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Director: Magnus Carlsson
Related links: Paranoid Android single | Paranoid Android lyrics | OK Computer
Robin is a cartoon by Magnus Carlsson. It's about his day to day adventures in a weird arse city. With his mate Ben, of course.
Radiohead saw the Robin cartoon on Channel 4. It was probably on one of those 4 Late type things where they have all those dodgy
cartoons. In any case, the band asked Magnus if he would make a Robin cartoon for one of their videos from OK Computer.
At first, he chose No Surprises. But later ended up doing Paranoid Android.
"When I first got the song I spent a whole day listening to it in my office. I have a window where I see a bridge
with lots of streetlights. I tried not to listen to the lyrics, and after spending eight hours looking at the bridge,
I started sorting out something. Later I got a fax from Thom where he explained the song, and the viewpoints matched." - Magnus Carlsson
All kinds of mad crap goes on in this video. It starts with Robin waking up and getting in the shower, with his hat still on. Then he gets in a taxi and
him and his mate Ben go to see some woman in a tree. She flashes them, and Robin gives her some money. They go to some weird pub where Robin gets beat up. Some political figure is in the same pub, and
later decides to follow Robin to a bridge. He gets undressed and tries to chop down a steel lamp post with an axe o_o. An angel takes Robin away in a helicopter to play table tennis. And all kinds of weird crap
goes on.
Depending on what channel you see this video on, depends on whether it's censored or not. Some channels censor the women's nipples, and the man's head coming out of his stomach. As well as the political bloke
who cuts off his arms and legs near the end.
"Robin is great. He is so much more then that kid who showers with the cap on. In him I see the totally innocents.
Defiance his bad habits and the tuff, big city he lives in, he is soft and gentle. And what ever happens he never loses
his temper. Nothing affects him. He gets bossed and makes stupid things. People convince him to swallow things and dance
naked. Next morning he wakes up anyway and feels rather okay and has forgotten last night. I wish I could be like that.
Just forget. Never really bother. It never works in the real world. When we record can I live like that. Just get
drunk till I forget. And when I get to the real world, there is nuclear weapon, unhappy love, people who don't
recycle their cans. Everything that can't leave me alone, and things that always are going to disturb me." - Thom
""I can understand that Thom identifies himself with Robin. He is rather an international figure. Me and Thom
understand each other. We have never met, the connection is mostly by fax. Anyway I created the plastic Hollywood-world
for Robin as Thom wanted the figure for "Paranoid Android" to move in." - Magnus Carlsson
This video is one of the most played of Radiohead songs. It's on once every few days or something like that.
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