"It really changed from song to song--I mean, it always has done in the past, but even more so with these two records, because we were just trying to, you know, spread them out a bit more so we could try different approaches," Phil says. "In some ways, some of the ideas that Thom brought to the sessions were fairly complete, really. Songs like 'Everything In It's Right Place' or 'I Might Be Wrong'... very little needed to be added to them or changed in them."

I ramble, "When you say that very little that had to be done, who decides on that? Is it a democratic thing or do you sit there thinking, I would like some drums, and everyone else says, no, it's okay the way it is. How does that happen?" A convoluted question that Phil handles with finesse. "Now, I think we just try and be honest with each other. We're much more direct than we used to be and if you're like that with each other, I think you make the right decisions musically."

Speaking of how the band's grown, I ask if this is anything like what Phil imagined being in a band would be like when the guys were starting Radiohead fifteen years ago. There is an uncharacteristically long pause before he answers. "Whew...I'm not sure if I expected to still be in a band at thirty-four, to be quite honest. But it's very difficult to project what kind of people you'll be at that stage. No, it probably isn't that much...but when you have your teenage fantasies of being in a band, it probably doesn't completely match those. Then again, it's the same people in the band, so there are very strong parallels between the band now and when it first started."

On a more personal level, I inquire whether Phil gets more satisfaction out of creating the music or out of performing what the band has created. "Woah.... That question used to be easier to answer a few years ago, because it was definitely live, actually. We found being in the studio very stressful, I think." Was it OK Computer that changed things for them? Phil answers carefully. "Kid A and Amnesiac were both quite stressful to make as well. But you savor the moment when something does actually work on tape, you know, and you know you get a big kick out of that. In a way there's a different excitement, because there's something very new that's coming through."