The Red Bulletin June 2020 (US)

66
With Guitarist, his band 52, GBR. Radiohead, guitarist
With O’Brien, Radiohead, 52, has performed O’Brien has in played stadiums all
in over stadiums the world. worldwide—but His place of inspiration,
his place
of though, inspiration is far from is far the from sound the crowds. of the crowd
Ed
O’Brien
“Birds are
like naturalborn
opera
singers”
Whenever he’s
feeling empty and
exhausted, the
Radiohead guitarist
finds happiness
in birdsong.
“In 1998, I wasn’t happy with the way things
were going with the band. We were touring
[multiplatinum-selling third album] OK
Computer and it was simply too much. I was
exhausted, depressed and I drank too much.
I couldn’t cope with the sudden success and
all the media exposure.
“When I returned home, I found solitude in
long walks in nature. It was the best way to get
my head clear and to overcome that darkness.
And listening to birds and watching them was
part of it. My granddad loved bird-watching. One
of my earliest memories is being on holiday in
Cornwall and him having his binoculars and
showing us birds. He marveled at them. I didn’t
really appreciate it that much when I was younger,
but the older I get, the more I marvel at them,
too. One of the things I love most is being amid
nature, among the trees, with all the bird life.
“It’s fantastic, the sounds they’re able to make,
considering the size of their bodies. The vocal
range some of them have—they’re like naturalborn
opera singers. And to hear them perform in
that blue hour of the early morning when they’re
competing with each other to find a mating
partner—that’s really beautiful. It’s got such a
happy, vital, uplifting vibe. It’s life-assuring to
us as humans; it’s good for our psyche. It makes
us realize that we’re alive and that there’s all that
beauty right on our doorstep. They represent
freedom and independence, big time.
“Wales [where O’Brien wrote the music for
his debut solo album, Earth, out now] is bird
heaven. The bird population there is so varied
it’s unbelievable. There are chaffinches,
yellowhammers, goldcrests, kingfishers,
swallows and species you wouldn’t find
anywhere else in the world. I particularly love
the aquatic warblers. They’re extremely rare,
but they’re wonderful creatures, and their
singing is phenomenal. It’s a real thrill to
watch them do their thing.”
Listen to Birdsong Radio at rspb.org.uk
UNIVERSAL MUSIC, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS LTD/ALAMY MARCEL ANDERS
76 THE RED BULLETIN