I had to double check to make sure I wasn't looking at some other site. It looks like a US motel. Really old postcard. Part of the suburbia theme, I assume. Along the same lines as the Berlin Hilton postcard.
It's not strange, really, since the radiohead scrapbook always had stuff that was not exactly artwork. There would be clippings from books, articles, Thom's lyrics, and artwork of course... and photos... lots of photos. This is all relevant to the album's 'themes'.
talking to strangers about strange art...namelessness...in the world of numbers created by trees...then where have they gone...oh yeah, I guess they`ve been used for building this motel or better to pay it...wastelessness...stranger from a strange community...what is the sence of art and what for?
I noticed a lot of building sketches in some of the first artwork we started seeing as ideas for the artwork for the next album. At first I couldn't figure out its relevance to suburbia or any of the themes in the album. But in the past Radiohead have posted a lot of photos (probably made during their travels) of buildings around the world. They just look very ugly and cold and the same styles of architecture seem to common in most of the major cities in the world. There seems to be no concern placed by architects to make them blend in with the older architecture. When I traveled to England over the past three years I noticed how it looks particularly ugly in that setting, and how the cities are losing their characteristic 'flavour' and history. There seems to be no concern about preserving the culture in the towns and cities. If you visited Oxford, for example, and saw the Travelodge or the Holiday Inn and the style of those hotels, it's difficult to not notice how out of place they look next to the traditional architecture of the city. There's a definite clash and it's ugly. Why couldn't the architects have designed something to make them blend in with the rest of the architecture? And why are those corporations setting up hotels like that in England? It's the idea of globalization and the corporate greed and lack of concern for a city's look and traditions, I think. I guess this is a historical look at the ugliness of some of the American architecture and how it is spreading throughout the world.
Or maybe someone in Radiohead has a postcard collection of 1950-1960s hotels and motels... :-|
i know what you mean. Mexico have been completetly devastaded because of this irresponsible architecture with no personality. All the colonial buildings that resemble the past are now HSBCs and everyone lives in depressing small houses that goes forever and looks exactly the same. Its a depressing city, sadly is how all the megalopolis of the (near) future are going to look like. I hope not.
Billi, if it's up to the corporations, it will be difficult to tell one city from another and one country from another. One of the negative things about globalization. I lived in Mexico City as well and I agree with you. I know it's unreasonable to expect architects to design buildings in the way that it was done hundreds of years ago, and the cost would probably be prohibitive, but they could use a lot more concern and creativity and design something that will not look out of place surrounded by historical buildings. There is the technology to create structures that would look a lot better than some of the stuff they're building. It's also the need to create in people the need to own their own home (which is usually not the case because the banks really own them) and that has resulted in those massive housing developments where all the houses look the same. It's quite sad.
that was what i was talking about! suburbs ara ALL about profit, they are made of cheap-to-constuct houses, and since they make them, in large quantities (in some kind of "mass production" of houses), they become even cheaper! and, with this point of view, why should the constructors of this suburbs care about the architecture? since they only want to sell houses, they make them all the same, without an actual concern about "tradition" or even a general "good taste" when designing this houses. The image of the endless rows of houses, all the same, is really tragical, especially when you ask yourself why should someone do things like that, and the answer it's becouse someone is geting a lot of money out of it.
about the motel in the deseet, i meant that i always had the feeling that whenever there's a "hole" in the market, whenever there's a busines oportunity, everyone starts running to fill it, so as soon as someone sees that it's redituable to make motels in the middle of nowhere, motels start filling the desert, until it's no more a desert than a motel-complex. Not that i have something against resting places :) just that i think that the point of this picture is to show that anytime soon there will be no more free spaces, no more deserts, just motels, everything will be urbanized, everything will be overrun by civilisation.
I think architects should be more creative and use existing structures when possible. If they can't, there's the option to create something in good taste, but like you said black eyed angel, it's all about profit and getting lots of sales. Everything is about that. Taking a flight anywhere is sheer torture now unless one is able to pay for first class tickets. There's absolutely no room. But then everyone can take off to another continent at the drop of a hat because it's so affordable right now. I guess it won't be necessary to travel after every place looks the same. :-(
Don't be ridiculous. There aren't going to be a thousand motel in the desert anytime soon.
This picture was taken out of context. If you saw the bigger picture, there would be other buildings near-by. There aren't any random motel in the middle of the desert for safety reasons.
They set up these motel to keep people from driving off the road and killing themselves or others. In the DMV handbook, they urge you to pull off to the side of the road and get some rest if you're feeling drowsy/drifty during long travels.
interesting conversation going on. i agree with the points that weird fishee has touched on. i mean as far as how some of the corporate owned buldings look in comparison to traditional buildings/structures...that's in the eye of the beholoder...some find beauty in even the ugliest of towns and cities. i do agree that it's all about profit and NOTHING else. not only are some of these buildings and structures eyesores, but most of them are environmentally destructive as they are made as cheap as possible, so they won't last long, and yet you won't be able to recycle much of the materials like nails, boards, etc due to chemical damage and bad use of materials. and of course the waste leakage is damaging as well.
i think corporations should not only get a little more concerned about the aesthetics of their architecture but also about how it will affect the environment. there's small movements firing up all over where architects,artists, environmentalists and the like are collaborating to create more buildings and homes that are harmonious in more ways than one. i just wish that these simple ideas would make it to the top of the ladder before the whole ladder comes crashing down.
It seems to fit perfectly in to the "idea" of the "perfect" world that has been torn skillfully apart ever since, well, the band put out OK Computer (with the artworks from Donwood).
It's like the overly sunny, harmonic world (read: America or Europe) that only live in advertising and ideologies; so easily transparent in pictures like these.
It's when I see something like this, the whimsical popular culture from the 50's, 60's and 70's (and soon to be 80's, 90's and 00's) that I'm reminded of how much our lives are trapped in the ideas of "perfect" (wanting the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect kid, the perfect sex and the perfect this and that) and how much it's just a state of mind.
And then I think of filmmaker Lars von Trier's brilliant movies "Dogville" and "Manderlay", and wonder how both him and the band (and Donwood with more) seem related in wanting to deconstruct our images of how things "are".
That's very true, hvlukas. The 'idealization' of the American way of life is particularly apparent in the 50s and 60s sitcoms. It's kind of what Thom refers to as the 'Stepford Wives' idea and some of the lyrics in the new songs are very much about that ("Bodysnatchers", "Down is the new Up"). The marketing of a way of life where everything and everyone is supposed to be perfect. It's also very much what "Fitter Happier" is about. A prescription for happiness. But it's unattainable and it leads to even more unhappiness.
What is this??? What's going on? I demand answers.
ReplyDeleteShut your face up. This is a postcard from Radiohead.
ReplyDeleteAre you from America?
ReplyDeleteI had to double check to make sure I wasn't looking at some other site. It looks like a US motel. Really old postcard. Part of the suburbia theme, I assume. Along the same lines as the Berlin Hilton postcard.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a postcard or an ad of some sort from the 1950s
ReplyDeleteStrange...
ReplyDeleteIt's not strange, really, since the radiohead scrapbook always had stuff that was not exactly artwork. There would be clippings from books, articles, Thom's lyrics, and artwork of course... and photos... lots of photos. This is all relevant to the album's 'themes'.
ReplyDelete'tis well a sign theat theya re now in states sorting record contracts out n stuff n they were previously in berlin with record issues
ReplyDeletetalking to strangers about strange art...namelessness...in the world of numbers created by trees...then where have they gone...oh yeah, I guess they`ve been used for building this motel or better to pay it...wastelessness...stranger from a strange community...what is the sence of art and what for?
ReplyDeleteWell, I meant strange as in unexpected.
ReplyDeleteThe unexpected is good, hopefully LP7 will surprise us all (in a good way ;) )
Ps: After the Berlin Hilton, will we be seeing more hotels from around the world?
well, i think it's about how far has urbanization went, all in search of more profits.... i mean, a motel in the middle of the desert?
ReplyDeleteso there shouldn't be a rest stop in the desert? no respite for the weary traveler?
ReplyDeletecmon people.
and what theme would this be relevant to wierd fishee?
I noticed a lot of building sketches in some of the first artwork we started seeing as ideas for the artwork for the next album. At first I couldn't figure out its relevance to suburbia or any of the themes in the album. But in the past Radiohead have posted a lot of photos (probably made during their travels) of buildings around the world. They just look very ugly and cold and the same styles of architecture seem to common in most of the major cities in the world. There seems to be no concern placed by architects to make them blend in with the older architecture. When I traveled to England over the past three years I noticed how it looks particularly ugly in that setting, and how the cities are losing their characteristic 'flavour' and history. There seems to be no concern about preserving the culture in the towns and cities. If you visited Oxford, for example, and saw the Travelodge or the Holiday Inn and the style of those hotels, it's difficult to not notice how out of place they look next to the traditional architecture of the city. There's a definite clash and it's ugly. Why couldn't the architects have designed something to make them blend in with the rest of the architecture? And why are those corporations setting up hotels like that in England? It's the idea of globalization and the corporate greed and lack of concern for a city's look and traditions, I think. I guess this is a historical look at the ugliness of some of the American architecture and how it is spreading throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe someone in Radiohead has a postcard collection of 1950-1960s hotels and motels... :-|
wouldn't the boys be more comfortable in a western motel?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wigwammotel.com
i know what you mean. Mexico have been completetly devastaded because of this irresponsible architecture with no personality. All the colonial buildings that resemble the past are now HSBCs and everyone lives in depressing small houses that goes forever and looks exactly the same. Its a depressing city, sadly is how all the megalopolis of the (near) future are going to look like. I hope not.
ReplyDeleteBilli, if it's up to the corporations, it will be difficult to tell one city from another and one country from another. One of the negative things about globalization. I lived in Mexico City as well and I agree with you. I know it's unreasonable to expect architects to design buildings in the way that it was done hundreds of years ago, and the cost would probably be prohibitive, but they could use a lot more concern and creativity and design something that will not look out of place surrounded by historical buildings. There is the technology to create structures that would look a lot better than some of the stuff they're building. It's also the need to create in people the need to own their own home (which is usually not the case because the banks really own them) and that has resulted in those massive housing developments where all the houses look the same. It's quite sad.
ReplyDeletethat was what i was talking about! suburbs ara ALL about profit, they are made of cheap-to-constuct houses, and since they make them, in large quantities (in some kind of "mass production" of houses), they become even cheaper! and, with this point of view, why should the constructors of this suburbs care about the architecture? since they only want to sell houses, they make them all the same, without an actual concern about "tradition" or even a general "good taste" when designing this houses.
ReplyDeleteThe image of the endless rows of houses, all the same, is really tragical, especially when you ask yourself why should someone do things like that, and the answer it's becouse someone is geting a lot of money out of it.
about the motel in the deseet, i meant that i always had the feeling that whenever there's a "hole" in the market, whenever there's a busines oportunity, everyone starts running to fill it, so as soon as someone sees that it's redituable to make motels in the middle of nowhere, motels start filling the desert, until it's no more a desert than a motel-complex. Not that i have something against resting places :) just that i think that the point of this picture is to show that anytime soon there will be no more free spaces, no more deserts, just motels, everything will be urbanized, everything will be overrun by civilisation.
pd: yeah, i know, my english sucks :)
I think architects should be more creative and use existing structures when possible. If they can't, there's the option to create something in good taste, but like you said black eyed angel, it's all about profit and getting lots of sales. Everything is about that. Taking a flight anywhere is sheer torture now unless one is able to pay for first class tickets. There's absolutely no room. But then everyone can take off to another continent at the drop of a hat because it's so affordable right now. I guess it won't be necessary to travel after every place looks the same. :-(
ReplyDeleteDon't be ridiculous. There aren't going to be a thousand motel in the desert anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteThis picture was taken out of context. If you saw the bigger picture, there would be other buildings near-by. There aren't any random motel in the middle of the desert for safety reasons.
They set up these motel to keep people from driving off the road and killing themselves or others. In the DMV handbook, they urge you to pull off to the side of the road and get some rest if you're feeling drowsy/drifty during long travels.
There are no random motel in the middle of the desert. If you take a closer look at the postcard...there is a sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteThis is part of a little town.
interesting conversation going on. i agree with the points that weird fishee has touched on. i mean as far as how some of the corporate owned buldings look in comparison to traditional buildings/structures...that's in the eye of the beholoder...some find beauty in even the ugliest of towns and cities. i do agree that it's all about profit and NOTHING else. not only are some of these buildings and structures eyesores, but most of them are environmentally destructive as they are made as cheap as possible, so they won't last long, and yet you won't be able to recycle much of the materials like nails, boards, etc due to chemical damage and bad use of materials. and of course the waste leakage is damaging as well.
ReplyDeletei think corporations should not only get a little more concerned about the aesthetics of their architecture but also about how it will affect the environment. there's small movements firing up all over where architects,artists, environmentalists and the like are collaborating to create more buildings and homes that are harmonious in more ways than one. i just wish that these simple ideas would make it to the top of the ladder before the whole ladder comes crashing down.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHeh.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to fit perfectly in to the "idea" of the "perfect" world that has been torn skillfully apart ever since, well, the band put out OK Computer (with the artworks from Donwood).
It's like the overly sunny, harmonic world (read: America or Europe) that only live in advertising and ideologies; so easily transparent in pictures like these.
It's when I see something like this, the whimsical popular culture from the 50's, 60's and 70's (and soon to be 80's, 90's and 00's) that I'm reminded of how much our lives are trapped in the ideas of "perfect" (wanting the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect kid, the perfect sex and the perfect this and that) and how much it's just a state of mind.
And then I think of filmmaker Lars von Trier's brilliant movies "Dogville" and "Manderlay", and wonder how both him and the band (and Donwood with more) seem related in wanting to deconstruct our images of how things "are".
Overly lengthy of me. Sorry.
That's very true, hvlukas. The 'idealization' of the American way of life is particularly apparent in the 50s and 60s sitcoms. It's kind of what Thom refers to as the 'Stepford Wives' idea and some of the lyrics in the new songs are very much about that ("Bodysnatchers", "Down is the new Up"). The marketing of a way of life where everything and everyone is supposed to be perfect. It's also very much what "Fitter Happier" is about. A prescription for happiness. But it's unattainable and it leads to even more unhappiness.
ReplyDelete