Rock music is not a stranger to hearing friends turning into enemies and admiration turning into insults between artists. In fact, it happens so often that fans cannot even keep track of how many bands have had feuds after praising one another, and the list sometimes includes even bandmates.
This interesting list wouldn’t be complete without Thom Yorke and his unapologetically aggressive attitude towards Muse members. Although the band expressed admiration towards Radiohead in the past, the frontman’s unpleasant words stirred the pot between the two bands.
Thom Yorke Insulted Muse
During a 2019 interview with The Sunday Times, Thom Yorke was asked about his opinion on using algorithms to listen to music. The musician said that he doesn’t rely on suggestions provided by music platforms because their algorithm recommendations often lead him to Muse.
When asked by The Sunday Times about algorithms, Yorke said:
“No. ‘If you like this, you’ll like this,’ and then it gives me… MUSE.“
The apparent sarcasm in Yorke’s statement aimed to stress the ‘mediocrity’ in Muse’s music. In addition, he wanted to highlight the fact that he never wants to listen to the band’s music, regardless of how many times music platforms suggest him to do so.
Thom Yorke Almost Started A Fight With Dominic Howard
After Thom Yorke made it publicly clear that he doesn’t necessarily like Muse, the band’s frontman Matt Bellamy and drummer Dominic Howard were asked about their relationship with Radiohead during an interview in the same year.
Matt Bellamy made a humorous joke by saying that the interviewer must ask their relationship with Radiohead to Dominic Howard as he’s on excellent terms with Thom Yorke. As a reaction, the drummer said that although he respects them musically, Yorke treats him disrespectfully every time they see each other.
In fact, he said that the last time they met the Radiohead frontman, they almost got into a physical fight when Yorke looked down on Howard. Fortunately, nothing physical happened between the two musicians, but it was evident that they weren’t going to be best friends any time soon.
Frontman Matt said:
“If you want to know just how strong our relationship with Radiohead is, ask Dom here. He’s on splendid terms with Thom Yorke.“
Dominic chimed in:
“Splendid terms, my arse. I respect them musically, but the last time I met him we almost started a fight; he treated me badly, looking down on me. Matt, do you spread around these bollocks?”
It’s quite heartbreaking that two of the most legendary bands in rock music don’t get along, especially considering the admiration all the Muse members have for Radiohead and Thom Yorke. During previous interviews, they expressed Radiohead’s influence on their music and how much Thom Yorke influenced them.
However, they might have changed their minds about looking up to the singer as a role model when it comes to his personality after everything that happened. On the bright side, the Muse members didn’t directly come for Yorke, which would probably fan the flames.
