Adam Clayton ‘wouldn’t curl up and die…’
In between champagne lunches and trips on the river, U2′s bassplayer found time to do an interview with Göteborgs-Posten, which we have had translated for your convenience:
Adam Clayton stands for the simple things in U2
U2′s charismatic bass player talks about the tour, friendship, fulfilled dreams and a future without the band.
If we go back in time, you were the one in the band who first believed that you really would be able to succeed. Where did that self-confidence come from?
‘Pure youthfull foolhardiness. Quite simply I didn’t know any better. But I didn’t have much else on, so I had as it were, nothing to lose in putting all my energy into the band.’
Bono interviewed on RTÉ radio
RTÉ: Do you think that the world’s politicians are beginning to see things almost from your eyes?
Bono: What a horrible thought! Do you mean through my fly shades?
From Cologne, Germany, Bono spoke to RTÉ Radio’s This Week program about the G8′s decision to cancel the debt of 18 of the world’s poorest countries. Visit RTÉ’s web site to hear the 9-minute interview in RealAudio (scroll to the bottom of the page for the audio link).
What A.J. does and doesn’t want
Adam ‘A.J.’ Rankin has been a carpenter for U2 since 1986 and the B-man’s off stage assistant and cousin. U2.com have interviewed him for the ‘On the Road‘ feature of their Vertigo Tour special. It’s an amusing read, unfortunately only available to paying members of the site, but we thought we’d share one or two highlights:
Asked what song he would love U2 to play this tour he picks ‘All I want is you’ and adds, bless him, ‘in black and white, with the dwarf and the trapeze artist.’
And this one’s for the boys. His worst touring nightmare: ‘having a inguinal hernia on PopMart – when your stomach ends up in your scrotum from too much lifting.’
U2 vs The iPod
Access Hollywood confronts U2 with their own iPod. Hilarity ensues. View the annotated screencaps.
Bono, The Edge review their opening gig on 2FM
RTE 2FM’s Gerry Ryan spoke to Bono, The Edge and Paul McGuinness shortly after the band got off stage in San Diego. U2′s manager was scheduled to speak to the Irish DJ, but Bono and The Edge weren’t. When they heard McGuinness was about to do the interview they told their manager ‘we want to talk to Gerry’.
RTE have put the entire interview online. Listen to it in Real Audio, or continue reading. (Unable to record we interpreted our notes taken during the interview.)
McGuinness took the call, said it was their ‘best ever opening night’ then started to laugh because ‘a half naked man’ had entered his room. Bono took the phone and said that for Gerry Ryan he would go fully ‘nekkid’.
Bono seemed high on energy, a bit delirious, said it had gone ‘fantastic’. He gave a report in a Jack Charlton accent, using football jargon as if he were reporting on an Irish team game, something like ‘the team gave 110%’.
The return of Promo Bono
Our long time readers will remember Promo Bono from back when the new millennium was fresh, Florida was in the middle of re-counting votes and people still believed everything we wrote. One reader in particular who shall remain unnamed (elmo, Ed.) recently asked “and where IS Promo Bono?”. Good question. Read on for the full story.
Lillywhite fears The Gav
The second part of producer Steve Lillywhite’s interview with U2.com contains this priceless quote.
“Dublin in the late Seventies was not the vibrant, multicultural city that we have now. I used to hang out with Adam a lot. We were the party boys. Larry and Bono and Edge were into their own thing. These very strange guys with make-up would come into the studio and never say ‘hi’. They weren’t from the side of the street where you were taught the social niceties of life. I was scared stiff of Gavin Friday, and still am.”
To which we can only say: Steve, you pussy!
Read more about U2′s spirituality, musicianship and family obligations at U2.com.
U2 feature in Rolling Stone
What’s the story behind the odd Spanish countdown at the beginning of “Vertigo”? Bono tells Rolling Stone: “There might have been some alcohol involved.”
Rolling Stone‘s Band of the Eighties is featured on the cover of its current issue (RS 964/965). Excerpts of the magazine’s interview with the band and a feature article are available at Rollingstone.com.
Bono tells U2log.com: “It’s a lot of bowls, really.”
Imagine a cold London night. See The Edge hovering near Bono’s shoulder. Spot the ‘talented mates’ Guggi and Gavin sitting down in the gutter, sipping champagne. Elsewhere, watch Paul McGuinness opening the boot of his car, pulling out a black bag to treat Howie B to a copy of U2′s new album…
U2log.com co-founder Ben Hopkinson talks to Bono at the Osborne Samuel gallery in London on Wednesday night:
Ben: “You made a speech about Guggi’s paintings tonight, can you give us a quote?”
Bono: “It’s a lot of bowls, really…” (laughs)
Ben: “You must be proud to have so many talented mates.”
Bono: “I don’t really understand, you know, what was going on with the water on Cedarwood Road. But I think the three of us, Gavin Friday, myself and Guggi, all had… interesting fathers. I think that was something to do with it — I guess, something to rebel against. Something I hope not to offer my daughter…” (laughs)
So there we have it. Dublin water and Irish fathers are to blame for the unholy trinity, Messrs Friday, Gugs and Bono. Let’s drink to that.
Bono reveals Lynott’s in it
Stuart Clark dimantles the bomb with Bono and assorted party guests at Paul McGuinness’ house in the current issue of Hot Press magazine.
Bono’s most interesting revelation concerning the new album, besides the confession that ‘Crumbs’ (“Full of spleen about the church and its refusal to hear God’s voice on the AIDS emergency.”) is one of the band’s most vicious songs, is the surprising origin of one of the song ‘A Man and A Woman’:
“No one would know it, but I’m about to show you where this song came from – where it was stolen from…”
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- U2 Fan Survey 2012: Third Set of Results Available May 23, 2012The third set of results from the 2012 U2 Fan Survey is now available, and it takes us through your votes on U2's albums and songs. As a reminder, the survey was open from April 5th through April 30th. We received completed responses from 3,530 fans in 79 countries this year, both of which are down from 2010. We think that's likely due to the band […]
- A Look at My U2 Framed Album Cover Wall (PHOTOS) May 22, 2012How would you like to have a wall in your house covered with perfectly framed U2 album cover art? You could just have your favorite U2 albums on the wall or, like me, you could go all the way and put every U2 album on display in order — like this: That’s one of the [...]This is a post from the @U2 blog.A Look at My U2 Framed Album Cover Wall (PHOTOS) […]
- The Resource Miracle May 22, 2012[Note: This essay appeared in the May 28, 2012, edition of TIME magazine.] It's become the go-to cliché of modern economics. Natural resources are a "curse." When a nation is over-reliant on one or two commodities like oil or precious minerals, corrupt government ministers and their dodgy associates hoard profits and taxes instead of properly […]
- Bono Pays One More Tribute to Steve Jobs May 22, 2012Bono made an appearance via video tonight at the Webby Awards, contributing to a tribute to Steve Jobs. A host of tech legends and celebrities each paid tribute to Jobs in five words or less, a Webby Awards tradition. It looks like Bono’s contribution was recorded within the past week, but that’s just a guess. [...]This is a post from the @U2 blog.Bono Pays […]
- Billboard Music Awards: U2 Top Touring Artist May 21, 2012Gestern Abend wurden in der MGM Grand Garden Arena von Las Vegas die Billboard Music Awards 2012 verliehen. U2 wurden dabei - wie bereits im Jahr zuvor - in der Kategorie Top Touring Artist ausgezeichnet. Neben U2 waren in dieser Kategorie auch noch Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Take That und Roger Waters nominiert. ... […]