Bono's earliest radio interview! August 1979!

[Maoilbheannacht]

I'm shocked this actually exist. Here is Bono being interviewed by Dave Fanning in August of 1979 before the release of U2-3 which had the three songs "Stories For Boys", "Out Of Control", and "Boy-Girl".

They discuss playing shows in Ireland and some of the difficulties involved in being a recently formed band playing their own material as opposed to playing covers of popular artist.

‪Audio. Bono, August 1979, RTE radio, Ireland.‬‏ - YouTube

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I was 4 yrs old!

 

[dan_smee]

I was 4 yrs old!

I was minus 7... He sounds like a baby!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I was minus 7... He sounds like a baby!

yes he does.

Maoilbheannacht, thanks for posting this.

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

I actually was surprised and thought he sounded like a veteran of the rock scene. Amazing that this was just 2 years and 11 months after they first met at Larry Mullen's house in Artane!

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Got the exact date of this interview.

It occured on Tuesday, August 21, 1979. Later that evening, the band played at "The Baggot" Inn in Dublin. They were supported by a band called The Blades.

Here is a link to a picture from that show in the evening of August 21, 1979 at The Baggot Inn.

http://www.u2startcontent.com/photos/351-01821-size3.jpg

Age of the band members on this day:

Adam - 19
Bono - 19
Edge - 18
Larry - 17

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

Incredible. So articulate even at that age. How different does he sound to any of the dopey teenage pop stars around these days.

 

[digitize]

Wow. That's really a good interview.

 

[patternshirt170]

Incredible. So articulate even at that age. How different does he sound to any of the dopey teenage pop stars around these days.

"disllusionment with the Top 30" so what's new alas...

I guess the airkissing Twitter comment erasers like Perry & Riri etal have been schoolled by their PR/label not to rock the boat too much...

I like his, shall we say, nakedness and honesty, back then musicians were much more open, less schoolled and prodded and sure they slagged each other off a lot, but it wasn't so vanilla flavoured, it was actually fun... The thing is nine years later on Radio One at the launch of Rattle & Hum in an interview with Roger Scott and Annie Nightingale, it was the same wonderfully spontaneous not give a shite banter too. I kinda miss it and re: that interview, Annie wouldn't have publically chastised him for calling someone [Cwissy Boy] "a wanker" in jest either like Jo Whiley did, I mean they F'ed and blinded all the way through, bless 'em...

 

[hikerdeb]

My god, I have never heard a 19-year-old speak so articulately and with such complete self-assurance. I'm currently reading the book Killing Bono, and this interview confirms that he was exactly the way the book describes him at that age.