When Radiohead released their 1997 masterpiece "Paranoid Android," lots of critics compared the proggy, dizzying track to another six-minute rock epic: Queen's 1975 staple "Bohemian Rhapsody." The reference was inevitable, given the songs' similar length and musical ambition, but perhaps the connection is deeper than that. As Radiohead leader Thom Yorke has documented in various interviews over the years, he was massively influenced by Queen as a kid—to the point that, in his quest to emulate that band's guitarist, Brian May, he even tried to build his own instrument.
"I started playing when I was 7, 8. I was obsessed with Queen when 'Bohemian Rhapsody' came out," Yorke recalled during a 2019 appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I laid down in front of these big speakers in my friend’s house, and we just listened to 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' and at that point I decided, 'Yep, this is what I’m doing.' And then soon after that, I decided I was gonna do what Brian May did: build a guitar. It sort of worked, but it was literally rough-cut out with a saw. It was terrible. It really wasn't [impressive]. Shortly after that, my dad felt sorry for me and eventually bought me one."
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As noted by Radiohead fan site Citizen Insane, Yorke also talked about his makeshift guitar during a 1997 interview with Irish publication Hot Press. “I just thought, 'I want that guitar,'” he said. “In fact, I met him, and I said, 'You know, you're the reason I used to spend months and months on end in my garage trying to build a fucking guitar.' I didn't have any proper tools. I just had a fucking hacksaw and brass thingies to smooth the edges.” In that same piece, he noted that he remained a Queen fan "to an extent," highlighting the band's "professionalism" and the "bewitching" duality of singer Freddie Mercury. "[A]pparently he wouldn't talk to anyone; he never did interviews; and yet when he appeared on stage he was totally, totally focused and completely rabid—but obviously he was the total opposite of that, totally sensitive and really, really shy," he said.
That same year, as Radiohead were promoting their massively hyped third album, OK Computer, lots of publications mentioned "Bohemian Rhapsody" in their coverage. Uncut called "Paranoid Android" a "‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for morbid introverts," and Spin wrote that the song "piles on tempo changes, messes with dynamics, and withholds a conventional refrain, like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' without the operatic bits." Citizen Insane transcribed a hilarious interview with Vox, which includes a section where Radiohead respond to "10 critical quotes, positive and negative, about the album." The most relevant to our purposes: "RADIOHEAD ARE THE NEW QUEEN AND ‘PARANOID ANDROID’ IS THE ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’ FOR THE ‘90S.” Yorke's amusing response: “Yes, please! I’d love that! Wow! Great! I can’t wait to do ‘Another One Bites the Dust’!"
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Speaking to Melody Maker, Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien acknowledged the Queen inspiration but also pointed to another pivotal influence: Pixies, the quiet-loud alt-rock pioneers. "It's not a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' for the ['90s]—it's just a handy reference point," he said, per Citizen Insane. "It's like 'Creep' was meant to sound like Scott Walker...it just didn't come out that way. But 'Paranoid Android' is the song we play to people when they want to know what the album is like [because] it should make them think, 'What the fuck's going to happen on the rest of the album?'"
Though a lot of the comparisons were majorly overblown, it does seem like the band left an impression on Yorke. During a 1994 performance for MTV, three years before the release of "Paranoid Android," Radiohead even covered Queen's 1979 hit "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love." (Sadly, only a brief snippet of footage appears to have survived.)
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Stoic statueCanva
A family makes heart shapes with their hands at sunset
Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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