Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie Inherent Vice was shown in its first screening for press this morning. While reviews of the movie are embargoed until Saturday night, we can say a few things without spoiling it: It’s a Long Goodbye-esque, darkly comic take on the end of the 1960s that’s as hazy and disorienting as the Thomas Pynchon novel it’s based on, it features a reported Pynchon cameo that, at the very least, wasn’t obvious to this Pynchon fan (others have their own ideas), and it features an unreleased song from Radiohead.
That last bit is confirmed in the credits, which note that the song is called “Spooks.” “Spooks” is an instrumental song that the band played in the run-up to In Rainbows in 2006, and its surf-rock guitar makes it a good fit for the 1970-set Inherent Vice, which includes a surf-rock saxophonist (played by Owen Wilson) as a main character. You can watch a video of Radiohead playing “Spooks” live below.
Update, Oct. 6: Jonny Greenwood has taken to Twitter to add a few details about the song. He says that the song has been rewritten and is performed by members of Supergrass:
Previously
Thomas Pynchon Will Cameo in Inherent Vice—but Will We Recognize Him?
