Phenomenal Cover: John Mayer - "Kid A"

Ah, it feels great to blog again. Especially about whatever I feel like, although, I'm still very ecstatic for our return show coming up at the end of the month. But I'll keep that down for awhile. I have a quick story:

I recently found a treasure. Like a bottle that rushes a shore, this was something to be examined and marveled over. It came to me from a torrent. A FREE torrent, people. It was this amazing cover of one of my favorite songs (and for such few lyrics, it's truly an orchestral masterpiece of surrealism and the supernatural). The tune: Radiohead's "Kid A", the title track from their monumental 2000 record (best record of this bizarre decade, anyone?). Who covered this masterpiece and did such justice to it? John Mayer! ...?

I guess John boy has always been a cooler dude than what his pop music makes him out to be. He plays a lot of soul and blues, which is important, because if you forget rock's roots then your just a dickhead. He's also been on Chapelle's Show and Tim & Eric; so he's a TV star, as well. And lastly on his cool list (I'm sure there's more, like how he gets with amazingly hot chicks as the ultimate rebound man, but...) he does benefits! Really, really nice benefits!

I took this crappy picture from my crappy phone cirva Christmas time 2008. I was working with New York's 95.5 WPLJ, where I had interned this summer, on an extroadinary benefit at Blythedale's Children's Hospital in Valhalla, NY. Granted I chipped my tooth the night before (don't ask) and I got like, no sleep (waking up at 2 AM...that's when I usually go to bed!), it was a great thing to be apart of. Here's John acousta-rockin' out with Matchbox 20's prodigal son, Rob Thomas.

I told Rob I was his biggest fan. I lied, but only to get this picture. I think he would've gotten in it even if I wasn't a lying jerk, but I didn't want to blow it. Also, I really did enjoy 1996's Yourself Or Someone Like You. "3 AM", great tune. I don't care who you are; it's good.

So anyway, back to my main point. John Mayer covers Radiohead's "Kid A". This wasn't realeased on any compilation of anything, but shitty CW or ABC Family teen dramas should pick it up if they haven't already (I only watch The Colbert Report religiously. I saw that show live over break, too! Epic.). It's a great cover, it truly is. He doesn't piss on it or add any unessecary moans, trying to be like Thom Yorke, who he most certainly is not. But it's majestic in its own right. John hits every emotion, just as much as Radiohead did. I'm not sure anyone will truely ever understand the more profound meaning behind "Kid A" that we all know is out there. Whether or not Thom had writer's block at the time, this allegory of leaving a strange town as a wayward soul is solitified as ambient genuisness. A+ to you Radiohead. And an A to you John Mayer, for not being such a cool dude and realizing the true rock 'n' roll of the times.

Rats and children follow me out town...