6 February, 2016. 15:34
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
BLAKE DENHERT ALWAYS sits at the back of the train, in the quiet carriage.
You might’ve seen him staring demurely out the window as he makes his hour long commute to his shitty job. Headphones in.
Unfortunately, his job is fulfilling and there’s plenty of opportunity for him to grow and learn as both a professional and a person. Some of his friends, who admit they barely know the 27-year-old, say there’s one thing about Blake that’s never changed.
He loves Radiohead.
For over twenty years, Radiohead has been the mouthpiece for the silent minority. Typically the introvert’s band – the group that brought us summer, feel-good hits like “Creep” and “Fake Plastic Trees”.
But don’t say that in front of Blake.
“You know, Thom Yorke [lead singer of Radiohead] actually hates playing ‘Creep’, and I don’t blame him,” said the underemployed web developer.
“That’s not even their best work. The Bends was, and still is their greatest contribution to society. Each time I listen to it, the pangs of heartache and my endless suffering becomes tolerable.”
While his musical tastes aren’t entirely restricted to sad, melancholy music, Blake said he also divides his music-listening time with other bands like The Smiths and Echo & the Bunnymen.
A product of the British private school system, the men behind Radiohead first shot to international fame with their 1992 debut single, Creep. Since that fateful day, people who aren’t easily understood have attached themselves to the group like a gaggle of unhappy remoras floundering through the sea of life.
It’s a solace that’s not easily appreciated, says Radiohead fan Emily Glegmen.
Aside from loving the Oxfordshire pop group, Glegman is also a selective mute and vegan. Speaking through her magnetic drawing board over a cup of button grass tea, she said that while her fellow NGO work colleagues might never fully understand her, she takes a certain comfort in that.
“Radiohead is the antidote for horrible life,” she said.
“I couldn’t live without it. Not even Pink Floyd makes me feel good anymore.”
