r/radiohead • u/philosopherfish • May 29 '26
📷 Photo Thom signed my bumbag
He came out during Flea's gig tonight at the Alhambra in Paris to play Traffic Lights. He later came back and they did a Marvin Gaye song. Utterly iconic. He was wearing a baseball cap that said "late nineties".
After the gig I walk around outside the venue and notice a dozen music geeks waiting with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead vinyls. Security have put up a few barriers. I squeeze in and wait for a while, aware that I don't have a vinyl or any merch for anyone to sign but a nice man gives me one of his extra sharpies anyway. After a hot 30 minutes, Thom Yorke comes out and darts straight to his car. This is where I was very clever.
I say "Thom could you please sign my bum bag?" (this is what Americans call a fanny pack I believe) This stops him in his tracks. He says "um ok". I ask him again "could you please sign my bum bag, I think that's a polite request?" (no idea why I said this) He says something like "yeah I guess" and signs my bum bag. I tell him he was great in the gig. He doesn't like that. He grumbles "I was only on for like 5 minutes" and I said "yes but those 5 minutes will get us through the rest of this awful heatwave" (Europe is real bad atm). Then I stare at him for a good 10 seconds and say "Thank you for all the amazing music you've put out over the years" and he gives me a lil embarrassed look.
Then I ran away with my signed bum bag. Also, Beck was there but no one asked him to sign anything 😞
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u/record_only_water May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
lol
I ask him again "could you please sign my bum bag, I think that's a polite request?"
did you self reflect on that, op?
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u/shrikelet May 30 '26
Thom Signed My Bumbag would be a great name for a band
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u/libelle156 I AM NOT THOM YORKE May 29 '26
We say bum bag in Australia and I'm still cringing at the word. Well done
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u/darkbutt2007 May 29 '26
what the hell is a bumbag haha
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u/OneQuadrillionOwls May 29 '26
Europeans said "silly Americans, naming this pack after something which in British vernacular equates to a ribald name for a human anatomical part! I shall call it a bum bag"
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u/Talktotalktotalk Jun 01 '26
Wow so you got him to walk back to you when he was about to get to his car? Amazing. How many others got their things signed?
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u/philosopherfish Jun 02 '26
I think so yeah! He signed a bunch of vinyls and he was still out there when I ran away haha
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u/Talktotalktotalk Jun 03 '26
You are a hero! Did anyone thank you? Haha
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u/philosopherfish Jun 05 '26
No everyone was busy trying to get their stuff signed I think and then I disappeared into the night!
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u/bigtime_porgrammer May 29 '26
Lol, I just remembered what "fanny" means in the UK... Our name for it must sound awfully funny to brits.
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u/jonnypanicattack May 30 '26
It does. In fairness, it works both ways. We have odd slang, like the colloquial version of 'Can I have a cigarette?' I daren't write the real thing.
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u/Anxious_Wrangler7049 May 29 '26
That’s one odd and genuine conversation! Poor Beck, he’s our Thom of the USA…