TikTok is no longer just an emerging platform, as it’s already been making stars for a while now. Gradually, people who had stayed away from the app are making their way to it, and today, Radiohead decided to get in on the fun. They introduced themselves on the platform today with a new video that stars recurring Radiohead character Chieftan Mews.
The brief black-and-white clip shows Mews sitting at a television news desk emblazoned with his name. A voice from off-camera instructs, “Say something.” Mews responds, “Well, what do you want me to say? TikTok. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. This is your wake-up call. Have a good day.” He then displays some facial tics before the video ends with unsettling electronic sounds. So far, this is the only video on the Radiohead account.
For those unfamiliar, Mews is a character that has popped up in various Radiohead endeavors over the years. He’s a digital composite created by producer Nigel Godrich and he first appeared in The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth Of All Time, a collection of 24 short films released by Radiohead in 2004. More recently, he starred in a 2017 unboxing video of the OKNOTOK box set, an anniversary rerelease of OK Computer.
It’s possible the band joining TikTok could preface some new music. Jonny Greenwood expressed hope for new activity for Radiohead in a letter to end 2020, in which he wrote, “Right now, I just feel this: I hope you are safe and well and not too scared, or too bored. I also hope that somehow we can be part of making music for you soon, and that the pleasure of making music, and hearing music, whether in a gig, concert hall, church, or at home with friends – is not forgotten in this desolate year.”
Watch the TikTok video above.