Latest Radiohead demo is a hoax; real songwriter pops up on CNN

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The buzz behind the old Radiohead demo that created a frenzy in the blogosphere last week was deflated Friday as news quickly spread that the song ‘How Do You Sit Still/ Putting Ketchup in the Fridge’ was not actually recorded by the band.

Canadian musician/baker Christopher Stopa appeared on CNN on Friday morning with anchor Erin Burrnett to confirm that the track, originally called ‘Sit Still,’ was actually his creation. Stopa says that the Internet buzz over the new track caught him by surprise, especially since he didn’t post the song and claims to have no idea who did.

‘What started coming out my speakers sounded extremely familiar and after a couple seconds, well wait a second, this is my song,’ Stopa told CNN. ‘My first thought was to think somehow I had hit play on my iTunes.’

Considering that the song was originally pegged as a buried gem from Radiohead’s early ‘90s material a la ‘Pablo Honey’ or ‘The Bends,’ it was surprising to hear that Stopa recorded the song in 2001 with a band he had at the time. It’s been over a year since Stopa recorded or played any music, opting to get into the bakery business with a friend after his music career began to stall. Since news of the song spread last week, it’s garnered over 96,000 views on You Tube.

In one sense, this 15 seconds of fame must be some consolation to Stopa, who seems to have forsaken guitar playing for pastry baking despite sounding exactly like one of the biggest rock stars of his generation. Then again, if one thing is for certain, there’s only room in this world for one Thom Yorke.

Watch the CNN interview and check out the song below.

Sit Still by Christopher Stopa

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-- Nate Jackson