edward o'brien (the third) plays a
variety of different instruments in the band. Usually he
holds a guitar, but he pretended to be Thom during a recent
show in the USA where Thom woke up one morning to find he had
Ed's face. To save embarrassement on everyone's behalf, Ed
sang and Thom played the guitar. Since then, they have been
swapping roles more frequently. Both of them are not too
happy that noone (apart from me) has noticed yet. They have
yet to make the critical mistake of both appearing in public
at once.
Since his boyhood days, Ed has shown a natural talent at
playing the guitar. He was signed by a lo-fi label in 1974,
when he was only 12, to do a sadly now forgotten album of
variety tunes. Ed was frequently bullied at school for
recording an acoustic cover of 'frosty the snowman' which is
where he acquired his nickname : 'Carrot'.
Last Wednesday, Ed had Puffed Wheats for breakfast, but he
usually has Bran Flakes to aid his digestion and avoid an
embarrassing repeat of the 1994 Southend gig. He is a family
man, and has married twice, to the same person, through a
clerical error. He always uses Fairy and avoids own-brand
detergents now that the money is flowing in.
Ed fervently believes that the world should wear more
hats.