Anyone Can Play Guitar

## Description

One of the most notable songs from Pablo Honey not named Creep, Anyone Can Play Guitar is early Radiohead at its snottiest and most punk-like. Featuring three distinct sections that jell very strangely, this track has not received a lot of love since its release, with many considering it a prototypical example of the early, somewhat underdeveloped Radiohead sound. It was released as a single and was met with loose success.

## Live history

Anyone Can Play Guitar was played live from 1992 to 1996. During those years, it was a setlist staple on every tour it was featured on, only missing the setlist on rare occasions. After 1996, however, it was dropped altogether in keeping with the new, more experimental sound. Anyone Can Play Guitar has a reputation for having live performances so bizarre and over-the-top that they have become legendary.

### 1992

Anyone Can Play Guitar was first played in 1992 along with most other Pablo Honey material. Early performances of Anyone Can Play Guitar stayed mostly faithful to the studio arrangement.

Unfortunately, for some bizarre reason, every single recorded performance of Anyone Can Play Guitar from 1992 cuts in during the middle of the song. Because of this, there are actually no full recordings of this song from 1992, and so it is hard to recommend any. Skip to 1993 onwards if you want to hear this song.

### 1993

Almost every single full band recording from 1993 features this song; it was a leading single from Pablo Honey, and so they pushed it pretty hard. It always featured towards the end of the set, often before an encore. Most recordings of this song from 1993 are pretty homogenous, but the standouts are very, *very* evident. Notable and/or recommended performances include:

* 1993-01-28 ITV "The Beat" broadcast - for a relatively straight-faced performance of this song. Jonny's guitar abuse here is a marvel to watch.
* 1993-06-12, Beeckestijnpop Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands - a clear highlight performance from a stunning AUD recording. Manages to be even more energetic than the original.
* 1993-07-04 MTV Beach House - because you aren't a Radiohead fan til you've fully appreciated the genius that is this performance.
* 1993-11-11, Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany - a slightly shoddy AUD can be ignored because this performance is super fun, featuring absolutely brilliant guitar work at the end.

### 1994

Anyone Can Play Guitar was once again a setlist regular in 1994, and in terms of sheer absurdity, the performances from this year might just take the cake. This song was always the band's chance in 1994 to act like they were 16 and in some awful punk band, and it manifested the most in the song's outro. Later in the year, the song would frequently be played straight after the guitar feedback at the end of Stop Whispering, leading to a consistently fun moment. Notable and/or recommended performances include:

* 1994-02-21, Royal Berks Social Club, Reading, UK - an awesome performance where Jonny's guitar insanity really shines through.
* 1994-06-26, Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, England - one of two truly iconic filmed performances of this song from 1994. Jonny and Thom abuse their guitars in the outro, with Thom even going so far as to slam the microphone repeatedly into the pickup! You've probably already seen clips from this performance somewhere...
* 1994-08-27, Reading Festival, Reading, UK - ...and likewise with this one! Much the same sort of thing happens at the end here; this time, however, Jonny tries in vain to break the neck of his guitar at the end. Again, a pleasure to watch.

## List of recordings

See Anyone Can Play Guitar/Recordings for full list.