who defines a band more: singer or guitar player? also, funny quotes from U2 special

[U2girl]

while i was watching bits of Elevation tour, i was thinking about who defines U2 more: Bono or Edge?

in my opinion, it's slightly more Bono. true, Edge is incredible when it comes to music. but Bono (even more like other singers) makes that tight connection with the fans. he's the last touch on things, the last link.

like i said in another thread: i always imagined U2 like sort of a sonic house: Adam and Larry being the foundations, Edge being all the floors, and Bono is the rooftop.

and now for the quotes:

the boys are asked about how different they look now from the War tour.

BONO: "we were more out of whack than others."
EDGE: "not fashion victims. if you look at some of the 80's bands- (Edge makes a sort of whistling sound while others chuckle) BONO: "it was a fashion massacre, Edge." (everybody laughs)
EDGE: "the fashion was very little involved is what i was actually getting at..."

INTERVIEWER: "which was the longest tour? do you know?"
(pause, as the band thinks)
LARRY: "zoo tv. 2 and a half years and making an album in the middle." (chuckles from all four)
INTERVIEWER: "and which was the gruelest?"
(pause again)
LARRY: "zoo tv. 2 and a half year and making an album in the middle." (laughter from all four)

from another special:

QUESTION: how did you deal with critics?
BONO: we found out where they park their cars. (all 4 laugh)

QUESTION: how safe is the catwalk on stage? it looks pretty narrow...
BONO: i've fallen off a few times, but there's sandbags in the corners. (all 4 laugh) the fans are usually very nice to me. they pick me up, and i get back with half of my clothes and one shoe. (Bono smiles)


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"be uncool, yes be awkward" - Always

[This message has been edited by U2girl (edited 10-07-2001).]

 

[Arabian Pre-Packaged Bear]

i honestly believe its more about the band themselves. ya know, the way they all act together.

bono has said many times within the last yera of the joy of playing together as a band, 4 guys in a room.

thats my take.

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-deathbear

 

[PopFly]

The vast majority of bands are singer bands, since the vocalist is obviously the most visible member. U2 is one of the few modern bands where the bass player and drummer are both fairly well known (the Mission Impossible single helped a lot in this regard). That being said, I think Bono defines U2 more than the other three.



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"Good men die unhappily. Bad men die unluckily. THAT's tragedy." --Tom Stoppard

"I can't watch a man sing a song. He gets all emotional, he starts swaying...it's embarrassing!" -- Jerry Seinfeld

 

[mikal]

It matters who you ask. Being a guitar player, I started listening U2 because of the Edge. Now I've been a huge fan for 10 years and now I think Bono is the center of the band by far. But that's just a pattern of rock bands.

examples:

Mick Jagger
Eddie Vedder
Michael Patton(Faith No More)
Kurt Cobain

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Macphisto worships me!

 

[SIK]

Interesting topic, here's my thoughts.

I'd have to say that with certain groups, it's the singer. While I don't really like Led Zeppelin, I'd be stupid not to say that Robert Plant wasn't a HUGE part of their whole sound, along with Jimmy Page.

With a group like Van Halen, it admittedly was Eddie Van Halen who, to me, was the one that people would notice first.

With U2 on the otherhand, I'd have to say that they're a "band" in the truest sense of the word. With 25+ years of being together, all four contribute to the band, and I couldn't picture U2 being U2 without any of them. But in a short answer to your question, I'd have to give my vote to both, actually -- with Bono being slightly ahead.

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"Yeah, we'll shine like stars in the summer night, we'll shine like stars in the winter night. One heart, one hope, one love."

 

[U2girl]

here's one more funny quote:

QUESTION: which tour had the most tension?
BONO: last tour, Popmart.
(pause)
QUESTIION: due to... ?
BONO: (points to his left, where Adam and Larry are sitting): Adam and Larry were a pain in the arse.
(both of those two chuckle)

 

[MissZooropa]

Good question!
Hard time answering it, but they are a band, more than others, as some here already said. But Bono is more "visuell" the others are "audiell" and everyone knows we react to what we see first. So if you see U2, Bono, and if you hear them, it's a matter of interest, as someone said. If you are a guitarist you notice Edge and on... But they are a band and Bono makes us notice them all and U2 wouldn't be U2 with any of them missing.

Well, to the program shown on MTV. It was amazinglaughs and alot of goosebumps, specially when I saw one of my friends holding her sign to the camera.
Very, very nice U2 special!!

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"U2 on it?s own is a very interesting group and all. But U2 with it?s audience is a culture" - Bono

"Miami, New Orleans, London, Belfast and Stockholm, YEAH! " ~ Bono in Stay, Sthlm 9th july 2001

 

[Flying FuManchu]

U2 is a band first and foremost. Edge's style doesn't work as well without the bass or the drums that Adam and Larry bring nor without the varying vocals of Bono. Sure Edge's guitar playing sounds neat or sounds nice but it is built on rhythm, repitition, and atmosphere not in complexity and variation. Bono becomes just an above average vocalist in another band or group without the Edge. Adam and Larry obviously wouldn't be anything special without the guitarist or vocalist b/c this is pop music we're talking about.

For U2... the band is most important in defining the band.

But b/c we are all shallow its probably Bono. People would recognize Bono more than the Edge b/c we see him more.

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~ "You can't resist her. She's in your bones. She is your marrow and your ride home. You can't avoid her. She's in the air; in between molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide." ~ RC

 

[Hewson]

Like SIK said, it depends on the band.
Van Halen is a great example of a band known first by guitar sound, as is AC/DC.
More bands are probably easier to identify by a singer's voice.
In U2's case, sound-wise I think its an overall band sound that people recognize. But in a non-musical sense, Bono is the one the vast majority of people recognize, many non die hard fans(what's their problem?

) likely wouldn't recognize Adam or Larry in a picture that was out of band context.

 

[scatteroflight]

It does depend on the band, but I think the singer tends to dominate, and I think that is the case with Bono. It also has something to do with the fact that BOno is by far the most prominent member of the band outside of the music, ie. his involvement with causes and so on. He has the biggest mouth!

I was thinking about Led Zeppelin--I'm not sure who defined them more, Plant or Page. I think more people would go with Page and I probably would too but I'm not certain. Any thoughts on that one?



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