney!!!

That has nothing to do with it. You guys think Thom is such an irritable genious that he turns down Thom just for kicks. The Beatles may be Radiohead's greatest influence. Thom feels comfortable with underground collaborations like PJ Harvey, Bjork, UNKLE. I wouldn't feel comfortable collaborating with Paul McCartney either. It's far too easy to bash McCartney nowadays....yeah yeah who doesn't prefer Lennon, that's not the point of anything. I think the press has been unfair to him. I've seen him in interviews and he has always seemed very genuine and humorous actually. Yorke isn't trying to make a statement on this one, I have no doubt he turned Paul down out of respect.

[mdsmith1]

blackstar5 wrote:

blackstar5 wrote:

dude, thom is amazing, but paul mccartny is a legend. whens the last time thom yorke owned the music world?

THAT WAS THE PAST DUDE THIS IS THE PRESENT AND PAUL HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING GREAT SINCE LENNON QUIT HIS ASS.....

On the other hand Lennon Continued to make history...
true legend...

I guess i never really got around to making my point, eh? anyways, yes, mccartney is a legend, and thom is a legend in the making, but i dont think this would have hurt either of the two, and since radiohead has said that the beatles have always been one of their influences, i would think that thom would have been kind of stoked to do something with paul...

[Havenspear]

Could have been an interesting juxtaposition. Not sure whether I'm sad about this, or glad...

[babyslapmafro]

good for thom

[NorCalLos]

nonstickbandaid wrote:

I think you're going for Reagan's would be assassin.

My bad. Thanks for the correction.

[jahyarain]

1. the mccartney/jackson duets consisted of "The Girl Is Mine" and "Say, Say, Say". "Ebony and Ivory" was Mccarntey and Stevie Wonder.

2. John W. Hinckley, Jr. tried to impress Jodi Foster by attempting to assassinate Ronald Reagan.

3. Thom has done duets with:

Drugstore - "El President"
Sparklehorse - "Wish You Were Here (though, through a phone...from a hotel room.)
UNKLE - "Rabbit In Your Headlights"
Bjork - "I've Seen It All"
PJ Harvey - "This Mess We're In"

4. They were both working on their own albums at the same time? anyone?

[SchitzoJoe]

First time the ex-Beatle has ever been turned down, most likely.

[Potato_Souffle]

Who cares? The real McCartney is dead.

[eckmann88]

Error: McCartney's latest album was Memory Almost Full, not C&C.

[WhereArtEsteban]

My favorite post-Beatle was George. Wasnt McCartney's last album "memory almost full" not "Chaos..."

[dovic]

Potato_Souffle :
Who cares? The real McCartney is dead.

Ahahahah! Yeah, I forgot about that! Paul is dead.
"Those freaks were right when they said you was dead"

[ExtremeMetalFTW]

out of context



who the hell is jodie foster?

[Obelisk]

Some of you people are so ridiculous. Thom didn't turn down Paul McCartney to make a statement or for publicity you *******s. He turned him down because he didn't want to collaborate with him. Why? I don't think anyone can really say; Thom Yorke's mind is an enigma, though I would be willing to bet that he's not such a fan of Mr. McCartney's recent musical explorations.

Also. Paul McCartney may have been a part of The Beatles and he may be a "legend" but that doesn't not make him a better singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, or artist then Thom. Mr. Yorke's music is undeniably more complex, meaningful, and artistic.

[Tha Funkinator]

I like how everyone slams McCartney like he personally kicked their dog, keyed their car, and took a wee on their front lawn.

John savaged Paul in interviews and sniped at him in a song ("How Do You Sleep?"), but Paul spoke (and still speaks) well of John, and took pity on his difficult life--rough childhood, rough divorce, etc. Paul gets critically lambasted for making lighthearted, twee pop songs, but he keeps going cos it's what he wants to do. He gets torn apart by the tabloids over the tumultuous marriage/divorce to Mrs. Pegleg McCartney-Mills, but he still doesn't speak an ill word towards her or the whole ordeal--unlike how she dragged his name through the mud and made fun of him in a children's book by having a character named "McFartney."

Hating on Paul McCartney is like punching your kindly old grandfather because he rambles on about the good ol' days.

[receding lines]

ok you can turn down paul, and everything, whatever, it doesn't really matter.
but these people bashing on him? chaos and creation was possibly one of the best albums ive ever heard, and all of his music is good in my opinion.

[davey1272250]

I heard Elvis turned down a duet with Lennon recently too! "Which one were you again uh huh?"

[davey1272250]

I`ve only heard the dodgy single from his last album but `Flowers in the Dirt` was pretty good! Trouble with PM is he`s been inconsistent for the last 37 yrs. He`d think Dance Tonight is on a par with Pipes of Peace or something.... i dunno what i`m crapping on about....

[deadkenedy]

davey1272250 wrote:

I heard Elvis turned down a duet with Lennon recently too! "Which one were you again uh huh?"

Yeh, I heard that Hendrix turned down a duet with Kurt Cobain the other day, but accepted to do one with Jim Morrison, what a crazy world we live in.

[Circus]

deadkenedy wrote:

davey1272250 wrote:

I heard Elvis turned down a duet with Lennon recently too! "Which one were you again uh huh?"

Yeh, I heard that Hendrix turned down a duet with Kurt Cobain the other day, but accepted to do one with Jim Morrison, what a crazy world we live in.

Wasn't Mozart writing the score for that one?

Checked/De-Spammed.

[BennyStruggle]

blackstar5 wrote:

OLY THOM CAN TURN DOWN AN OFFER FROM AN EX BEATLE

awsome.....i love it.....in your face Mcartney!!!

lol, I love Radiohead, but Thom Yorke probably turned THIS collaboration down because he would have been EXTREMELY outshined

....in your face Blackstar!!!!!

[Gsh]

Memory Almost Full is Paul McCartneys most recently released album but I think most of the songs on it were written before he started work on Chaos and Creation. I believe he put Memory Almost Full on hold when he got the opportunity to work with Nigel Godrich. So while Memory Almost Full is a more recent release, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard is the newer material. I read something like that on Pauls website. That might provide some understanding on the "error" at the end of the article.

[Harry Krishner]

As far as talent goes , Thom Yorke isn't even a pimple on Paul McCartney's butt.

[Harry Krishner]

Obelisk wrote:

Some of you people are so ridiculous. Thom didn't turn down Paul McCartney to make a statement or for publicity you *****s. He turned him down because he didn't want to collaborate with him. Why? I don't think anyone can really say; Thom Yorke's mind is an enigma, though I would be willing to bet that he's not such a fan of Mr. McCartney's recent musical explorations.

Also. Paul McCartney may have been a part of The Beatles and he may be a "legend" but that doesn't not make him a better singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, or artist then Thom. Mr. Yorke's music is undeniably more complex, meaningful, and artistic.

Get with it man, spare us all the pseudo artistic babble.

[Gsh]

Harry Krishner wrote:

As far as talent goes , Thom Yorke isn't even a pimple on Paul McCartney's butt.

What the hell are you talking about man? They both play multiple intstruments and they both write amazing songs and they both sing their asses off.

[SL!!!]

Tha Funkinator wrote:

I like how everyone slams McCartney like he personally kicked their dog, keyed their car, and took a wee on their front lawn.

John savaged Paul in interviews and sniped at him in a song ("How Do You Sleep?"), but Paul spoke (and still speaks) well of John, and took pity on his difficult life--rough childhood, rough divorce, etc. Paul gets critically lambasted for making lighthearted, twee pop songs, but he keeps going cos it's what he wants to do. He gets torn apart by the tabloids over the tumultuous marriage/divorce to Mrs. Pegleg McCartney-Mills, but he still doesn't speak an ill word towards her or the whole ordeal--unlike how she dragged his name through the mud and made fun of him in a children's book by having a character named "McFartney."

Hating on Paul McCartney is like punching your kindly old grandfather because he rambles on about the good ol' days.

Hahaha. No kidding. I mean, his latest stuff is not the most profound or best or anything but so what? Thom didn't turn him down to make a statement, he did it because he probably just didn't want to collaborate. Big deal. Haha, i mean seriously, that sounds like something he would do. I don't think this is news.

[SL!!!]

Circus wrote:

deadkenedy wrote:

davey1272250 wrote:

I heard Elvis turned down a duet with Lennon recently too! "Which one were you again uh huh?"

Yeh, I heard that Hendrix turned down a duet with Kurt Cobain the other day, but accepted to do one with Jim Morrison, what a crazy world we live in.

Wasn't Mozart writing the score for that one?

Hahaha.. what. Hahahaha.

[hells bassist]

he is like one of the few artists that isnt in it for the money

[Papagenu]

Yorke obviously doesn't know about Paul's super Beatle powers...it's only a matter of time until he's forced to live in pepperland and give bj's to the blue meanies.

[Harry Krishner]

Gsh wrote:

Harry Krishner wrote:

As far as talent goes , Thom Yorke isn't even a pimple on Paul McCartney's butt.


What the hell are you talking about man? They both play multiple intstruments and they both write amazing songs and they both sing their asses off.

If in 30 years, Thom has the body of work and accomplishments that of Paul McCartney. I'll take back my initial quote. Oh and Thom has some catching up to do.

[Auals]

hells bassist wrote:

he is like one of the few artists that isnt in it for the money

True, but if your new album made that much money straight into your bank account from a release on the interent... I wouldn't be caring about money either