Ed O'Brien

Categories: 1968 births | Radiohead | British guitarists | Guitarists

Edward "Ed" John O'Brien (born April 15, 1968) is a member of Radiohead. He plays rhythm guitar, percussion, and often sings harmony vocals. Ed is known for his large collection of effects pedals, which are important in creating Radiohead's distinct sound. Though he served primarily as a second or third guitar on the earlier albums, Radiohead's migration beyond alternative rock often saw lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood called on to play keyboards, the modular synthesizer, or the Ondes Martenot, moving Ed to the forefront as Radiohead's chief guitarist. He is a self-taught guitarist, who was originally invited into the band by Thom Yorke because of his resemblance to Morrissey.

Ed is the tallest member of the band, at 6' 5". Ed has a wife named Susan and a child, Salvador, who was born in January 2004.

Ed is known to smoke marijuana recreationally, and is a supporter of the campaign for cannabis reclassification. Despite the "no-drugs-during-sessions"-policy of the band, Ed has said that he recorded songs during Pablo Honey and the Bends while stoned. In Meeting People Is Easy documentary, Ed was seen rolling a spliff. At the Brit awards in 2001, Ed talked openly about how he had used hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Ed made contributions to a soundtrack project for the BBC drama series Eureka Street before recording Kid A. During sessions of Kid A and Amnesiac, Ed kept his fans up to date with an open diary posted on the band's website. His most recent collaboration outside of Radiohead involved some guitar work on album of Asian Dub Foundation. He played on "1000 Mirrors" (with Sinéad O'Connor), "Blowback" and "Enemy of the enemy".

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Ed O'Brien

See also