ed o’brien
30 Signature Guitars for Modern Artists
For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small. Among the titans of the industry, that intentional shift came with a new generation being put into decision-making positions. “When I started, it was largely classic rock and very much a pantheonic Hall of Fame,” Fender’s Executive VP for Products Justin Norvell says of the early 2000s. “It was an end-of-an-iconic-career kind of thing. But it was my feeling that it should be something that people can use to reflect back upon themselves. A Telecaster can mean James Bu...
Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien Reflects on 25 Years of OK Computer
OK Computer might not have come out until July 1, 1997 in the United States; however, May 21st marks the 25th anniversary of the release in Japan, and Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien took the opportunity to reflect on the album in a pair of Instagram posts. Inspired by a BB6 Music’s celebration of OK Computer, the guitarist reminisced about working with producer Nigel Godrich for the first time, recording in Jane Seymour’s mansion, opening for Alanis Morissette (where they “first met the light that was Taylor Hawkins“), and the band’s general thoughts and work ethic 25 years ago. We recently unearthed an archive of SPIN’s 90 Best Albums of the 1990s list. See where OK Computer landed here, and read O’Brien’s full message below. Going underground So.. today is apparently the 25th anniversa...
Radiohead Guitarist Ed O’Brien Remixes Paul McCartney’s ‘Slidin’’
The latest reimagining of a Paul McCartney tune comes courtesy of Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, who shared his remix of “Slidin.’” It will appear on the April 16th release of McCartney III Imagined, which features numerous artists putting their own spin on songs from last year’s McCartney III. O’Brien worked on the track with producer Paul Epworth. and told BBC Radio 6 Music more about remix. “I really liked [‘Slidin’], and so I said to Paul Epworth, ‘would you fancy getting stuck in?’ He was really up for it. It was great. A moment of light in the darkness of the winter that’s just been,” O Brien said. “We had a lot of fun. Got into [McCartney’s] vocals and added some chaos, some guitar — my reference point was ‘Helter Skelter.’ Ramp up the intensity!” Prior to “Slidin’,...
