Ben and I had a little debate tonight as to who is the biggest rock star in the world today. He was leaning more towards the Bono angle, but I was set on Thom Yorke. I’m sure many of you might disagree, but I’m not talking the most famous rockstar, or the most recognizable.. I’m not considering how many times he’s ate dinner with the President or how many iPods the individual has sold. Instead, when I think of the biggest rockstar, I’m thinking of the most profound, influential, and significant rock musician of our generation. And because this is my blog and I can say whatever I want, I’d say that person is undoubtedly Thom Yorke, of Radiohead.

I had the pleasure of witnessing Thom Yorke perform live tonight at a surprise performance at The Orpheum with his as-yet-unnamed new band. From what I understand, he pulled this band together just a few weeks ago with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck/R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refoscowith, and Flea on bass!!!! The performance was pure unbridled inspiration, raw, creative, and improvisational. And the spirited outcome was genius and spontaneously beautiful. Sure, every A-list celebrity was in the house tonight, and if you were a 30+ hipster, you were definitely present. But the music was above and beyond it all, and only cemented my reasoning for Yorke’s place at the top. (Plus, Pitchfork just rated Radiohead’s “Kid A” as the #1 album of the decade. Does that mean I won the debate??)

by bobbyhundreds