Meeting People Is Easy
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Meeting People is Easy (released in 1999) is a film/documentary by Grant Gee following British alternative rock band Radiohead on their exhaustive world tour following the success of the 1997 album, OK Computer. The film is a collage of video clips, sound bites, and dialogue going behind the scenes with the band as they travel the world. It shows the eventual burn-out of the group as their world tour progresses.
There are several recordings in the video that cannot be found elsewhere, including a performance of "Follow Me Around" being played to an empty auditorium and the recording sessions of the tracks "Life in a Glass House," "Big Boots," and "Palo Alto."
Some of the most interesting moments of the film arise out of situations where band members are treated like every day people - facing the same problems. In one scene, singer Thom Yorke is refused entry to a party at a club in America, then heckled by a man on the street who shouts "Radiohead, Creep, Dickhead". Also, when heading up some backstage stairs, Thom Yorke and Michael Stipe (of R.E.M. (band)) are stopped and asked what they are doing. Stipe has to explain "He's the singer in the band" before they are allowed past.
This documentary does not leave the viewer with the impression that touring is fun.
The DVD booklet contains the following synopsis:
- "If you have been rejected many times in your life, then one more rejection isn't going to make much difference. If you're rejected, don't automatically assume it's your fault. The other person may have several reasons for not doing what you are asking her to do: none of it may have anything to do with you. Perhaps the person is busy or not feeling well or genuinely not interested in spending time with you. Rejections are part of everyday life. Don't let them bother you. Keep reaching out to others. When you begin to receive positive responses then you are on the right track. It's all a matter of numbers. Count the positive responses and forget about the rejections."
The back of the package also has the lyrics for the aforementioned "Big Boots", intentionally misprinted. Corrected, they read:
- "Drift all you like from ocean to ocean. Search the whole world. But drunken confessions and hijacked affairs will just make you more alone. If you come home I'll bake you a cake made of all their eyes. I wish you could come see me dressed for the kill. What a nasty surprise. Unplug the phone. Stop all the taps. It all comes flooding back. From poison cloud to poisoned dwarf. What a nasty surprise. The worms'll come for you big boots."