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Transcript: U2 on Radio Capital
Ed Note: Interference.com member Valentina passed along this transcript of U2 on Italian radio station Radio Capital. Valentina said she was not sure if this was an actual interview or just a feature pulling together snippets from the new DVD and other sources. Either way, it should be a fun read.
The interview starts with “Miracle drug”
Interviewer: The most awaited album of this year, that you heard in exclusive on Radio Capital some weeks ago. Today we can let you hear an exclusive interview with the band.
Let’s talk about “Vertigo”, that hits the top of the charts worldwide. Mr Bono, what’s vertigo for you?
Bono: It’s a teasing feeling, it isn’t very good. A sick feeling. When you got to the top of something and you know that there’s no way out. This isn’t the definition given by a dictionary. It’s my own definition. There’s a sort of club called “vertigo” in my mind, where you find people you don’t want to stay with, music you don’t want to listen to. Then you see one girl that has a cross around her neck and you focus on that sign and you find a tiny fragment of salvation there.
Interviewer: Bono compared his great mate the Edge to a Zen monk and he said he was surprised when he heard Edge playing as an old rocker. Here’s how Edge explains his change
Edge: U2 really are not really rock’n’roll band. We have never been a real rock’n’roll band. But with Vertigo I was trying to find a sound and a guitar solo that could sound really rock’n’roll, without shame, a real, full sound, as band like the Sex Pistols, the best of Rolling Stones, the punk and the best of metal. I worked on some music and for a certain period the provisional title was “Full metal jacket”. I had some ideas for the melody, but I wasn’t satisfied. Larry sounded the same sequence for along time. It was him to lead us. But we couldn’t have a better song till we had the definitive one, that is on the album. It’s one of the moment when anyone arrives at the same conclusion and it was clear for everyone of us, in the room, that we had the right song. It was then that Bono come up with new, great ideas for the melody and we were pretty much there.
Interviewer: the bassist, Adam Clayton, remembers this about how “Vertigo” came out
Adam: I think with “Vertigo” we wanted to create something that was very vital. We felt the energy coming from other groups as The Hives, the Strokes, The Vines, that sound very connected to where we came from. Edge was sure he could create a sound and write a song, that had a better riff than all the others. We were playing in a way that was a little impersonal, then in January we had to re-write the song and it turned in something so much more vibrant.
Interviewer: a shock of adrenaline, this is what Bono remembers
Bono: the album end in a, you know, a static place, so we wanted to start with a shock of adrenaline. As when you’re in a club, maybe you’re having fun but what you really want is to committee suicide (laugh). It’s just a light little song.
Vertigo is played, followed by Crumbs.
Interview: the album contains thoughts about death and rebirth. It’s about love, politics, peace and war. It’s as to have a look on the world of today, where three quarters of people lives waiting for the crumbs left from the other one quarter. But it’s also a personal, private album. It was touched by the death of Bono’s father, Bob. The title come from him, as Bono explains:
Bono: How to dismantle an atomic bomb...oh I suppose it’s not really, you know, we don’t talk about this things anymore in these days, do you? It comes from my father’s lexicon. His generation used to talk about atomic bombs. Now we talk about mass destruction arms. How to put the toothpaste back into the tube. You know, once you have this knowledge available on the Internet I wonder: are we ever be safe? This thoughts is in the air. In my head, HTDAAB is about my father, it is “How to dismantle an atomic Bob”. (laugh). You know, he died two years ago and this sent me into a sort of desperate trip, to find out who I was. And then I came to a lot of these songs. So it’s much more personal than a political record.
Interviewer: Was it difficult to do this album?
Bono: Well, no. Doing this album was really easy because Edge kick started it. I thought: “Wow! We’re moving very fast. He didn’t need any incitation to go on. He was moving fast and I just tried to take his rhythm. In the middle, I think things got messy. It took a lot of our time and energy. We wanted magic and we went close to it. You could almost smell it. We had a great producer, Chris Thomas. He worked with the Beatles, Roxy Music, Sex Pistols. We almost made him crazy. We were very tired in the end. It was like the second half of the Cup Final when you have to change some players with others that had fresher legs.
Interviewer: the Edge says politics is in the background of the album
Edge: I’d like to think this is a real classic U2 album. We knew what was going on in the world where we were going to. I don’t think every song has to be about what’s happening, but I think there’s a great electricity which prevails the whole album and when we’ll hear it again in a few years, we will find out it is connected to this era.
Original is played, followed by “one step closer”
Interviewer: HTDAAB alternated strong rock music and solid ballads. The most intense ones are those inspired by Bono’s father, the songs that are about the long goodbye between father and son. “One step closer” and, moreover, “Sometimes…”
How do you explain this?
Adam: You know, Bono wrote the lyrics when it was obvious his father was going to die for cancer. Fortunately he lived through the tour and Bono could spend a lot of time with him on the tour. He died just before out Slane gig. It’s an important song for Bono, it shows a real feeling. It would be interesting to hear it live.
Interviewer: It wasn’t easy to arrive to the version on the album. Edge explains why
Edge: Sometimes was one of those song that’s so difficult to create. Because it was so strong. We risked to fall into clichés. No one could find the solution to turn it into a great song. Eventually we did it with some help from the producer, who played for us for two days and now we can say we did an amazing song.
Interviewer: it’s a song about a relationship made not of words but of feelings. Father and son are the same soul, and the son sees the father when he looks in the mirror.
Bono: I sang this song at my father’s funeral. He was very tough. An old boot of guy. Irish, a Dubliner, from the north side. He was very cynical about the world and the people, but he was also charismatic and funny. He used to tell me “Don’t dream. To dream is to be disappointed”. This was the advice he used to give me. Those weren’t just words: it was his thought. Maybe this is the receipt for megalomaniacs or for people with great ideas. But my ideas is to dream, to realise that dream. In any case, the song is dedicated to him. It’s his portrait and it explains he was a great singer, a tenor, a Dubliner worker, who used to listen to opera. He used to switch on the stereo and conducted the music with my mother’s knitting needles. He just loved opera. We didn’t use to talk so much and I talked to him with this song. When I say “Can you hear me when I sing”, I use the Opera’s note. It’s a tribute to him.
Sometimes, and All because of you are played.
Interviewer: a part for lyrics, the strength of HTDAAB is in the music. It’s travel in the past of rock, from Stones to Strokes. Edge tells how “One step closer” was born
Edge: We started playing it without knowing what it could be. We had no ideas but then Bono came out with a great melody and we had this great song. It’s almost a traditional song. Lyrically, it’s very personal, for Bono. The idea comes from a conversation he had with Noel Gallagher. Bono had just found out that his father was to die and he said: “It’s strange to know your father is dying. I don’t know if he has faith or if he knows where he’s going to” and Noel told him “Whether he knows where he’s going, you know, he’s a step closer to knowing it, isn’t it?” And Bono went “Yeah…”
Interviewer: This is a great album. Bono’s satisfied with the result
Bono: I don’t remember the band being in such a good form since the JT album. It was beautiful, we push each other to do the best. We live in big house, don’t have worries of the majority of people so we can’t create bad album. We have a contract with our fans and if we don’t reach the charts, people would say “U2 had their time”. But we’re still here, we make great records and feel good about each other.
Interviewer: We hope to see U2 back live, because this album could sound great live
Bono: “Oh yeah…”
Thanks Valentina!
Ed Note: Interference.com member Valentina passed along this transcript of U2 on Italian radio station Radio Capital. Valentina said she was not sure if this was an actual interview or just a feature pulling together snippets from the new DVD and other sources. Either way, it should be a fun read.
The interview starts with “Miracle drug”
Interviewer: The most awaited album of this year, that you heard in exclusive on Radio Capital some weeks ago. Today we can let you hear an exclusive interview with the band.
Let’s talk about “Vertigo”, that hits the top of the charts worldwide. Mr Bono, what’s vertigo for you?
Bono: It’s a teasing feeling, it isn’t very good. A sick feeling. When you got to the top of something and you know that there’s no way out. This isn’t the definition given by a dictionary. It’s my own definition. There’s a sort of club called “vertigo” in my mind, where you find people you don’t want to stay with, music you don’t want to listen to. Then you see one girl that has a cross around her neck and you focus on that sign and you find a tiny fragment of salvation there.
Interviewer: Bono compared his great mate the Edge to a Zen monk and he said he was surprised when he heard Edge playing as an old rocker. Here’s how Edge explains his change
Edge: U2 really are not really rock’n’roll band. We have never been a real rock’n’roll band. But with Vertigo I was trying to find a sound and a guitar solo that could sound really rock’n’roll, without shame, a real, full sound, as band like the Sex Pistols, the best of Rolling Stones, the punk and the best of metal. I worked on some music and for a certain period the provisional title was “Full metal jacket”. I had some ideas for the melody, but I wasn’t satisfied. Larry sounded the same sequence for along time. It was him to lead us. But we couldn’t have a better song till we had the definitive one, that is on the album. It’s one of the moment when anyone arrives at the same conclusion and it was clear for everyone of us, in the room, that we had the right song. It was then that Bono come up with new, great ideas for the melody and we were pretty much there.
Interviewer: the bassist, Adam Clayton, remembers this about how “Vertigo” came out
Adam: I think with “Vertigo” we wanted to create something that was very vital. We felt the energy coming from other groups as The Hives, the Strokes, The Vines, that sound very connected to where we came from. Edge was sure he could create a sound and write a song, that had a better riff than all the others. We were playing in a way that was a little impersonal, then in January we had to re-write the song and it turned in something so much more vibrant.
Interviewer: a shock of adrenaline, this is what Bono remembers
Bono: the album end in a, you know, a static place, so we wanted to start with a shock of adrenaline. As when you’re in a club, maybe you’re having fun but what you really want is to committee suicide (laugh). It’s just a light little song.
Vertigo is played, followed by Crumbs.
Interview: the album contains thoughts about death and rebirth. It’s about love, politics, peace and war. It’s as to have a look on the world of today, where three quarters of people lives waiting for the crumbs left from the other one quarter. But it’s also a personal, private album. It was touched by the death of Bono’s father, Bob. The title come from him, as Bono explains:
Bono: How to dismantle an atomic bomb...oh I suppose it’s not really, you know, we don’t talk about this things anymore in these days, do you? It comes from my father’s lexicon. His generation used to talk about atomic bombs. Now we talk about mass destruction arms. How to put the toothpaste back into the tube. You know, once you have this knowledge available on the Internet I wonder: are we ever be safe? This thoughts is in the air. In my head, HTDAAB is about my father, it is “How to dismantle an atomic Bob”. (laugh). You know, he died two years ago and this sent me into a sort of desperate trip, to find out who I was. And then I came to a lot of these songs. So it’s much more personal than a political record.
Interviewer: Was it difficult to do this album?
Bono: Well, no. Doing this album was really easy because Edge kick started it. I thought: “Wow! We’re moving very fast. He didn’t need any incitation to go on. He was moving fast and I just tried to take his rhythm. In the middle, I think things got messy. It took a lot of our time and energy. We wanted magic and we went close to it. You could almost smell it. We had a great producer, Chris Thomas. He worked with the Beatles, Roxy Music, Sex Pistols. We almost made him crazy. We were very tired in the end. It was like the second half of the Cup Final when you have to change some players with others that had fresher legs.
Interviewer: the Edge says politics is in the background of the album
Edge: I’d like to think this is a real classic U2 album. We knew what was going on in the world where we were going to. I don’t think every song has to be about what’s happening, but I think there’s a great electricity which prevails the whole album and when we’ll hear it again in a few years, we will find out it is connected to this era.
Original is played, followed by “one step closer”
Interviewer: HTDAAB alternated strong rock music and solid ballads. The most intense ones are those inspired by Bono’s father, the songs that are about the long goodbye between father and son. “One step closer” and, moreover, “Sometimes…”
How do you explain this?
Adam: You know, Bono wrote the lyrics when it was obvious his father was going to die for cancer. Fortunately he lived through the tour and Bono could spend a lot of time with him on the tour. He died just before out Slane gig. It’s an important song for Bono, it shows a real feeling. It would be interesting to hear it live.
Interviewer: It wasn’t easy to arrive to the version on the album. Edge explains why
Edge: Sometimes was one of those song that’s so difficult to create. Because it was so strong. We risked to fall into clichés. No one could find the solution to turn it into a great song. Eventually we did it with some help from the producer, who played for us for two days and now we can say we did an amazing song.
Interviewer: it’s a song about a relationship made not of words but of feelings. Father and son are the same soul, and the son sees the father when he looks in the mirror.
Bono: I sang this song at my father’s funeral. He was very tough. An old boot of guy. Irish, a Dubliner, from the north side. He was very cynical about the world and the people, but he was also charismatic and funny. He used to tell me “Don’t dream. To dream is to be disappointed”. This was the advice he used to give me. Those weren’t just words: it was his thought. Maybe this is the receipt for megalomaniacs or for people with great ideas. But my ideas is to dream, to realise that dream. In any case, the song is dedicated to him. It’s his portrait and it explains he was a great singer, a tenor, a Dubliner worker, who used to listen to opera. He used to switch on the stereo and conducted the music with my mother’s knitting needles. He just loved opera. We didn’t use to talk so much and I talked to him with this song. When I say “Can you hear me when I sing”, I use the Opera’s note. It’s a tribute to him.
Sometimes, and All because of you are played.
Interviewer: a part for lyrics, the strength of HTDAAB is in the music. It’s travel in the past of rock, from Stones to Strokes. Edge tells how “One step closer” was born
Edge: We started playing it without knowing what it could be. We had no ideas but then Bono came out with a great melody and we had this great song. It’s almost a traditional song. Lyrically, it’s very personal, for Bono. The idea comes from a conversation he had with Noel Gallagher. Bono had just found out that his father was to die and he said: “It’s strange to know your father is dying. I don’t know if he has faith or if he knows where he’s going to” and Noel told him “Whether he knows where he’s going, you know, he’s a step closer to knowing it, isn’t it?” And Bono went “Yeah…”
Interviewer: This is a great album. Bono’s satisfied with the result
Bono: I don’t remember the band being in such a good form since the JT album. It was beautiful, we push each other to do the best. We live in big house, don’t have worries of the majority of people so we can’t create bad album. We have a contract with our fans and if we don’t reach the charts, people would say “U2 had their time”. But we’re still here, we make great records and feel good about each other.
Interviewer: We hope to see U2 back live, because this album could sound great live
Bono: “Oh yeah…”
Thanks Valentina!
