- Music
- 03 Jul 17
Adam Clayton and The Edge were in top form as they discussed their back to rock 'n' roll basics Rattle And Hum album and film with Niall Stokes.
November 3, 1988
Explaining why they’d gone the raw and abrasive route on Rattle And Hum, Edge said: “Music’s become too scientific. It’s lost the spunk and energy it had in the ‘50s and ‘60s. When I listen to most modern records I hear a producer, I don’t hear musicians interacting. That missing quality is something we’re trying to get back. What I like about ‘Desire’ is that it’s totally not what people are listening to or what’s in the charts at the moment. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll record – in no way is it a pop song.
“Bono’s writing is startlingly good at the moment. He’s blowing my mind all the time. I think he’s still very much caught up, not just in where America is now, but also where it’s come from since the ‘50s, that whole journey which Elvis’ demise is some kind of metaphor for.”
Asked whether he was worried about the reception the accompanying, if you will, rockumentary would get, Edge shot back: "I really couldn't give a shit. We're not movie stars, we're a rock 'n' roll band. I didn't even want to do it at the beginning. I felt it was a headache we didn't need. As it turns out, I think it's a very good film."
Adam was in equally reflective mood when Niall popped round to his Rathfarnham gaff for tea ‘n’ biccies.
“Dublin is brilliant,” he enthused. “I don’t want to get philosophical here but for a long time being in a band like U2 and living in Dublin didn’t really make sense. In many ways, you’re an outsider – and it’s scary. But what’s happened to us now in terms of international success, the fame vibe and all that, is even scarier. So, like, the only people that really know you and that you feel really comfortable with are the people who’ve been telling you to fuck off for the last ten years!”
Out of interest, does anyone know what became of Michael D. Higgins who also got a cover flash for his 'Rocking The Dictator' report from Chile?