Philip Selway
Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is an English musician and the drummer of the rock band Radiohead. He combines rock drumming with electronic percussion. Selway was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Radiohead in 2019.
Philip Selway
Philip James Selway
23 May 1967
Abingdon-on-Thames, Berkshire, England
- Musician
- singer-songwriter
- Drums
- percussion
1985–present
In 2010, Selway released his debut solo album, Familial, comprising folk music. It was followed by Weatherhouse in 2014 and Strange Dance in 2023. He also composed the soundtrack for the 2017 film Let Me Go. In 2023, Selway played drums with the band Lanterns on the Lake.
Early life[edit]
Selway was born on 23 May, 1967,[1] in Abingdon, Berkshire.[2] He started learning to play drums and guitar at the age of 15 for "the social cachet and love of music".[2] His earliest influences were Joy Division, the Clash and the Velvet Underground.[2]
The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, a private school for boys.[3] Selway, along with the guitarist Ed O'Brien, was in the year above the singer, Thom Yorke, and the bassist, Colin Greenwood, and three years above Colin's brother, the multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood.[4] In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.[4]
After Abingdon, Selway studied English and history at Liverpool Polytechnic.[5] He also worked as a TEFL teacher, a copyeditor, and as a drummer in pit bands for touring musicals.[1][2]
Personal life[edit]
Selway and his wife, Cait, have three sons and a daughter. Selway's mother Thea died in May 2006; Radiohead cancelled a concert in Amsterdam so that Selway could carry out his family duties.[39] They returned to Amsterdam in August to play the missed show. Radiohead's 2007 album In Rainbows was dedicated to Thea Selway.[40] As of February 2023, Selway had recently moved to London.[41]