Ed O'Brien
| Ed O'Brien | |
|---|---|
Ed O'Brien in Barcelona, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward John O'Brien |
| Born |
15 April 1968 Oxford, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, experimental rock, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | XL, TBD |
| Associated acts | Radiohead, 7 Worlds Collide, Kay |
| Notable instruments | |
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Plank ED-1/ED-2 Fender Telecaster Rickenbacker 360 Gibson ES-335 Epiphone Casino eBow Fender Jaguar |
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Edward John "Ed" O'Brien (born 15 April 1968) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the alternative rock band Radiohead, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. He makes extensive use of effects units to create atmospheric sounds and textures. In 2015, Rolling Stone named O'Brien the 59th greatest guitarist of all time.
O'Brien grew up listening to post-punk acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Adam and the Ants, Depeche Mode, the Police and David Bowie. He said: "It was a very foetal [time] for music because people who went to art college or artists, or musicians, suddenly thought, 'Oh, I can be that,' so it was a great era of music." His early guitar influences included Peter Buck of R.E.M, Paul Weller of the Jam, Johnny Marr of the Smiths and Andy Summers of the Police, admiring how they created "space" rather than playing conventional guitar solos.
The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, an independent school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. O'Brien said of the first time he played with singer Thom Yorke, who asked to join him for a jam: "Before that, [life] was a bit confusing, a bit crap. And then suddenly ... I felt something very strong, almost like some kind of epiphany, almost like: 'This is it.'" O'Brien, along with drummer Phil Selway, was in the year above Yorke and bassist Colin Greenwood and three years above multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, brother of Colin. In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.
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