Phil Selway

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Phil Selway

Background information
Birth name Philip James Selway
Born May 23, 1967 (1967-05-23) (age 41)
Origin Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre(s) Alternative rock, art rock, electronic music
Occupation(s) Musician
Instrument(s) drums
Years active 1991—present
Label(s) XL, TBD
Associated acts Radiohead
Website www.radiohead.com

Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is the drummer of English alternative rock group Radiohead.

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[edit] Radiohead work

Apart from his regular band duties, Selway also occasionally sings backing vocals during their live performances, especially notable on "There There" and since the album Kid A he has also contributed drum machine programming. His ultra-precise timing and varied drumming helps to give the band its distinct sound. Before Radiohead became successful, Selway studied English and history at Liverpool John Moores University. Before that he had worked for various touring musicians and worked as an English teacher as well. In the very early '90s, Selway left Radiohead's early lineup (then called Shindig or On a Friday) to move to Ireland, and only returned to the band when a relationship fell apart. Selway has studied drums in London at Drumtech under the tutelage of Francis Seriau along with fellow Radiohead member Ed O'Brien. In 2008, Gigwise named Selway the #26 best drummer of all time. [1]

[edit] Work outside of Radiohead

Unlike bandmates Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Selway has not had much involvement with projects outside of Radiohead. Nevertheless, in recent years he has taken a more active role in collaborating with other artists. He has been associated with emotional support group Samaritans as a listening volunteer since 1991. Selway also performed with the band Dive Dive in March 2005 and appeared in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a member of the band "The Weird Sisters" along with Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Selway also appears on the Neil Finn concert album "7 Worlds Collide".

Selway appears on two tracks - "Rest on the Rock" and "Out of Light" - on the album, Before the Ruin, by Roddy Woomble, Kris Drever and John McCusker.[2] and is currently recording a solo album, with McCusker producing.[3]

[edit] Personal life

Selway was born in Abingdon, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), England). He has a wife, Cait, and three sons: Leo, Jamie, and Patrick (to whom Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief were dedicated, respectively).

His mother Thea died during a Radiohead tour in middle May 2006. The band cancelled one of their dates in Amsterdam, so that Selway could carry out his family duties:[4]

Just wanted to say sorry to the people who were due to come to our show in Amsterdam last night, particularly those who made wasted journeys. My mum died suddenly in the early hours of yesterday morning and so I just wanted to be at home with my family. Mum was a big Radiohead fan, and was very proud of all we've done as a band. I love and miss her very much.

The band later returned to Amsterdam in August to play the missed show. The discbox and CD release of In Rainbows mentions a dedication to Thea Selway.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

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