LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT
Like most middle class white men with ears, Timothy Brasby (35) is a big fan of English rock band Radiohead, a five piece known for their subversive blend of Brit-pop and prog-rock that makes anyone who listens to them a certified music aficionado.
As the freelancer sits alone before his laptop, headphoned and staring out a cafe window to observe the drizzling day, the opening bars of OK Computer took him far away from the French Quarter and those rude text messages he received from his dad.
For as the bells of Airbag chimed in ironic mirth Brasby was no longer writing copy for a client he despised but had in fact become a no-nonsense private detective with a troubled past in a bleak and futuristic world.
“Robots and people live side by side, but who is more alive,” stated Brasby to himself as the first time signature change reminded him why Paranoid Android is such a banger.
“What’s this?”
“A bot killed my wife and they didn’t even deprogram it. That rusty tin of shit is still out there driving a hoverbus through precinct 13A like he never got 11 pedestrians jammed in his mechanism. Oh shit, I just called it ‘he.’ This is their plan, that’s what they want, I’m in too deep now.”
Leaving the cafe to the crushing piano of Karma Police, Brasby opted to forgo his umbrella and walked slowly in the rain instead, staring down anyone who happened to be looking down on him from a second story window.
Although Brasby has a large work day ahead of him, the freelancer turned hardboiled anti-hero was content on spending the rest of the day narrating the series of deadends he encountered while listening to some of the most depressing music to come out of the UK, which is really saying something.
“Truth is, we’ve all got buttons to push whether we’re made of iron, copper or bones.”
Ultimately, Brasby’s daydream and No Surprises was cut short when his mum called to ask him if he could please patch up things with his dad before her birthday.
“For a minute there, I lost myself…”
