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The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time

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The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
Video by
Radiohead
Released1 December 2004 (2004-12-01)
Recorded2004
Length110 minutes
DirectorChris Bran
Radiohead chronology
Meeting People Is Easy
(1998) 		The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
(2004) 		Radiohead: The Best Of
(2008)

The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time is a collection of 24 short films by the English rock band Radiohead. The films accompany their 2003 album Hail to the Thief, and comprise music videos, live performances, webcast footage and videos submitted by fans. The material was first broadcast on Radiohead's website in 2003 and released on DVD on 1 December 2004.

Content[edit]

The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time comprises 24 short films that accompany Radiohead's 2003 album Hail to the Thief.[1] It was created with the filmmaker Chris Bran and the artist and longtime Radiohead collaborator Stanley Donwood.[2] The films comprise music videos, live performances, webcast footage from Radiohead's studio and videos submitted by fans.[3][4] It includes a performance of "Morning Mr Magpie" by Thom Yorke on acoustic guitar, a song later released on Radiohead's 2011 album The King of Limbs.[5][6]

The episodes are hosted by Chieftain Mews,[7] who since appeared in Radiohead's promotional material.[7][8] The journalist Mac Randall described Mews as "a 21st-century Max Headroom" who "intones non-sequiturs".[2] Yorke credited his creation to Bran.[7] In the "My Showbiz Life" segments, Yorke and the guitarist Ed O'Brien answer "inane" questions about their celebrity lives; Yorke's voice is lowered with a pitch shifter, and O'Brien gives answers by "braying like a donkey".[2]

The New York Times described The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time as "part scrapbook, part video demo reel ... an analogue lovefest of grainy images, strobing and hand-drawn animation, as the fans reflect the vertigo and anomie of the songs".[9] The Guardian described the films as "impressionistic, surreal, and frequently inspired".[10] The title comes from a collage by the German artist John Heartfield.[7] The cover artwork was created by Yorke and Donwood.[11]

Release[edit]

Radiohead planned to broadcast the material on their own television channel.[2] The plans were cancelled, according to Yorke, due to "money, cutbacks, too weird, might scare the children, staff layoffs, shareholders".[11] They initially streamed the material on loop on a website, Radiohead Television, that debuted in May 2003 and ran until 2004.[2]

From December 2004, Radiohead sold copies of the DVD through their website.[12] Reviewing the DVD, the AV Club said few of the videos had "multi-viewing appeal", but praised "The Slave", "The Homeland Hodown" and the performance of "Morning Mr Magpie" as standouts.[1] In January 2020, Radiohead made The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time available to stream free on their website.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Modell, Josh (27 December 2004). "Radiohead: The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time". The AV Club. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Randall, Mac (2011). Exit Music – The Radiohead Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857126955.
  3. ^ "Radiohead TV". The Star Online. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Hail to the mischief makers!". NME. 6 May 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  5. ^ Lewis, Luke (26 February 2011). "Radiohead's royal return". NME.
  6. ^ "Ranking: Every Radiohead Song from Worst to Best". 28 June 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "Yes I am entering Miss World". The Guardian. 21 November 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  8. ^ Yoo, Noah (April 2021). "Radiohead Join TikTok, Reveal New Chieftain Mews Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  9. ^ Pareles, Jon (2 January 2005). "Pop music: playlist; 2004: The ones that got away". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  10. ^ "The Must List". The Guardian. 26 November 2004. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Radiohead New Material This Year". Xfm. 12 October 2004. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  12. ^ Randall, Mac (2011). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1849384575.
  13. ^ "9 essential artefacts from the Radiohead Public Library". Crack. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.

External links[edit]

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