Tom York

I dealt with it.

And actually, by the time we got to recording OK Computer, the doors had opened up and we had just the best time doing that record because we knew that people were interested in us finally for what we actually were.

The possibilities just seemed completely endless.

Suddenly we had all this support and we fought so hard to get it.

And I think the problem for me, if I'm honest, is I wasn't enjoying it until later on because I had my hands so stuck on that steering wheel, white knuckling.

I didn't want to make a mistake.

I was terrified of making a mistake.

Let's go to the music.

Time for your sixth disc today, Tom.

Yes.

Well, now we're on to R.E.M.,

REM were extremely important to us, in fact.

Just through this period that I'm talking about, we went on tour and the back story to this was like, Michael Stipe, the singer of REM, was my hero.

And this, to me, was like the hand of God reaching down from the clouds and saying, You!

And now I'm friends with him.

It's an odd thing for me.

So we're on tour with him.

And then he helps me through this, the end of that period when things just went crazy, when people started talking to me like I was Jesus or something in the street.

I would call him and say, I can't handle it.

I can't, I can't handle it.