Editing Ed O'Brien (section)

== Early life ==

O'Brien was born on April 15, 1968.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> His family comes from [[Ballyporeen]], Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/radioheads-ed-obrien-brilliant-solo-album-covid-19-climate-change-trump-irish-roots-22812658|title=Radiohead's Ed O'Brien on his brilliant solo album, COVID-19, climate change, Trump and his Irish roots|first=Paul|last=Nolan|website=Hotpress}}</ref> As a child, O'Brien enjoyed cricket and theatre. His parents separated when he was 10; O'Brien said this was when music became his "refuge".<ref name="Monroe-2020">{{Cite news |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=2020-04-09 |title=Radiohead's Ed O'Brien: 'Humanity has only really learned from disaster' |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/09/radioheads-ed-obrien-humanity-has-only-really-learned-from-disaster |access-date=2020-04-09 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He grew up listening to [[post-punk]] acts such as [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Adam and the Ants]], [[Depeche Mode]], the [[The Police|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.{{'"}}<ref name="tuntún-2011">{{Cite web |last=tuntún |first=Al |date=2011-09-02 |title="Uno tiene que encontrar su voz" |url=https://alltuntun.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/%e2%80%9cuno-tiene-que-encontrar-su-voz%e2%80%9d/ |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=Al tuntún |language=es}}</ref>

The members of [[Radiohead]] met while attending [[Abingdon School]], an independent school for boys in [[Abingdon, Oxfordshire]].<ref name="MCLEAN">{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/13/1055220766407.html|title=Don't worry, be happy|last=McLean|first=Craig|date=14 July 2003|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=25 December 2007}}</ref> While O'Brien was playing [[Lysander (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Lysander]] in a school production of ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', he met [[Thom Yorke]], who was scoring the production.<ref name="Monroe-2020" /> Yorke asked him to join him for a [[Jam session|jam]]. According to O'Brien, "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.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite web |date=7 October 2016 |title=Ed O'Brien from Radiohead talks about the first time he jammed with Thom |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04b9q75 |access-date=2016-10-08 |website=[[BBC Radio 6 Music]]}}</ref>

One year below the drummer, [[Philip Selway]], O'Brien was in the year above Yorke and the bassist, [[Colin Greenwood]], and four years above Colin's brother, the guitarist [[Jonny Greenwood]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radiohead |url=https://archives.abingdon.org.uk/content/uncategorized/radiohead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821213232/https://archives.abingdon.org.uk/content/uncategorized/radiohead |archive-date=2024-08-21 |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Abingdon School Archives |language=en}}</ref> In 1985, they formed a band, On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.<ref name="RANDALL">{{cite journal|last=Randall|first=Mac|date=1 April 1998|title=The Golden Age of Radiohead|journal=[[Guitar World]]}}</ref> They continued to rehearse during holidays while the members attended university.<ref name="ROSS2">{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Alex |author-link=Alex Ross (music critic) |date=20 August 2001 |title=The Searchers |url=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/08/20/010820fa_FACT1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214053947/http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html |archive-date=14 February 2008 |access-date=16 March 2011 |newspaper=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> O'Brien studied economics at the [[University of Manchester]],<ref name="Irvin-1997">{{Cite journal |last1=Irvin |first1=Jim |last2=Hoskyns |first2=Barney |date=September 1997 |title=We have lift-off! |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=46}}</ref> where he took part in the [[Second Summer of Love]].<ref name="Binelli-2008">{{Cite magazine |last=Binelli |first=Mark |date=2008-02-07 |title=The future according to Radiohead |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-future-according-to-radiohead-189111/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref>