Radiohead - AS?

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1. You can't diagnose someone you've never met.
2. A lot of people have some of the symptoms of Asperger's, but don't actually have it. Most of the symptoms of Asperger's overlap with other mental disorders.

1. I don't think anyone was actually offering a firm diagnosis, merely speculation. And we are talking about someone who has been interviewed, appeared in documentaries, campaigns on the issue of climate change and is observable on stage.

Having watched Yorke in interview situations he comes across as incredibly awkward and precise in his use of words. On stage he often twitches almost involuntarily along to the music. Coupled with his own writings where he has admitted to being slightly OCD, dislikes socialising and prefers to work alone for hours on end, it is quite acceptable to suggest that he 'might' have asperger's.

2. This is fairly common knowledge, at least for those who frequent autism websites. I am unsure why you made this point here.

It's because he could easily have something else that's not Asperger's. Also, the only way you can properly diagnose someone is if you meet him/her face to face. Until you meet the guy and can diagnose him, you're just speculating.

A friend talked me into getting Kid A - already was familiar with Optimist and liked that, the rest is pretty good as well.

I really can't say whether I'd bring AS into it though. A lot of musicians over many different genres will explore deeper moods, sort of explore the spirit, subconscious, whatever have you. Deeper/submerged moods IMO are deeper/submerged moods, from what I notice aspies and NT's alike who are into creating like that are both of their own subset so I'd have to pin it down to a different common trait. My suggestion - its about the richness of someone's inner world, and there are many NT's out there who I'd imagine have entire galaxies between their ears just as much if not more - it just takes well directed introversion.

Last edited by techstepgenr8tion on 17 Aug 2010, 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It's all speculation anyways. I think he knows that...

Which I already made quite clear. Is there something wrong or harmful about speculation? Until I create a thread titled "Thom Yorke of Radiohead irrefutably has AS" I think you are being critical for the sake of criticising.

If you have an alternative theory for the reasons Yorke acts the way that he does I would be interested to see your opinion. For as long as you are solely interested in misrepresenting me I have no interest in your views at all.

1. I'm just really sick of everyone here diagnosing celebrities with Asperger's. Just because someone acts "off" doesn't mean they have Asperger's.
2. He could have schizoid personality disorder or OCD. Alternately, he could just be an eccentric guy.

Thom Yorke is more likely to have AS than most of the other celebrities proposed to have it. A lot of those celebrities very likely don't have it, but Thom Yorke is definitely more reasonable to speculate.

Well let me assure you that it is not my goal to 'diagnose' anybody. As I have already stated, I recognise traits in Yorke that make him a likely candidate for AS, though it is based on distant observation and is therefore obviously open to debate.

He could indeed have either of the alternatives that you suggested, but in my view AS seems more likely. My speculation is going to be objective by definition, as is the OPs. Why does it bother you that people notice behaviours in famous figures that lead them to speculate as to their place on or off the spectrum? Is it somehow offensive? I genuinely do not understand where you are coming from.

of course Radiohead are an AS band!
Johnny Greenwood & Thom Yorke are both autistic, it's so obvious ("I wanna be part of the human race!", "couldn't look you in the eye" etc.) apparently Johnny barely speaks to anyone and he's obsessed with vinyl records.
Radiohead are THE Asperger syndrome band! just listen to Thom's lyrics ("creep", "subterranean homesick alien", ANYTHING off Kid A etc.) thom's lyrics are obviously written from the perspective of a high functioning autistic person.

Radiohead are the unofficial soundtrack for aspies everywhere! they were certainly the soundtrack to my childhood/adolescence

You have the ability to diagnose people you've never even met just because you've read a few interviews with them? Wow, you must be psychic! :roll:

Just because you can identify with a band doesn't mean the members have Asperger's.

Lol, maybe the proof that Radiohead doesn't have AS is that Tom York doesn't go around trying to DX people with it?

He's far too busy knocking around with Flea and campaigning for Friends of the Earth.

Had this linked to me last night:

http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/ ... head-song/

Nothing to do with speculation or diagnosis, just thought I'd share.

I don't understand Radiohead's appeal. It has always came across as "default" music everyone likes or can like, a social thing like when people all go to see the Twilight movies (not as sh***y as Twilight, but can't think of any comparison at the moment. Maybe harry potter.)

I think what I, and perhaps Delirium, are getting at is really coming from the other direction - not so much shooting the idea down that similarities are noticed but rather trying to point out that the huge gap between AS and NT, especially within personality types, is much less profound than a lot of people on our side of things tend to envision. I can rattle off a hand full of rockers, electronic musicians, and pop artists who've continually said some very rare things that I could *really* identify with and seemed above/outside the crowd but at the same time I just keep getting the cue that there are a great many NT's who can feel the world in exactly the same color-depth that we can, just like I'm sure in looking around you've probably seen that there are many basic-minded aspies out there as well.

They write good music, that's all there really is to it. Well, no, that's a simplification but I'm on day 6 of a chronic insomnia-thon and any attempt to relay my reasons for liking anything are likely to devolve into alphabet soup.

Not a fan of the Harry Potter parallel though. But hey, it's an artform and everyone has music that resonates with them, books that they relate to more than others or paintings that have a unique appeal.

What do you like to listen to?