Songs of _________________; New album discussion #7

[Hollow Island]

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

I feel that there isn't really a lot of dirt on the band, other than perhaps Adam.

There's certainly a healthy amount of rock n roll shenanigans that could be shared about the band, but he wouldn't share anything that embarrassed himself, his family or his bandmates. I'd be shocked if he doesn't have some stories of the "and by 3am we'd all done several 8 balls" variety from hanging out with Bobby Gillespie and Shane McGowan, or the Gallaghers, or....well, name your hedonistic (alternative) rock star of the 80s and 90s.

[The_acrobat]

Originally Posted by Hollow Island

There's certainly a healthy amount of rock n roll shenanigans that could be shared about the band, but he wouldn't share anything that embarrassed himself, his family or his bandmates. I'd be shocked if he doesn't have some stories of the "and by 3am we'd all done several 8 balls" variety from hanging out with Bobby Gillespie and Shane McGowan, or the Gallaghers, or....well, name your hedonistic (alternative) rock star of the 80s and 90s.

I seem to recall hearing a story taking place sometime in the 90's about Edge being seen doing coke with a bunch of strippers. Could've had a bit of a wild streak between his divorce and beginning his relationship with Morleigh. Or it could all be false.

[lazarus]

The only Edge drug story I was aware of was his early 90s experiments with LSD (or maybe it was mushrooms; some kind of psychedelic).

[Registered Dude]

This band is so protective of the narrative around their legacy - there’s no way Bono will say anything about others in the band that we haven’t already read or heard to this point. Or at least, nothing particularly salacious

He may reveal details about himself that are new, though…

[DeVaul]

Do stem cells count?

5A165C6A-EF48-4206-A747-134543F0D812.jpg

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I want some platelet-rich plasma

[dan_smee]

Originally Posted by lazarus

The only Edge drug story I was aware of was his early 90s experiments with LSD (or maybe it was mushrooms; some kind of psychedelic).

Edge was mushrooms - I can’t remember where it was, but he or Bono once told a story about Edge on mushrooms thinking he’d unlocked the secrets of the universe and they listened to a tape recording of him the next day.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by dan_smee

Edge was mushrooms - I can’t remember where it was, but he or Bono once told a story about Edge on mushrooms thinking he’d unlocked the secrets of the universe and they listened to a tape recording of him the next day.

This was a story, presented as possibly true, in “U2 At the End of the World.”

I’m sure the band has done more scandalous things than most of us, but far less than virtually all of their peers. All the intact marriages and bounties of children, while not totally incompatible with drug issues, suggest men who are pretty happy with their lives.

[david]

If God Will Send His Drug Dealers

Sunday Bloody Nose Sunday

California (There Is No End to Weed)

[dan_smee]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

This was a story, presented as possibly true, in “U2 At the End of the World.”

I’m sure the band has done more scandalous things than most of us, but far less than virtually all of their peers. All the intact marriages and bounties of children, while not totally incompatible with drug issues, suggest men who are pretty happy with their lives.

I could be misremembering, but I’m sure I’ve heard one of them actually talking about it in an interview.

[Registered Dude]

Until the End of the Bowl
Mushrooms at the Heartbreak Hotel

[Gonna Run 2 U]

I remember Larry saying somewhere they all certainly had “skeletons in their closet” and they’re fortunate to have kept things under control or something along those lines.

The biggest tea would probably be if Bono was ever unfaithful to Ali since they were married (and if he fathered a bastard son himself just like da).

[DeVaul]

Fathers Who Have Disappeared
Seeders of Ireland

[2861U2]

It's here, at about the 16:00 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsKZ3YrF_3Q

[pacemaker]

Originally Posted by david

Sunday Bloody Nose Sunday

White as Snow

[Hewson]

Originally Posted by 2861U2

It's here, at about the 16:00 mark.

Larry's face when Edge says "this was a metaphysical experiment..."

[ascender_RS]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

This was a story, presented as possibly true, in “U2 At the End of the World.”

I love that book and I think it gives a great view of a band at their absolute peak and all the craziness that goes-on on a world tour when you're that big. Its not exactly "warts and all", but its pretty candid by U2's standards.

[The John Tree]

As far as rock bands go - hell, as far as most people go - this band is pretty straight laced.

There’s been an attempt since the early 90s to rebrand themselves as “rock stars” in the more traditional sense of the phrase and so they’ll occasionally allude to some hedonism but, in reality, it’s nothing more than late nights drinking, possibly with *other* people doing drugs.

Adam, of course, is the exception - though when Adam went through his troubles in the early 90s, it was made clear that the other three didn’t indulge the way he did.

Bono, Larry, and Edge are a bit more uptight. Bono might enjoy being around that element, but only to loosen up his own image as a do-gooder. They’re ‘nice boys’ and I don’t say that as an insult, it’s just what they are.

[BEAL]

There was a post on here years ago, I want to say around the ATYCLB album / tour days, where a poster claimed he went to a after party - club in after U2 Popmart concert and U2 showed up. They got a private booth area and proceeded to snort a shit ton of cocaine and maybe there were strippers there too.

It caused quite a bit of drama for some posters, claiming their view and opinion of the band has been soiled.

I think for rock bands, U2 is pretty clean. Part of me wants to believe they've all been faithful to their wives, and never really harmed anyone. Maybe their faith created such a strong foundation that it kept them grounded.

In then end they're all human with the same cravings and longings as the rest of us.

Now if Edge could come up with a good riff again that'd be great. Maybe take more shrooms

[Irvine511]

Bono has written enough about the challenges of long-term fidelity that I don’t think we should get to starry-eyed about the realities of what it’s like being married to the biggest rock star since 1980. That said, I don’t think it’s comparable to their peers.

I did once read a blind item on a gossip website (Deuxmoi) that sure sounded like Bono … but impossible to know if it was. It was both scandalous-ish, but also warm and kind of sweet.