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91 reviews for:
This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's 'Kid A' and the Beginning of the 21st Century
Steven Hyden
3.6 AVERAGE
91 reviews for:
This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's 'Kid A' and the Beginning of the 21st Century
Steven Hyden
3.6 AVERAGE
paulwilcock's review against another edition
5.0
Being a similar age to the author and similarly Radiohead obsessed at the release of Kid A made this highly enjoyable.
I am a target market.
I am a target market.
emmah45's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
I freaking love Radiohead but I didn't find this book to be near as thorough as I wanted it to be. It made so many white guy media references that were lowkey annoying and unnecessary lmfao. I still appreciate what I learned, but it was not quite what I wanted it to be.
tess4mimi's review against another edition
5.0
this was my first book on radiohead and as a casual fan, I feel like I really learned a lot. Also as someone that was alive during 9/11 but not all that conscious, it was interesting to see how 9/11 influenced pop culture at the time. Appreciated all the comparisons to some of Radiohead's peers throughout the book.
geniusscientist's review against another edition
2.0
This isn't bad, probably, it just isn't for me. Radiohead are one of my top 3 bands/musical artists, but I think I just like listening to them. I'm not so much interested in thinking or learning about how the sausage is made. I just like delicious sausage. (Note: this is not applicable to actual, real-world sausage, wherein I am interested in how it is made and occasionally make it myself.)
It felt self-indulgent and pretentious at times but maybe that's how all long-form music criticism sounds? To me? He worked titles and lyrics of songs into the text a lot (probably more than I noticed, since I have no idea what Thom is saying 75% of the time) which usually got an eye roll from me. And he kept telling me how I felt at various times (we're basically the same age) which was presumptuous because I did not feel the same way about everything as he did. "We were all feeling this way!" Speak for yourself man, I wasn't. Also he thinks that the crowd at Bonnaroo had mostly been keeping up with bootleg concert tracks, like, no they weren't, dude. They were just people. At a huge music festival, seeing a wildly popular band. Your experience is not universal!
It's probably nice for a different Radiohead fan than me though, who would enjoy getting into the weeds.
It felt self-indulgent and pretentious at times but maybe that's how all long-form music criticism sounds? To me? He worked titles and lyrics of songs into the text a lot (probably more than I noticed, since I have no idea what Thom is saying 75% of the time) which usually got an eye roll from me. And he kept telling me how I felt at various times (we're basically the same age) which was presumptuous because I did not feel the same way about everything as he did. "We were all feeling this way!" Speak for yourself man, I wasn't. Also he thinks that the crowd at Bonnaroo had mostly been keeping up with bootleg concert tracks, like, no they weren't, dude. They were just people. At a huge music festival, seeing a wildly popular band. Your experience is not universal!
It's probably nice for a different Radiohead fan than me though, who would enjoy getting into the weeds.
thebookishmutant's review against another edition
3.0
TW/CW: this is nonfiction and it’s mostly just music history, but be aware that there are some (mostly brief) mentions of mental breakdowns, suicide, 9/11, and substance abuse.
This Isn’t Happening reads like a 244-page Pitchfork review, but I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. What’s clear, though, is that it’s by Radiohead fans and for Radiohead fans, which is exactly what it should be.
It’s clear from every page of This Isn’t Happening that, like many Radiohead fans, that listening to “Kid A” was a life-changing experience for Steven Hyden. Hyden’s love for the album bleeds for the page, and every bit of analysis was so clearly crafted out of love and admiration. This isn’t simply bare analysis: it’s imbued with a well-deserved appreciation for a band that may well have changed the fabric of modern rock music forever. Every track—even “Untitled“—gets some degree of attention (although I’m stunned that more praise wasn’t given to “Motion Picture Soundtrack”—come on, now), and the most minute details are reported on with simultaneous tact and love, from Thom Yorke’s inner conflict while creating the album to the many bands whose influences shine through on the album.
However, the price of This Isn’t Happening clearly being from the heart of a Radiohead fan is that it tends to ramble. Smaller, more unimportant points during the course of the book were often extended to a near-ridiculous degree, digressing from the subject matter of that particular section. This resulted in passages like “yeah, I just mentioned post-rock here. You know what my favorite post-rock band is? It’s this obscure band that you’ve never heard of, beat that!” or “Many wonder what ‘Kid A’ would have been like had it been a double album with ‘Amnesiac.’ You know what? Screw it, here’s how I would organize it if it was a double album. Ooooh, look at me, I’m putting in all the singles that got cut from the album…”, etc., etc., etc. With how short This Isn’t Happening is (only around 244 pages on the hardcover edition), a lot it felt like nothing more than stream-of-consciousness digressions that only served to plump up the page count.
What was also fascinating to me was some of the more cultural aspects of This Isn’t Happening and the aftermath of “Kid A.” All of this happened just before I was born, and from a younger perspective, it was so interesting to see Hyden’s picture of the cultural landscape. It’s not from the perspective of a historian—it’s from the perspective of a music critic, and something about this view, from somebody who knows everything just from living through it, made it all the more engrossing to read.
Through it all, there’s a profound appreciation—not worship, but still immense admiration—for music as a whole. Hyden’s writing is full of dry humor and clever references, and it makes for a read that wholly appeals to the music nerd in all of us. Hyden treats listening to “Kid A” as an almost cinematic experience, encouraging the reader to sit back, relax, and start playing “Everything In Its Right Place” as he dives into the creation of the album. This is the kind of book that only a music critic could write—otherwise, it would sound disingenuous.
All in all, a loving but flawed exploration into the most groundbreaking albums of the 21st century. But before I go:
- “The King of Limbs” is in no way the worst Radiohead album, and I will die on that hill
- More appreciation for “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” please and thank you.
That’s all.
3 stars!
This Isn’t Happening reads like a 244-page Pitchfork review, but I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. What’s clear, though, is that it’s by Radiohead fans and for Radiohead fans, which is exactly what it should be.
It’s clear from every page of This Isn’t Happening that, like many Radiohead fans, that listening to “Kid A” was a life-changing experience for Steven Hyden. Hyden’s love for the album bleeds for the page, and every bit of analysis was so clearly crafted out of love and admiration. This isn’t simply bare analysis: it’s imbued with a well-deserved appreciation for a band that may well have changed the fabric of modern rock music forever. Every track—even “Untitled“—gets some degree of attention (although I’m stunned that more praise wasn’t given to “Motion Picture Soundtrack”—come on, now), and the most minute details are reported on with simultaneous tact and love, from Thom Yorke’s inner conflict while creating the album to the many bands whose influences shine through on the album.
However, the price of This Isn’t Happening clearly being from the heart of a Radiohead fan is that it tends to ramble. Smaller, more unimportant points during the course of the book were often extended to a near-ridiculous degree, digressing from the subject matter of that particular section. This resulted in passages like “yeah, I just mentioned post-rock here. You know what my favorite post-rock band is? It’s this obscure band that you’ve never heard of, beat that!” or “Many wonder what ‘Kid A’ would have been like had it been a double album with ‘Amnesiac.’ You know what? Screw it, here’s how I would organize it if it was a double album. Ooooh, look at me, I’m putting in all the singles that got cut from the album…”, etc., etc., etc. With how short This Isn’t Happening is (only around 244 pages on the hardcover edition), a lot it felt like nothing more than stream-of-consciousness digressions that only served to plump up the page count.
What was also fascinating to me was some of the more cultural aspects of This Isn’t Happening and the aftermath of “Kid A.” All of this happened just before I was born, and from a younger perspective, it was so interesting to see Hyden’s picture of the cultural landscape. It’s not from the perspective of a historian—it’s from the perspective of a music critic, and something about this view, from somebody who knows everything just from living through it, made it all the more engrossing to read.
Through it all, there’s a profound appreciation—not worship, but still immense admiration—for music as a whole. Hyden’s writing is full of dry humor and clever references, and it makes for a read that wholly appeals to the music nerd in all of us. Hyden treats listening to “Kid A” as an almost cinematic experience, encouraging the reader to sit back, relax, and start playing “Everything In Its Right Place” as he dives into the creation of the album. This is the kind of book that only a music critic could write—otherwise, it would sound disingenuous.
All in all, a loving but flawed exploration into the most groundbreaking albums of the 21st century. But before I go:
- “The King of Limbs” is in no way the worst Radiohead album, and I will die on that hill
- More appreciation for “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” please and thank you.
That’s all.
3 stars!
macchiatomoron's review against another edition
2.0
I've been in quite the Radiohead phase for several months now, especially the band's "Kid A" album and the band's more experimental era. So when I stumbled upon this book, it seemed like it was going to be a home run for me. Steven Hyden seems like a good guy. I'm assuming he's pretty knowledgable considering he's a well accomplished music journalist. Gosh darn it I wanted to love this book but I just can't. If you've read just a little bit across the internet about "Kid A" then you would already know the majority of the anecdotes Hyden mentions here. His book is neither as informative or informational as I would've wanted it to be. It's increasingly repetitive (how many times I read Thom Yorke's 'sucking a lemon' lyric was borderline nauseating) and Hyden's attempts at loosely connecting "Kid A" with the looming themes and cultural events during the time of its release (as well as the future/current day) is amateurishly surface level and it simply scratches the surface at best. The book's worst and most frustrating moments is when Hyden will make cultural references and try to connect them to Radiohead or "Kid A," whether it's films like "Fight Club" or bands like The Smiths or The Strokes. They're just half assed, seemingly random, and not fully fleshed out just like the majority of this book. There's so much unnecessary fat and if it were to be trimmed, this could've easily just been a think piece on Rolling Stone or something. During the entire time I was reading this book, I simply wanted to just be listening to "Kid A." And immediately after I finished this book, that is exactly what I did. I got a whole lot more out of listening to it once than reading this book.
ursineultra's review against another edition
2.0
Things I took away from this book:
1. You shouldn't read a book about something you think you know better than the author.
2. I think I know far too much about Radiohead.
3. King of Limbs is criminally underrated and in no way the 'worst' Radiohead album.
4. Everyone else in the world continues to be too enthusiastic about In Rainbows. It's a mess.
5. It is nice to be reminded of things. 'Kid A' (the song) from the 4/7/00 bootleg was such an incredible thing, and this guy gets it. 'Cuttooth' is indeed too good to be a b-side (and is in fact the best song they ever wrote.)
6. Whilst this book strays wildly and aimlessly from its topic and is kind of all over the place, the sort of thesis that 2000 internet was a beautiful thing and 2020 internet is a hellscape is entirely correct.
1. You shouldn't read a book about something you think you know better than the author.
2. I think I know far too much about Radiohead.
3. King of Limbs is criminally underrated and in no way the 'worst' Radiohead album.
4. Everyone else in the world continues to be too enthusiastic about In Rainbows. It's a mess.
5. It is nice to be reminded of things. 'Kid A' (the song) from the 4/7/00 bootleg was such an incredible thing, and this guy gets it. 'Cuttooth' is indeed too good to be a b-side (and is in fact the best song they ever wrote.)
6. Whilst this book strays wildly and aimlessly from its topic and is kind of all over the place, the sort of thesis that 2000 internet was a beautiful thing and 2020 internet is a hellscape is entirely correct.
marblebluevinyl's review against another edition
3.0
I have to imagine if you weren't there — and, to be fair, you can be 24 at the time of this writing and not "been there," so that's perfectly legitimate — Hyden does a great job of capturing of the evolution of the internet and the way it went from being where culture flowed TO to where culture flowed FROM and how Radiohead was disaffected by all of it.
What the book craves and lacks is deeper insights or band interviews. If you want a book about the making of Kid A with insights into the creative process that Ed O'Brien didn't already give us, there's a few nuggets.
Largely, This Isn't Happening is Hyden pontificating about Kid A in the wider cultural context of Radiohead's career arc and its place in pop culture. And, in that regard, it's fine. It's just not what I, specifically, was craving from a story about Kid A.
What the book craves and lacks is deeper insights or band interviews. If you want a book about the making of Kid A with insights into the creative process that Ed O'Brien didn't already give us, there's a few nuggets.
Largely, This Isn't Happening is Hyden pontificating about Kid A in the wider cultural context of Radiohead's career arc and its place in pop culture. And, in that regard, it's fine. It's just not what I, specifically, was craving from a story about Kid A.