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Adam Clayton Grammys

#81
selowitch said:
Man, I sure did listen to the first three albums a whole lot on cassettes and LPs back in the day!
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I still listen to the first albums regularly.

Frankly, I think both Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. have just been calling it in for years now. I saw them recently on the Joshua Tree reunion tour. They both looked they could have been asleep. Bono was the only one who looked like he was honestly enjoying himself. And I don't mean that in a superstar way. He genuinely seemed like he enjoyed doing what he does.
 
#82
selowitch said:
Tull is not heavy metal. At the most it has hard-rock elements ... but mostly it's medieval-folk grafted onto rock-n-roll. I like them, but metal they ain't.
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Yeah, it was kind of a rock and roll history moment when that happened. Metallica was expected by everyone and their dog to win a grammy(?) for best heavy metal album(?), but Jethro Tull got it. I don't even remember if they were in the audience or not. It was just a weird and awkward moment, to say the least.
 
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#83
JimmyM said:
Bono is a lot smarter than a lot of singers who could easily have gone solo. He knows what the musicians in the band bring to the table, he appreciates it, and instead of thinking about how he could keep all the money for himself or how he could make non-U2-sounding music with others, he realizes that U2's strength, ipso facto his own strength, is in its unity.

A guy like Sting, getting into monthly fistfights with Stewart Copeland, I get why he disbanded The Police, though. Some people have to do it. Most of them do it so they can make all the money. And with Bono, it would only be a money grab, and I figure he has enough money at this point not to care.
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Yeah. But also notice how Bono is the only one who ever talks. Ever. Edge gives interviews, but rarely. AC and LMJ are apparently mutes. It's amazing they've lasted so long. But ya gotta wonder how much money it might take to keep people quiet and in their place. I''m sure being the richest band in the world does help, though.

EDIT: OTOH, Stewart Copeland is not really the passive type to begin with, if you know what I mean.
 
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#84
whatizitman said:
Yeah. But also notice how Bono is the only one who ever talks. Ever. Edge gives interviews, but rarely. AC and LMJ are apparently mutes. It's amazing they've lasted so long. But ya gotta wonder how much money it might take to keep people quiet and in their place. I''m sure being the richest band in the world does help, though.

EDIT: OTOH, Stewart Copeland is not really the passive type to begin with, if you know what I mean.
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Certainly. When the Police reunited, he constantly referred to Sting as "my singer"...LOL!

As for Bono doing the talking, Bono and the Edge were on Howard Stern a couple weeks ago, and Edge actually did a lot of talking, though Bono did most of it. Some people don't do interviews well, and whether it was an edict by Bono or their own choice, Adam and Larry are smart to recognize that they may not interview very well. And after hearing one of the guys in my band say some really stupid stuff to an interviewer for a local magazine and seeing how horrible he came off in the article, I totally get why some band members have an edict not allowing them to do interviews :D
 
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#85
JimmyM said:
Certainly. When the Police reunited, he constantly referred to Sting as "my singer"...LOL!

As for Bono doing the talking, Bono and the Edge were on Howard Stern a couple weeks ago, and Edge actually did a lot of talking, though Bono did most of it. Some people don't do interviews well, and whether it was an edict by Bono or their own choice, Adam and Larry are smart to recognize that they may not interview very well. And after hearing one of the guys in my band say some really stupid stuff to an interviewer for a local magazine and seeing how horrible he came off in the article, I totally get why some band members have an edict not allowing them to do interviews :D
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Man, 40+ years is a long time to keep mum. They all must have decided who was gonna do the talking loooooooong ago. It obviously paid off. Big time.
 
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#86
Adam has always looked a bit lost to me. No offense intended, he's just one lucky Irishman who fell in with some good mates, that's a fact.

His sig bass is killer, like a custom job I would design for myself. Then again, I am a shameless entertainer, totally audience-centered, so if someone out there oohs and ahhs about my bass, I'm doing my job. Snarky musicians can take a hike; they're not exactly my target audience.
 
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#88
electracoyote said:
Adam has always looked a bit lost to me. No offense intended, he's just one lucky Irishman who got in with some good mates, that's a fact.
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Look, I respect anybody who gets up there under the hot lights amid the glare of the crowd and performs, in rock solid fashion, every time he or she is called upon. Clayton is dependable and solid, and his playing more than suits the music. Is it what anyone would consider "great" bass playing? Maybe not but it fulfills its function.
 
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#89
selowitch said:
Look, I respect anybody who gets up there under the hot lights amid the glare of the crowd and performs, in rock solid fashion, every time he or she is called upon. Clayton is dependable and solid, and his playing more than suits the music. Is it what anyone would consider "great" bass playing? Maybe not but it fulfills its function.
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I fully agree. His playing fits the music, and he is no doubt a good hang and a close mate to the others.
 
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#90
electracoyote said:
I fully agree. His playing fits the music, and he is no doubt a good hang and a close mate to the others.
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I think I read that when the four of them were in high school, none of them could play much (aside from maybe three or four chords), least of all Adam, but he looked the part, walked the walk, and owned his own bass and amp so he got the job.

Most of us on TB were once a lot like that.

Every musician starts out not being able to play.
 
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#91
selowitch said:
I think I read that when the four of them were in high school, none of them could play much (aside from maybe three or four chords), least of all Adam, but he looked the part, walked the walk, and owned his own bass and amp so he got the job.

Most of us on TB were once a lot like that.

Every musician starts out not being able to play.
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I love it. Sounds familiar.

I'm reminded of Paul Simonon, who was not a bass player at all, but had a cool look that the other Clash members keenly desired. They strapped a bass around his neck and taught him to play. Simonon was more an art student, and went on to design their pseudo-military image. He never really warmed to being a bass player, and used to do terrible things to his bass out of frustration.

Also, none of the original members of UB40 were musicians (horn players aside), until Ali Campbell got hit up side the head with a glass beer mug in a pub, and collected a government benefit payment by filling out Form UB40. He took the money and bought instruments for his mates, and a band was born.

That's rock and roll! Pop music has rarely been an exact science (especially since the Jazz era), and that's the beauty of it.
 
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#94
I see no earthly reason why Bono would go solo. The unique alchemy of those four guys together is what made them global superstars. Why mess with a winning formula? They've made a ton of money making some truly great music (mixed with some mediocre stuff). I think the first six albums (Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum) were superb; after that, there are some nice singles like "Beautiful Day" but not as many great albums, IMO.
 
#97
JimmyM said:
Bono is a lot smarter than a lot of singers who could easily have gone solo. He knows what the musicians in the band bring to the table, he appreciates it, and instead of thinking about how he could keep all the money for himself or how he could make non-U2-sounding music with others, he realizes that U2's strength, ipso facto his own strength, is in its unity.

A guy like Sting, getting into monthly fistfights with Stewart Copeland, I get why he disbanded The Police, though. Some people have to do it. Most of them do it so they can make all the money. And with Bono, it would only be a money grab, and I figure he has enough money at this point not to care.
Click to expand...

I've seen Bono interviewed a few times by Charlie Rose - he doesn't take himself too seriously. I'd have to search for the interview on charlierose.com, anyway Bono mentioned his Dad called him 'a baritone who wants to be a tenor'.

This is my 1st time hearing about Sting-Copeland fistfights: Andy called the Police?
 
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