Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien Talked to Kanye West About God

Last week, Ninja Tune released an hour-long interview between Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Dave Okumu, whose band the Invisible released new album Patience this month. Today, part two of their interview has been released. During the conversation, O’Brien revealed that he once talked to Kanye West about musicians’ relationships to faith and God. Their conversation, which happened “about four years ago” during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, was apparently tentative and one-sided. (“He wan’t interested in me at all,” O’Brien said.) Apparently, they connected when O’Brien discussed British musicians’ religious beliefs.

I said, “If you asked pretty much any British musician whether they believed in God, I’d tell you that 99% of them would say, ‘Don’t be stupid, of course not.’” It blew his mind. He was like, “You cannot be serious.”

He then told a story about an “extraordinary spiritual experience” when his “life turned around.” Later, he discussed musicians becoming “a conduit” for a greater power, citing music by artists like Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. At one point, he talks about a conversation he had with Thom Yorke and his feelings about the current Radiohead tour. They also discussed the creative process, writer’s block, fame, remaining humble, why jazz musicians “rule,” and more. Listen to the interview here, or download it from iTunes; his story about Kanye starts around the 11:50 mark.

Revisit “Decoding the Politics in Radiohead’s ‘Burn the Witch’ Video” on the Pitch.

Watch the video for Radiohead’s “Burn the Witch”:

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