What U2 album was drug influenced?

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Ventvox

Babyface
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Do you think that U2 ever experimented enough with drugs during the recording of one of their albums, and if so; which one?
 
It will be the next one. Their Sgt. Peppers/Magical Mystery Tour. Why do you think it's taking so long? They're stoned off their asses.
 
I heard Adam sneaked in a can of coke to the new sessions, Larry raised an eyebrow.
 
well there was that one time during achtung baby/zooropa where edge did shrooms
 
probably none really.. to be honest. i just say this because of my drug and alcohol use. there's a point where you realize that to get anything done really you have to be sober and clear-headed.
 
and also U2 is something that relies on 4 people plus producers so you have to expect everyone on board as to be on the same page, and drugs don't allow that, because drugs are kind of selfish in regards to use. and i seriously doubt all 4 members of U2 and people producing and working on the album could be fucked up on drugs at the same time.

so anyway.
 
Agree with David. Too many people take the naive view and say that anything experimental(i.e. numb, daddys gonna pay, babyface,your blue room, all of pop) must be a result of drug use. The reality is exactly as David said, there is no way a band like U2, who is expected to go to the top with all of the work they put out could be making albums on drugs. Some people are just in denial and actually think that drugs give them more insight, more creativity, etc when the exact opposite is true.

Drug use, whether you are making music, drawing a picture, driving a car, reading a newspaper, having sex, anything you can think of in life, will slow you down and distort things neither of which allow for performing any of these tasks well. Your capability at anything is greatly reduced if you are on drugs, despite what the cheech and chong crowd would have you believe.

Edge tried mushrooms, that story has never been confirmed/his words were taken out of context in the first place. Adam got busted w/ a joint in Dublin in 1989, which in no way represents a trend or pattern, he regretted breaking the law, was honest about it, said himself it was stupid, got completely sober after zoo tv, etc. None of them have been drug addicts for sure, they have never come out fucked up on stage like so many others do, they have too much respect for the music and their fans to do that. U2 is for all intents and purposes, a drug free and anti drug band(listen to Bad or running to standstill closely) and that comes from them seeing first hand what drugs did to their fellow Dubliners in the 1970s and 1980s.

U2 is where they are in part because they realize that drugs harm rather than help them as artists. If they used drugs at all, never mind to the point where it showed on one of their albums selling millions of copies, it would have come out, rest assured. Especially if people think the period in question is the 90s- they were already beyond celebrities at that point. No other band has stayed in the spotlight and out of trouble for 32 years, none, it is unprecedented and speaks for itself.
 
Drugs are what convinces artists that mediocre work is great. It doesn't create great work. I'm sure u2 have experimented and partied.... but I don't think their creative work owes anything to drugs.
 
Drugs are what convinces artists that mediocre work is great. It doesn't create great work. I'm sure u2 have experimented and partied.... but I don't think their creative work owes anything to drugs.

Niceman, meet The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, and oh, well, a shitload of their peers. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan and a shitload of their peers, meet Niceman.
 
Niceman, meet The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, and oh, well, a shitload of their peers. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan and a shitload of their peers, meet Niceman.

Niceman said that drugs don't "create" great work -- and he's right. What drugs give you is a new perspective from which to breathe and live, and that's all. It's no more conducive to creating great music than a trip to Thailand is. That is to say, it does undoubtedly provide new parameters for the artist, which may or may not be useful, but it certainly is in no way "creating" great art. (This is, of course, to completely ignore the health and legality issues that are of rather large importance.)

When Bono was a teen, he and his pals actively chose not to drink at all, which must have been extremely odd (and rare) for young Dubliners in the late 70s. It was always part of the U2-thing to choose a cleaner and more spiritual path to things than to go the traditional rock'n'roll route. This choice may have cost U2 some extremes that some of their peers have enjoyed (briefly), but it has also allowed them to keep their friendships, original lineup, and mass success, over 29 years of recording, which is in itself a herculean achievement in the filthy music industry.
 
Niceman, meet The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, and oh, well, a shitload of their peers. The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan and a shitload of their peers, meet Niceman.

Yeah, you think that the Beatles were great BECAUSE they did drugs? I don't. In fact, I think that's why the surviving ones find themselves lacking any talent at this point in their lives.
I don't think Hendrix could play guitar like that BECAUSE he did drugs.
If you do drugs - make sure you die young because what talent you do have will get used up.

But..... um.... if you CAN introduce me to all those people, I'm sure I can free up the time in my schedule! :)
 
I think people who think they haven't had a drug period are out of their gourds. Although I never think they were addicted or dependent, but 1. Flanagan quotes Bono about a joint back in high school 2. TUF Documentary shows Eno couched out with a sign saying "Take 20 for 4:20" meaning, he's stoned. 3. Who do you think Adam had all that weed for in 1989? Just himself? 4. Bono really looks coked out on ZooTV Sydney during Lemon and WOWY (keeps rubbing his nose) 5. Edge's mushroom comments...

I could go on. I think Zooropa above all, though. That dovetails with Edge's mushrooms, not to mention he produced the album... so. Yeah. Zooropa.
 
I think people who think they haven't had a drug period are out of their gourds. Although I never think they were addicted or dependent, but 1. Flanagan quotes Bono about a joint back in high school 2. TUF Documentary shows Eno couched out with a sign saying "Take 20 for 4:20" meaning, he's stoned. 3. Who do you think Adam had all that weed for in 1989? Just himself? 4. Bono really looks coked out on ZooTV Sydney during Lemon and WOWY (keeps rubbing his nose) 5. Edge's mushroom comments...


I agree that it's obvious they've dabbled in their careers, but I don't buy that Bono was coked out during Sydney show...
 
Pop for sure. Bono and Edge would have done loads of pills/coke after Zoo TV when they spent summers with Michael Hutchence. I believe it was even referred to as the 'Lost Summer' or something to that effect.
 
Nope, none of their albums. Especially not Zooropa – that one almost sounds like it has more clarity and focus to it than any other.

Of course they’ve mucked around with drugs, possibly/probably extensively, but I think they are both too smart and too protective to let it either be noticeable in public (so, for example, I don’t think Bono would write himself off before a major ZooTV gig being broadcast globally and recorded for video release) or obvious in their work. I’m sure at varying points in time there are plenty of different, umm, ‘states of mind’ in the studio, but their perfectionism and work ethic would wash any drug-haze weirdness out over time, e.g. Edge may have smoked a bowl while mucking around and coming up with an initial sound or riff, but 2 months of working on that song later, you couldn’t give the drugs any credit for it.

I think Pop lyrically certainly has the feel of the day after, and it’s that era from Achtung to Popmart that seems to be where most of the stories come from, but again I just think they work on their stuff for too long for any influence like that to take any final hold on a track or album.

There are plenty of stories (I’ve heard several from their Popmart stop here in Sydney), plenty of pieces of possible evidence, and you’re incredibly naïve if you think otherwise, but I don’t think there’s any evidence in their work, musically anyway.
 
I don't know about "drugs" but I know alcohol is a larg part of their song writting.

Not even that. After making the last album they said that "Crumbs" was the only song they wrote while being totally drunk, thus they cannot remember a thing about it.

U2's music certainly doesn't sound drug-influenced and they just don't seem like the guys who work while under the influence of drugs or who would need drugs to be creative.

I'm not saying I don't think they have done drugs, I'm convinced all of them have experimented with drugs sometime during their lives and carreer, everything else would be naive.
 
I agree that it's obvious they've dabbled in their careers, but I don't buy that Bono was coked out during Sydney show...

Did they try/encounter it ? Probably, but I don't think anyone is in the drug addict area. (unless you count smoking and/or alcohol)
Even Adam was only arrested for marijuana posession once and in their touring history shows only one member missing for a single show.
 
Drugs. :down: big :no: :no: :no:

I can't believe some people even think taking drugs is even ok. :angry:
 
Drugs. :down: big :no: :no: :no:

I can't believe some people even think taking drugs is even ok. :angry:

I agree that drugs are not ok, and I personally don't need and don't take drugs. I tried some over the years, but I really don't feel the need to take any drugs now - except some beer and wine from time to time.

I don't want to excuse drug use, for anyone.
I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if they did try it.
On the other hand I'm glad they don't have an image or reputation for taking drugs, that's uncool.
Some people say they are boring and conservative, but I don't care. I think the old rock'n'roll cliché is totally lame.
 
I agree that drugs are not ok, and I personally don't need and don't take drugs. I tried some over the years, but I really don't feel the need to take any drugs now - except some beer and wine from time to time.

I don't want to excuse drug use, for anyone.
I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if they did try it.
On the other hand I'm glad they don't have an image or reputation for taking drugs, that's uncool.
Some people say they are boring and conservative, but I don't care. I think the old rock'n'roll cliché is totally lame.

I'm quite happy that they seem to have a "clean" drug free image. :up:

Although Adam has been caught with some before but everybody makes mistakes and he learned from them.
Thats kinda why I have U2 as my role models in a way. :reject:
 
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