1985-Thom YorkeVocals, guitar
Ed O'BrienGuitar
Jonny GreenwoodGuitar
Colin GreenwoodBass
Phil SelwayDrums
Their original name was On A Friday. They switched to Radiohead in 1989 because it was the name of a Talking Heads song.
They started playing together and writing songs in 1987. They waited until 1991 to sign a record deal and start recording because they wanted to finish college. Their first album came out in 1993.
Used the first "Active Buddy" computer program to promote their album Amnesiac. Called "Googly Minotaur," it was programed to chat with fans and answer questions about Radiohead. The program is an extension of the AOL Instant Messaging system.
Radiohead's first #1 album was Kid A, released in October 2000. A few months later, Amnesiac debuted at #2 and sold 25,000 copies more then its predecessor. The albums were recorded at the same sessions.
All the members of Radiohead were students at Abingdon School (near Oxford). They all still live nearby.
Jonny is Colin's younger brother. When he started playing with the rest of the band, he was only 13. "It was always Colin's friends' band," Jonny Greenwood told Mojo magazine in 2026. "They were older and bigger and more frightening. Even though we're in our 50s we still have that relationship where I'm the irritating younger brother."
Their 1997 album OK Computer was made in a manor near Bath owned by actress Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman).
Yorke was born with a paralyzed left eye. It has been partially corrected through various operations. Continuing with the "eye" theme, Johnny is colorblind.
Yorke says he was inspired to become a rock star after seeing Queen guitarist Brian May on television.
Yorke has done duets with both R.E.M., Björk and PJ Harvey.
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Tara - philadelphia, PA
Their 2003 album
Hail to the Thief has been hailed as their "return to rock" album. Though it debuted at #3 on the charts, it sold more copies on its debut than any of their previous albums.
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Jeff - Kendall Park, NJ
O'Brien is 6'5''. He was a barman for a time before joining the band.
Selway is nicknamed "Mad Dog" because of his good manners. It's kind of like when a fat guy is nicknamed "Slim."
Thom Yorke (Mojo, April 1995): "We're a mess. But it's a great mess, a glorious mess."
Yorke's left eye was affected by ptosis, meaning a drooping of the upper eyelid. He's had several surgical operations in an attempt to correct the condition.
When he performs, Jonny Greenwood wears a splint on his right arm. This helps protect his wrist and ease muscle fatigue. Plus, he likes the ritual of putting on the splint before shows, comparing it to a boxer taping up before a fight.
Jonny Greenwood has composed the scores for several films, including
Bodysong (2003),
There Will Be Blood (2007),
Norwegian Wood (2010),
We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) and
The Master (2012).
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Bertrand - Paris, France for above 6
The group went against the prevailing musical winds in Britain by wholeheartedly rejecting Brit Pop, which they felt was regressive.
Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway were both members of the band that plays at the yule ball in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie.
Jonny Greenwood met Thom Yorke at school when Johnny was 13 and Thom was 16. "There was one drum kit in a tiny smelly room and we were all desperate to use it," Greenwood told Mojo. "I remember being in there drumming, or trying to, and Thom came in carrying a double bass and said, 'Let's play together.' I think he was just trying to kick me out so he could play drums. He said, 'Play the double bass. It's easy. Just throw yourself at it.' And he was kind of right."
Between 1988 and 1990 Radiohead didn't play any gigs; they just rehearsed. "We just weren't looking to measure what we were doing by letting other people hear it," Jonny Greenwood told Mojo. "We would record songs on cassettes and then go home and play them to ourselves obsessively. It's very narcissistic really. You could say it comes from modesty or shyness but there's also a weird self-obsession. I don't remember any desire to share it."
