Radiohead has been included in the AV Club’s list of Ten Memorable Saturday Night Live Musical Moments. Coming in at #9, Radiohead is in good company with other acts like Patti Smith, Simon & Garfunkle, and Pearl Jam.
9. October 14, 2000—Radiohead
Even rock fans who’ve never understood the appeal of Radiohead’s tuneless, quasi-experimental phase can wrap their heads around the band’s SNL performance of “Idioteque,” from perhaps its most “difficult” album, Kid A. On disc, the Kid A material is ragged and jagged, and at times purposefully off-putting. Live, “Idioteque” in particular becomes a kind of invigorating nightmare, as Thom Yorke whines about an “ice ace coming… this is really happening” while the band cranks out an otherworldly, escalating noise. When the song abruptly stops, it’s almost a relief. The world ends. The world spins on.
See the full list here.
