Radiohead’s Weird Connection to the Movie Groundhog Day
You THINK you know how Radiohead got their name. They named themselves On A Friday, the label hated the name, they pulled True Stories from Talking Heads and landed on “Radio Head,” and the rest was history. Yes, but that’s incomplete. Today we’re exploring the true story behind Talking Heads track “Radio Head” and how it relates to the movie Groundhog Day. This one goes deep, has unexpected twists, but makes total sense in the end. This is the story of how Radiohead and “Radio Head” got their names.
👉 Subscribe for More Videos: https://youtube.com/c/AndyFenstermaker/?sub_confirmation=1
✉️ Read the transcript & hear the music on the Poetic Wax Substack: https://poeticwax.substack.com
WATCH NEXT:
✓ Let Down Was Almost Cut from OK Computer: https://youtu.be/cib584GTSWk
✓ The Inside Joke Behind Smashing Pumpkins’ Mayonaise: https://youtu.be/6RiMSiWTsoU
✓ The Tragic Irony of Soundgarden’s Pretty Noose: https://youtu.be/VzZ8ExKDINI
🎥 Radiohead on Poetic Wax: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLylroYWVYWWVUIWVFqMuPRxWfHae3_CBr
Get Radiohead on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/3S9gN7o
Get Talking Heads on Vinyl 🎧 https://amzn.to/4edqryt
MY GEAR:
✅ U-Turn Orbit Turntable: https://amzn.to/4tLTheP
✅ Edifier Speakers: https://amzn.to/4eXfSQV
✅ RØDE PodMic https://amzn.to/4unPKmO
✅ Logitech MX Brio Webcam: https://amzn.to/4uohKXx
✅ Meze Audio 105 Silva Headphones: https://amzn.to/3QIIZgW
Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 You THINK You Know this Story
1:08 Five Kids and the Worst Band Name in Britain
5:15 Stephen Tobolowsky and the Night That Changed Everything
9:01 Stephen’s Psychic “Radio Head” Abilities
11:17 “Radio Head” and Ramon the Tejano Singer
13:36 Ned Ryerson and Closing the Loop
CLIPS & REFERENCES:
Select Photos Sourced from http://radiox.ru/pics/pre.html
True Stories Original Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MIHT9d25wY
David Byrne Inducts Radiohead (cr Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WvE9X9SFKg
Radiohead Acceptance Speech (cr Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_pNMqySBlA
#radiohead #talkingheads #truestories #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #groundhogday #stephentobolowsky #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicessay #musicstory #albumstory #musichistory #albumhistory #musicdocumentary
Comments
Latest news
@vanessaware1272
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Interesting..thanks for sharing 😮
@crayoniii
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
OK, I can’t see a title like that and not watch the video.
@rickc2102
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Anyone can play guitar
@ohiotattoo1
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
The 'Test this, you fucking quack' cut was perfection 😂
@ricjenner1120
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
I’m so pleased that this vid broke through all the AI slop and popped up in my feed. Thank you
@andykluiter4109
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
I saw Steven Tobolowski in an episode of The West Wing right before I watched this! Nice serendipity there.
@johnaldvizzini2274
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Ok, computer. +1sub
@TokyoXtreme
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
How close were they to being called "Dreamoperator"?
@Mruiz0085
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Antenna brain would be more accurate
@Killadey
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Great video, again, and thanks for saying Oxfordshire correctly 👍
@steveneardley7541
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
The children's book author, Daniel Pinkwater, wrote a book called Fat Men from Space. In it, a boy receives alien radio broadcasts in his dental fillings. He intercepts messages from ETs in spaceships who are going to conquer the earth in order to steal its wonderful junk food. Pinkwater also wrote Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars. Much recommended.
@raleighsmalls4653
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Ahem….certain things taken orally by those who already have these dormant abilities in potentia do, in fact, activate/enhance said dormant abilities. The tendency by those individuals who do this would be to understate that fact.
@renatocpjr5192
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Add info, from Rolling Stone: "In the song 'O Último Blues' (The Last Blues), Chico Buarque uses the expression "Radio Cabeça" to name the imagination of the character in the lyrics, who sees a scene of a woman dancing the blues in her room.
According to Buarque, David Byrne, from the band Talking Heads, heard the song and loved the expression. The following year, he wrote the song 'Radio Head' for the album True Story (1986)"
@StrandedLullaby1957
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
I did not know that! My mom’s birthday is on Groundhog’s day so it’s a tradition that we the movie.
@GCCork
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Just hyped ! Thanks for the video
@elkvision
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
This was a wonderful story…thanks so much for sharing!!!
@johnshanley83
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Love your deep dives into Radiohead. My all time fave band!
@dlow767
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
Your videos make my Sundays a truly a fun day
@not2bfound586
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
❤ your channel! One of my favorites on YT! This is a great episode, too! And breaking rumor—Radiohead will have a mini studio reunion working together on the soundtrack to Paul Thomas Anderson’s next movie (a full on horror film) Hopefully this may open doors to a possible new album…. 🙏Cheers again for your excellent videos and perspectives! 💯🥂
(Like “Ned” we hear the signals and tones—can you hear them, too?) 🌀
@SkinnyEatWorld95
June 2, 2026 at 9:21 am
This is a very interesting story. Thanks Andy I had no idea about any of this!