Guest
Magnus Carlsson, Swedish creator of the animated series Robin of which the band were fans, was commissioned to make a music video. Having first wanted to do a video for “No Surprises“ instead, Carlsson was uncertain how to approach “Paranoid Android“. He came up with a scenario that was to the band’s liking after locking himself in his office, staring out the window at a distant bridge while listening to nothing but the song over and over again. This animated video features mild-mannered Robin and a friend venturing out into the world, running into miserable EU representatives, bullying pub patrons, two kissing leathermen, a junkie, deranged businessmen, mermaids, and an angel who plays ping pong with Robin after rescuing him. The band has a cameo appearance in the video at a bar, where they are sitting at a table drinking and watching a man with a head coming out of his navel dancing on top of their table. Although the single did not receive much radio play due to its length, MTV immediately put the video in high rotation. However, the version most often shown on television was edited. Thom Yorke was not happy about this: “The video of ’Paranoid Android’ has been censored by MTV. They took all nipples out of the cartoon, but they had no problem with the scene in which Boris Yeltsin cuts off his own arms and legs.“
