Edward "Ed" John O'Brien (born April 15, 1968) is a member of Radiohead. He plays rhythm ('polite') guitar and often sings harmony vocals. He is a self-taught guitarist, but he has taken drum lessons. Ed, along with Jonny Greenwood played supporting drums on Radiohead's first single "There There" for their latest album. Ed was originally invited into the band by Thom Yorke due to his resemblance to Morrissey. Widely considered the most typical rock star and handsome of the group, Ed is also the tallest, uprising at 6' 5". Ed is married to Susan and has a child, Salvador, who was born in January 2004.
Even in his late 30s Ed is still known as a supporter and frequent user of marijuana. Despite the "no-drugs-during-sessions"-policy of the band, Ed said that most of the songs he recorded during Pablo Honey and the Bends came up while stoned. In Meeting People Is Easy document, Ed was seen rolling a spliff. About the Brit awards in 2001, Ed talked openly how he took some mushrooms at the place and started socializing with other celebrities. He says in 2003 that he enjoys smoking pot now as he was enjoying it then. Nevertheless, this doesn't hinder his guitar playing or personal life.
Ed O'Brien's role in Radiohead is often overlooked in comparison to his fellow guitarists Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. However, Ed's role as the solid rhythm guitar of the band is considered to be a vital part of Radiohead's sound. On Radiohead's more recent albums, much of the guitar work is handled by Ed as Jonny uses his amazing skills with the synthesizers.
Ed has made contributions to a soundtrack project for the BBC drama series Eureka Streets before recording Kid A. During sessions of Kid A and Amnesiac, Ed kept his fans up to date with an open diary. His most recent collaboration was doing 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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