“The four minute warning was a public alert system conceived by the British Government during the Cold War and operated between 1953 and 1992 when the system was dismantled after the Cold War ended. The name derived from the approximate length of time from the point at which a Soviet nuclear missile attack against the United Kingdom could be confirmed and the impact of those missiles on their targets.”
Background on the song title and relation to the documentary, which is about “fracking” for natural gas in the States. Literal in that context, but a positive metaphor for anything. Not incidentally, Thom (lead singer) has another band called Atoms for Peace.
Heard this B-side (video by a 3rd party) on the soundtrack to a documentary called GasLand. Doubt I’ll hear it live, but I’m looking forward to Radiohead and a great time at Coachella ‘12. Happy birthday to me! Thanks, family.
"Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished and stretches its resources to give a hearty sustenance and cheer? Who warms you in the winter and cools you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honor to your richest table and impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don’t catch steak hanging around when you’re poor and sick, do you?"