Radiohead fans benefitted this week from a scumbag’s plot to extort money from the band. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood posted a message to Instagram a week after the unreleased material was leaked online.
“We got hacked last week – someone stole Thom’s minidisk archive from around the time of OK Computer, and reportedly demanded $150,000 on threat of releasing it. So instead of complaining — much — or ignoring it, we’re releasing all 18 hours on Bandcamp in aid of Extinction Rebellion. Just for the next 18 days. So for £18 you can find out if we should have paid that ransom.”
The subject line of the post “Walter Sobchak vs. Bunny’s toe” is a reference to the scheming behind the plot in The Big Lebowski, poking fun at the would-be extortionist. What the hacker aimed to profit from the theft, Extinction Rebellion will gain. Good on Radiohead for turning a negative into a positive, where one person’s greed became a public and environmental asset.
Download available on bandcamp.
