Sure, Thom Yorke and his Radiohead cohorts do some seemingly wacky things from time to time, but you gotta admit, they definitely know how to get the peeps’s’z attentions’s’z. And moreover, they usually know how to focus that attention in a positive, humanitarian direction. So when you read a headline like “Thom Yorke releases a single that’s two minutes of silence,” you gotta figure there’s gonna be some sort of socially-conscious upshot, right? Well, here it is.
According to good old Radiohead fansite At Ease, Yorke has teamed up with a star-studded British cast, including producer Mark Ronson, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Bryan Ferry, Bob Hoskins and tennis star Andy Murray, to promote a new charity single in honor of Britain’s Remembrance Day, which commemorates sacrifices made by members of the armed forces. The track, which is called “Two Minute Silence,” features no music whatsoever, but consists of 120 seconds of chart-busting, solid gold silence; the idea being that the big-name tags will help shoot the single to the top of the British charts when it goes on sale next month. The Royal British Legion’s Director General Chris Simpkins said: “Rather than record a song, we felt the UK public would recognise the poignancy of silence and its clear association with remembrance.” See? Now don’t you feel bad for rolling your eyes at this headline?
A very, very high-budget, state-of-the-art video for “Two Minute Silence” (which simply features celebrities standing respectfully for the duration of the silent two minutes) is embedded below, and everyone (UK or not) is encouraged to spread the word and download the official single when it is released on November 7. You can also check out the awesomely titled Facebook page at www.facebook.com/poppysingle2010 and help spread the word there. The goal is to get the single to hit #1 on the day of its release. All funds raised will go to the Royal British Legion to support serving and ex-serving troops and their families. And if that’s not enough incentive for you to pay for two minutes of complete silence, then John Cage is tripping balls in his grave. For shame.
-
-
• Radiohead: http://www.radiohead.com
• Remembrance Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day
