Just Stwo

This is an email I sent to Steve Martin of Nasty Little Man, the PR agency that represents Radiohead.  You can find them on Twitter here and please help me complete my mission!

My name is Stuart Tracte, and I might just be the world’s biggest Radiohead fan. I know they are playing the Roseland next week, and the anxiety of getting a ticket is killing me. The fact that I cannot control my own fate on this makes me uncomfortably anxious. I did a bit of research and found out that you and your agency handle the PR for Radiohead. To cut to the chase, here’s my plea.

I’m a lifelong musician, and was of course familiar with Creep, High & Dry & Fake Plastic Trees, but when I heard Karma Police on the radio in 1997, I knew I had discovered something that would change my life forever. OK Computer was a turning point in my appreciation for music. The messages on that album were cryptic and meaningful all at once. The sounds reminded me of Pink Floyd, but smarter, more modern, and with an edge that tickled me in ways I’d never been tickled before. I bought this album, fell in love, and then went backwards through the rest of the Radiohead catalog. Every song moved me in a unique way. I couldn’t believe a musician such as myself had not listened to The Bends as it came out. How had I not heard the harmonizing guitars during the break in Just? The beautiful acoustic guitar melodies of Thinking About You off Pablo Honey. I was floored and in love. For my birthday, I attended the Airbag/How Am I Driving show at Radio City Music Hall. This was the greatest concert I had ever attended. I’m sure you know there are few bands that put on a show anything like Radiohead does.

I attended the NYC premiere of Meeting People Is Easy, because I used to call Stuttering John at 92.3 KRock every day at lunch and request they play obscure Radiohead songs. They never did, but after a while, they knew who I was. When the film was premiering, and they had a call-in contest, they actually saved a ticket for me, as they knew I’d be dialing incessantly. Another amazing moment!

I loved Kid A the moment I heard it, and since then have listened to Radiohead almost every day of my life. Amnesiac, I Might Be Wrong Recordings, Hail To The Thief; all classic albums! I have purchased the hard copy of every import I can get my hands on and know all the b-sides. My favorite two are The Trickster & Polyethylene.

I listened to Thom’s solo album, The Eraser every day for about a year. His acoustic performance of The Clock on the Henry Rollins Show still haunts my soul. (In the best of ways) His rendition of the classic Miracle Legion song All For The Best still gets heavy rotation on my iPhone. Phil’s solo effort is still one of my new favorites as well. I learned to play “A Simple Life” as soon as I heard it!

All of this has moved me to lead a more thoughtful and creative life for the past 15 or so years. It still doesnt compare to the passion for this band that I have begun to feel since In Rainbows came out. THAT album is everything the band was and continues to be. A perfect blend of the older more guitar driven Radiohead and the more modern beat & electronic driven Radiohead. Then, TKOL?! I purchased all of the limited vinyls as well as the remixes. They keep getting better.

I’m becoming less wordy because I’m not sure you’ll even read this far. Well, here’s the plea. I’m not looking for a free ticket. I’m just looking for access to a ticket. I have a Kid A tattoo. I have multiple Radiohead covers posted on YouTube at: http://youtube.com/stwo I’m obsessed. All I want is to be able to stand at the Roseland Ballroom and be mesmerized by my favorite artists in the world.

If you need justification, I am a NYC Social Media professional with a pretty hefty network. I work for Definition 6 as a strategist, and would surely be able to write about my experiences as well as take photos with professional quality gear if you’d like me to. I know a band like Radiohead doesn’t need much Social Media PR, but I would be more than happy to live tweet, or do anything necessary to make the opportunity of attending these shows more beneficial for all interested parties.

Of course, I’ll be glued to my computer at 10am on Monday morning, trying to get tickets from Ticketmaster, but I want the sure thing. I want to have that moment. That moment I can only attain when it’s just me and the band. When you are overwhelmed by the power of a live performance and nothing else in the world matters. I get that from Radiohead. I hope you can help me attain that next week.

My apologies for any inconvenience. Thank you for your time.

I’ve attached a photo of my Kid A tattoo

Stuart