Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien Discusses Phish Influence On EOB In New Interviews

Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien explained the influence of Phish on his EOB project in a pair of recent interviews. O’Brien released Earth, his debut album under the EOB moniker, this past Friday, April 17.

Ed O’Brien first brought up the EOB/Phish connection during the band’s first live performance, which took place on February 7 at The Great Hall in Toronto. “Do you guys know the band Phish?,” O’Brien asked before the “Olympik” that ended EOB’s main set in Toronto. “They do this thing where they jam and by the endings of all these songs we’re just sort of figuring our way through it.”

Billboard’s Cathy Applefeld Olson asked Ed O’Brien about the Phish shout out. “I think they are just so fucking brilliant and they’re not on the radar here in Britain. I’ve just got so much respect for where they go musically,” the English musician said. “It’s like a jazz band; they are willing to take risks for a moment of musical transcendence. That’s what I’m after—I want to tap into that. I don’t think anybody opens up for Phish anymore, but if they were to do a festival, I’d love to be on their bill.”

O’Brien shouted out Phish when asked what fans could expect at EOB shows by Mark Daniell of the Toronto Sun. “Doing extended jams is certainly something we’ve been doing. The idea is we take these songs and stretch them out,” the guitarist explained. “I’ve been really inspired by Phish and there’s a great podcast called Long May They Run, and it’s all about Phish and their story and their philosophy and their credo. They’re such an adventurous band. I’ve been really influenced by them. So the show is really where dance and rave meets Phish. That’s the place I want to be.”

Ed attended Phish’s Halloween show in 2016. Mike Gordon shared photos of the Las Vegas meet-up on Twitter: