There is little salt shaken at U2's table tonight! As we finish eating, Bono looks around the lunchroom and says, "This is like where we played our early gigs, but those places were smaller."
Larry asks if the others remember the place where Bono had to sing standing on the pool table. He says he was thinking the other day about all of them driving to some gig in the south in Paul McGuinness's car. . . . Bono jumps in: "You kept kicking him in the back through the seat with your knees-and he thought you were doing it on purpose!"
Larry is laughing hard now: "He thought I didn't like him! There's a great book to be written about the early days of U2!"
Lil' Larry
Larry's always been tough. He can laugh heartily telling the story of how as little kids on Christmas Eve he and his sister kept pestering their father, saying, "I think I hear Santa, Dad! I think I hear Santa!" Until their annoyed old man said, "There is no Santa Claus! Now go to sleep!"
Smoking
"Bono" I say, "how could you, Larry, and Edge go without smoking until you were thirty and then all start? That'a nuts." "I don't smoke," Bono says, utterly sincere. I point out that there is a lit cigar hanging out of his mouth. "Well," he says, backtracking, "I don't inhale." He says that it started as a camp affectation and then he got to enjoy it. the members of U2 probably all liked smoking as teenagers and then Bono, Larry and Edge went into their ascetic spirtitual period and denied themselves. Edge's smoking picked up when his marriage broke up. Larry's girlfriend, Ann, is very much against it, but there is some suspicion that Larry may have been sneaking smokes when she wasn't looking.
Driving in Italy
Narrator: Italy may derive less warmth from Larry's journey. He and David Guyer, his bike-buddy bodyguard, are hitting every pothole and screaming at every bad driver down the whole length of the Italian peninsula. Ann, Larry's girlfriend, is hanging on to his waist and trying to tilt in the right direction to keep them from crashing. They have seen three small cars squeeze together in a single lane, they have been nearly waylayed by autos slamming on their brakes in front of them and zigzagging around them. They have even had morons try to drive into the little space between the two bikes. more than a few reckless cars have had new dents kicked in them today by these uneasy riders. When a driver really pisses them off David has a dangerous trick: he sticks his leg straight out, roars alongside the jerk's car, and kicks off the rearview mirror. If you don't do it just right you crash and die. A mirror or two has gone to Valhalla on this trip, and David's still kicking.
A few interesting fact
once had a Labrador named JJ - R.I.P . . .
. . . now has another dog named Missy
his idol Elvis Presley . . .
. . . a Herley Davidson fan
likes orange juice . . .
. . . he's a vegetarian
played the piano before the drums . . .
. . . started playing drums at 9 at the School of Music
did household chores for ?9 to pay for the first term . . .
. . . his sister bought him his first drum kit for ?17
bought up Catholic . . .
. . . now a Cristian
At the age of 4 he smashed a plate glass window with his head . . .
. . . tore two peepholes to watch over his household
Went to Scoil Colmcille, Marlborough Street . . .
. . . were all subjects are taught in Irish
More quotes
"I was the guy who borrowed the guitar for the first rehearsal. I borrowed the guitar for the first gig as well. I was in charge, I was the leader of this band for two days. Two days was all I lasted."
"During the course of that very first afternoon, I saw that some people could play. The Edge could play, Adam just looked great. Big bushy hair, long caftan coat, bass guitar and amp. He talked like he could play, used all the right words, like 'gig'. I thought, this guy must know how to play. Then Bono arrived, and he meant to play the guitar, but he couldn't play very well, so he started to sing. He couldn't do that either. But he was such a charismatic character that he was in the band anyway, as soon as he arrived. I was in charge for the first five minutes, but as soon as Bono got there I was out of a job."
Dave Letterman:
Dave (to Larry): So you actually, this was your band, you started the band and wanted to fire Bono, is that right?
Larry: I did, it was funny cuz, in Dublin in 1976 there wasn't a whole lot to do, you know, sort of, join a band or play football, so we started a band and...I did try to fire him because in 1976 he wanted to take a lemon to America then, (laughter) and as you can see he came back crawling on his hands and knees and here we are.
Bono: Yeah...
Dave: But seriously, how early in this did you know he wasn't gonna be right for the group, I mean, was that true, was that serious?
Larry: It wasn't that kinda thing, I think there was an incident in America where we had a little bit of a misunderstanding and he threw a drum kit at me (audience laughs) I found out at that stage it was time for him to leave but as I said he came crawling back on his hands and knees.
Bono: (pointing to Larry) This man gave me my first and only job.
Dave: Which turned out pretty well, didn't it?
Larry: And don't you forget it!
Bono: I won't forget it!
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Zooming in
Zooming out
Nothing I can't do without
A lens to see it all up close
Magnifying what no one knows
Never in company
Never alone
No car alarm
No cellular phone - Adam Clayton / Passengers
***Sparky's Whore***
RSOC's Sparky Shrine
