Though I'll be providing some possible answers, and pre-buttals.
Why do hard-core Radiohead fans disown the song Creep (& their first record as a whole, generally?) Sure, Creep is naive, juvenile even. But it was their first single. It definitely has a 'punk-ish' attitude about it. It created a fair amount of controversy with its' bad language but turned a Sex Pistols absent #1 trick by being played all the time on 'altrock' stations. Personally, I think Creep is far better, more fun, funnier, more trenchant, richer than any track on The Bends (which is a truly naif, reaching sort-of album that always makes me roll my eyes. The Bends is way more posturing than Creep [& Creep is pretty frickin' posturing.]) What I suspect is what Renee (a big Radiohead fan, herself- and she loves The Bends) told me: That Radiohead fans don't like Creep cause it was on the radio, and popular. If that is the case, that is sad. There is nothing wrong with being popular. I cannot tell you how excited I was to see R.E.M start to play stadiums back in the 80s. I felt vindicated, at last. (I think, perhaps, it is the fans' juvenile nature coming to bear here, yes?)
and:
What is Stephen Frears secret? How does he make the most brilliant films ever, of any genre, without seeming to have any distinctive style of his own? Is it a laser-sensitive intuition about scripts? Is he helping to write the scripts without credit? Does he have some amazing rapport with actors that generates those sterling performances? Or is it a rapport with the DP? Or the design folks? Perhaps he knows how to hire the right collaborators in general?
You know, I have always had my own secret definition of the word panache (one of my fave words, ever.) I gleaned it from Carr & Tyler's most excellent book, The Beatles, An Illustrated Record, even though they might not agree with my definition. It was, as I recall, in re to their review of the Can't Buy Me Love/You Can't Do That single. Carr & Tyler say, "Panache ruled the day." The word panache means to me: Effortless (artless) style.
That is what Stephen Frears has in bucketloads: Effortless, artless style. He is a treasure.
Here is the Merriam-Webster definition. Mine is much better.
As to Radiohead fans and their disdain for "Creep", they should appreciate the fact that the song and its popularity allowed for one of the most incongruous musical events in all of Rock history! I'm speaking, of course, of the beautifully ironic moment in 1992(?) when Radiohead played "Creep" live at one of MTV's "Spring Break" flesh-fests. While I couldn't find the clip on YouTube (a stunning omission), I distinctly remember the bone-white paleness and long sleeves and trousers of the band presenting a sharp contrast to the tanned crowd of big-haired bikini babes and frat boys, most of whom were dancing only for the benefit of the cameras, blissfully unaware of the significance of the song's lyrics. Anyone else remember this or know where to find the clip?
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