Monday 21 April 2008

1988 December, Late Late Show Interview

I got in from town just after 5pm and put on the TV and, to my amazement, U2 were just being introduced on The Late Late Show by Gay Byrne. This show was (and still is) an Irish institution and U2 have appeared on it a few times over the years. I had no idea they were going to be on the programme this day though and it was sheer coincidence that I came across it when I did.

It was the first interview I'd seen with the band and it showed me a little about their off-stage personalities. The main thing I saw in the interview was that they are not so serious as they appeared to be from the Rattle and Hum film. My journal notes that Bono was articulate, funny, quick witted and intelligent. Edge had a calmness and gentleness about him. Adam was polite and also articulate. Larry was quiet and did not say very much.

The closeness between the band members as people was very evident, it was clear that they were good friends. Another thing I noticed at this point was that the band, and especially Bono, was not as egocentric as was sometimes made out in the media, and that they all had their feet planted very firmly on the ground.

It was at this point that I decided that, as well as loving their music, I liked these guys as people. From a young age I had always loved music, it was a big part of my life, but until U2 came along I was never very interested in the people behind the music I liked. U2's music lifted me up, touched me, inspired me in a way other music had never done and it was because of this that I wanted to know more about the people who created it. The Late Late Show was a good introduction to Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry - the people behind the rock group.

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