Thom Yorke at 57: Things you should know about the Radiohead frontman...

7 October 2025, 15:00

We celebrate the Radiohead frontman by taking a look at his life and career thus far.

1. Where was Thom Yorke born?

   Thom Yorke was born Thomas Edward Yorke on 7 October 1968 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

   

2. What happened to Thom Yorke's eye?

   When he was born, Thom's left eye was paralysed and it was completely shut. The Karma Police singer had several operations on it before he was six years old and the last one left him with a drooping eyelid.

   

   Yorke previously admitted that the eye made him self-conscious when he was younger and convinced him that girls wouldn't like him. However, he was told by a female patron at a pub he worked at that it was his best trait and though she was "pissed" at the time, he took her words to heart.

   Hear him tell the story in his own words below...

   View this post on Instagram

   A post shared by IN / RAIN_ BOW/S (@thomyorketeamo)

3. Is Thom Yorke married?

   Thom was with his partner Dr. Rachel Owen for 23 years. They had two children: Noah, born in 2001 and Agnes, born in 2004. The pair separated amicably, with Yorke saying: "It's perfectly amicable and has been common knowledge for some time." Sadly, Owen passed away on 18 December 2016, after losing her battle with cancer. Since 2017, Yorke dated Italian actress Dajana Roncione and the pair married in September 2020.

   

4. What was Radiohead's original name?

   Radiohead were originally called On A Friday. When they signed to the Parlophone label in 1991, they were persuaded to change their name.

   

5. Where did Radiohead get their name from?

   The name Radiohead is taken from a Talking Heads song, included on their 1986 album True Stories: "Transmitter! Oh! / Picking up something good / Hey, radio head! / The sound...Of a brand-new world."

   

6. When did Thom Yorke move to Oxford?

   Thom didn't move to Oxford until he was ten years old.

   

7. What did Thom Yorke's father do?

   Thom's father was a nuclear physicist and moved around the country depending on his work.

   

8. What was Thom Yorke's first recording?

   Between the end of school and the start of Radiohead, Thom occasionally DJed and was a member of the band Headless Chickens. They released a track called I Don't Want To Go To Woodstock on an EP released by Exeter label Hometown Atrocities in the summer of 1989.

   

9. Where are Radiohead from?

   Thom Yorke met the future members of Radiohead - Colin and Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway - at the Abingdon public school in Oxford.

   

10. What is the name of Thom Yorke's debut solo album?

    Thom's first solo album was The Eraser, released in July 2006. The second, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, was released in September 2014.

    

    Thom Yorke – The Eraser, The Eraser, 2006 [HD]

11. Which song did Thom Yorke collaborate with PJ Harvey on?

    Thom performed guest vocals on PJ Harvey's song This Mess We're In, which was included on the album Stories From The City Stories From The Sea in 2000.

    

    PJ Harvey feat. Thom Yorke - This Mess We're In

12. Which song did Thom Yorke collaborate with Bjork on?

    Thom also appears on Bjork's Selmasongs album, which was released in 2000. He sings on the track I've Seen It All.

    

    Björk ft. Thom Yorke - I've seen it all

13. Who are Atoms For Peace?

    Thom's side project Atoms For Peace features Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and R.E.M. drummer Joey Waronker.

    

    Atoms For Peace - Ingenue

14. Who is in The Smile and how many albums do they have?

    

    The Smile is a side project consisting of Thom Yorke, his Radiohead bandmate Johnny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner.

    Since forming in 2020, the band have released two albums; A Light For Attracting Attention (2022) and Wall of Eyes (2024) with another on the way this year entitled Cutouts.

    Listen to their Bodies Laughing track here:

    

    The Smile - Bodies Laughing (Visualiser)

15. Which Film Soundtracks Has Thom Yorke Worked On?

    Yorke covered Roxy Music songs for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack back in 1998, but his latest cinematic outing is for the 2018 remake of the classic horror movie Suspiria.

    

    Thom Yorke - Has Ended

16. Are Radiohead playing live dates

    Indeed they are. Thom Yorke and co will play their first gigs in seven years with shows in London, Madrid, Bologna, Copenhagen and Berlin. Tickets went on sale on Friday 12th September and fans will wait eagerly this month to see if they can get another chance to buy tickets in the resales this month.

    See the full dates below:

    

    See Radiohead's 2025 dates below:

    • Tue 4th November – Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
    • Wed 5th November – Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
    • Fri 7th November – Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
    • Sat 8th November – Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
    • Fri 14th November – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
    • Sat 15th November – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
    • Mon 17th November – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
    • Tue 18th November – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
    • Fri 21st November – The O2, London, UK
    • Sat 22nd November – The O2, London, UK
    • Mon 24th November – The O2, London, UK
    • Tue 25th November – The O2, London, UK
    • Mon 1st December – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
    • Tue 2nd December – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
    • Thu 4th December – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
    • Fri 5th December – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
    • Mon 8th December – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
    • Tue 9th December – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
    • Thu 11th December – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
    • Fri 12th December – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany

Read more:

• What are Radiohead's biggest songs?
• Why do Radiohead hate Creep? The story of the band's biggest song