Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien on Depression, Trauma & Finding Light Again

Rich Roll sits down with Ed O'Brien, guitarist of Radiohead and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, for an intimate conversation about mental health, creativity, and the creation of his latest solo album Blue Morpho. O'Brien opens up about his profound battle with depression during the 2020 lockdown, describing a nine-month period of darkness that he framed as a 'dark night of the soul' and heroic journey of transformation. The episode explores how O'Brien traced his chronic dissatisfaction and lack of self-worth to childhood trauma, catalyzed by reading Gabor Maté's 'When the Body Says No.' Despite Radiohead's iconic status, O'Brien confesses he never felt satisfied with the band's achievements and hadn't read a single review since OK Computer in 1997. The conversation delves into how O'Brien's healing process involved lifestyle changes including Five Elements acupuncture, meditation, dietary shifts, and extended time in the Welsh countryside. He explains how his new album Blue Morpho mirrors his transformation, created by embracing uncertainty and letting go of traditional song structures while recording birdsong and allowing musical motifs to emerge organically. O'Brien discusses the return of Radiohead to touring after the band streamlined their organization by removing toxic hangers-on, restoring health to the core five-member brotherhood. The episode concludes with O'Brien's perspective on AI in music, his advice for aspiring artists to stay true to themselves, and his evolution from hiding in the background of Radiohead to stepping forward as a solo artist comfortable with his own voice.

• O'Brien battled severe depression for nine months during lockdown, tracing his lack of self-worth to childhood trauma revealed through Gabor Maté's work.
• Despite Radiohead's massive success, O'Brien admitted to his acupuncturist in 2021 that he had never felt satisfied with his achievements.
• O'Brien stopped reading all press reviews in April 1997 after OK Computer because they created extreme emotional swings between heaven and hell.
• The album Blue Morpho was created by embracing uncertainty, recording without traditional song structures, and incorporating Welsh birdsong into the compositions.
• Radiohead returned to touring after their manager deliberately downsized the organization and removed people who had attached themselves but were detrimental to the band.
• O'Brien argued that AI fundamentally lacks soul and cannot replicate the human energy, love, and emotion essential to great music.
• His healing involved Five Elements acupuncture, meditation, dietary changes, no alcohol or drugs, and extended time immersed in the Welsh countryside.