Edward John O\'Brien (born 15 April 1968) is an English guitarist and member of the alternative rock band Radiohead. He makes extensive use of effects units to create atmospheric sounds and textures, and provides backing vocals. In 2010, Rolling Stone named O\'Brien the 59th greatest guitarist of all time.\n', '

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\'." \n', '

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 Philip Selway, was in the year above Yorke and bassist Colin Greenwood, and three years above Colin\'s brother, multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood. In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to the band\'s usual rehearsal day in the school\'s music room. O\'Brien studied economics at the University of Manchester.[citation needed]\n', '

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