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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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.