Tracing Thom Yorke's Style Evolution from Sneering Hipster to Elder Statesman
It doesn't seem that long ago that I was a late teen blasting Radiohead's masterpiece OK Computer in my bedroom and doing my best to emulate the style of lead singer Thom Yorke. It was all very BritPop: T-shirt with a stretched-out neck, tight jeans, denim jacket, carefully messed-up hair.
I eventually grew out of the Anglophile stage-more or less-but continued listening to Radiohead. Yorke continued making music, and, as he grew older and times changed, morphing from one style persona to the next. He's approaching 50 now, just put out a new album with Radiohead, and released a video for the song "Daydreaming."
In the six-and-a-half-minute clip, he wears brands like Rag & Bone (the bomber) and Rick Owens (the sneakers) to create a look that's somewhere between angst-ridden fashion fan and elder statesman of rock 'n' roll. (For what it's worth, I'm cruising into my middle 30s and rocking a look that's between strung-out office worker and new dad.) This isn't amateur hour-Yorke clearly knows his stuff when it comes to style.
So, how did we get to here? Here's a pictorial timeline of Thom Yorke's style over the years.
The '90s: The Sneering Decade
Radiohead released Pablo Honey, The Bends, and OK Computer. Yorke sneered and grimaced through much of the decade, but sneering and grimacing were also very fashionable in the '90s.
2000 - 2007: The Golden Age
The first half of the aughts marked Yorke's golden years-or, at the very least, the time I most wanted to steal his look, which had by then mellowed to a very English take on casual minimalism. It also coincided with arguably the band's most prolific period, when it released Kid A, Amnesia, I Might Be Wrong: A Live Recording, and Hail to the Thief in a four-year span. The very good In Rainbows came out at the tail end of the Golden Age, as did his solo efforts The Eraser and Splitting Feathers.
2008 - 2010: The Transitional Years
If you've ever grown out your hair, you know there are bad days and there are worse days. Yorke is clearly familiar with that struggle.
2011: The Post-Transitional Year
This period is marked by Radiohead's so-so record The King of Limbs as well as an abbreviated ponytail for Yorke, some salt and pepper in the beard, and the occasional plaid shirt.
2012 - Present: The Elder Statesman Years
The current epoch saw another solo album for Yorke, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, as well as a more weathered look, which, given the prevalence of Botox and plastic surgery among some of his peers, is quite refreshing. His style is becoming increasingly advanced and off-kilter, which, given who he is, seems only right.
