U2: A VIEW FROM THE EDGE

Rip It Up, Issue 72, 1 July 1983, Page 18

U2: A VIEW FROM THE EDGE

Kerry Doole

When the girls in the front row give you red roses and leap on-stage for a kiss, you know you've made it. The rapturous reception accorded U2 in Toronto recently and ; the Nor American Top 10 status of their third album, War, confirms these four young Irishmen have come a long way in the two years since they debuted in Canada in front of a small, y shell-shocked crowd at the El i Mocambo the night £ after John Lennon's death.

As the extent of their new-found popularity is realised, U2 can afford a smile, knowing they've paid their proverbial dues in triplicate. This is not a band to take the easy way out. Lead singer Bono Vox's daring acrobatics on concert hall balconies are paralleled by daring career moves like a decision to tour the US in support of the J. Geils Band some time back. The whole idea was for us to live dangerously, to push it a bit. We could easily have got a gig with the Police or someone, but that would have been totally safe and boring. The J. Geils Band is totally American crass pop-rock, but the great thing was for us to discover we could go out to their crowd and actually find we could communicate quite well,” explains U2 guitarist, The Edge (a teenage nickname based on his appearance, not his lifestyle), over coke and a cheeseburger. Biting into a piece of the processed muck that passes as cheese here, The Edge develops a craving for the real stuff, and a future tour of New Zealand suddenly seems inviting. "It's quite an agricultural country, isn't it? And a small population too, just like Ireland. There's 4 million in Ireland; used to be a lot more before the famine."

U2 are neither crass, American or a pop-rock band. They revel in being considered outsiders to the world of pop music, as their hearts and minds are focused on higher concerns. Group members rarely detail their private beliefs, but The Edge's conversation is peppered with words like 'spirit', 'passion', ?f!and 'commitment' rather than figures of units shipped in Portugal. Fortunately, U2's Christian faith is reflected in powerfully emotional music rather than the dreary litanies of other performers with a handle on the 'truth'. In fact, U2's sense of purpose and intensity more closely resemble the Clash, an observation validated by the numerous Clash buttons and Tshirts on display in the audience. Whereas Boy, their sparkling debut album of 1980, concen-

trated on the dreams and fears of youth approaching manhood, War sees the group's chief lyricist, Bono, ruminating on the turbulent state qf the world around him and offering his own plea for some peace, love and understanding. His concerns may not be shared by all those who simply get off on the invigorating sound of songs like 'New Year's Day', 'I Will Follow', or 'Sunday Bloody Sunday', but The Edge claims that doesn't matter. "It's basically down to how you see the music. You can take it on many different levels. You can see it purely as a piece of melody or powerful, aggresive music, or you can delve into the lyrics and go that one step further. I think there's a kind of spiritual level there as well. I don't think it's ultimately for us to worry about which step the audience takes. Whatever

they're there for, I think we can communicate on that level the true emotion and commitment of the band." The sincerity in The Edge's voice makes it impossible to be offended by his lack of humility. "I think we're doing so well because there is something universal in our approach to live work. There is a spirit on stage, a positive force. The only singer and band who I can think of that has that is Bruce Springsteen. If you see him live, there's a great upward feeling of elation. He also transcends any kind of cultural barrier. I'm into music that unites I don't like music that is divisive by nature. Too many bands just complain about things. "There's a real negative side to so much modern music, but I don't think it need be like that. I think good music can build bridges, rather than create barriers." Those of us with a few more years of rubbing against the ways of the world may find it hard to accept U2's optimistic idealism. The Edge acknowledges that: "Perhaps it is naive, but we believe our music can, if not change the world or a country, affect individuals. I know what music meant to me when I was much younger. I know it did open my eyes to a lot of things. I believe it can be a positive

force, but I'm not naive enough to believe that everyone who listens to our records will go away with those feelings inside. Only a very few will be affected by what we stand for, but that's fine." Not surprisingly, U2 are quick to separate themselves from the more trend-conscious of their British contemporaries. Perhaps without realising many in the band's audience would probably as quickly turn out for Duran Duran or Depeche Mode. Bono lashed out at 'English fashion bands'. While he shares his colleague's attitudes, The Edge refuses to name names. "I'm really getting tired of new wave, all that new pop/synth stuff is boring. Pop music just leaves you feeling numb. Escapism, to me, is ultimately not worthwhile. I like the quality in our music that addresses issues in a real way, but comes out smiling." U2 are very conscious of being Irish and the effects that warshredded culture has on their attitudes. "Someone once said that if the Irish aren't fighting each other, they must be fighting someone else. There is that instinct, a great ability to hate, to be that passionate about things. That results in hideous social problems, but also in a weird creative thing. If you think about the number of really great poets that have come from Ireland, a place with such a small population, it's quite astounding. They're all a bit bonkers, though. They all end up dying of drink or something. Because of the kinds of tensions involved, one can easily grow up scarred. I think that has been the tragic side, but there's also a very creative side." Not just great poets. If you compile a list of contemporary musicians of Irish stock, the results are impressive. Van Morrison, Johnny Rotten/Lydon, Elvis Costello, Kevin Rowland, U2. All share a fire in the belly without which our music would be a colder place. Enough said. Growing up in a Dublin suburb, U2 were exposed to, and influenced by, the standard figures. "We went through the same stages as most kids into music. The Beatles and Stones Bowie was really big and Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. "Then suddenly 1976/77 happened. By that time we were already toying around with the idea of being a band and beginning to write our own songs. Right from the start there seemed to be an empathy, a kind of 'fellow-feeling' in what we were struggling to do and what others were actually achieving across the water." The Edge acknowledges the influence of Television's Tom Verlaine on his own strongly-distinctive guitar. In turn, that style is mimicked by many new bands, but this is of little concern to the affable Irishman. "I don't fear being ripped off. Essentially, U2 is not a sound, it's a spirit. If people rip off the sound, they miss the point. If they're inspired by the spirit, then that's great. They'll probably end up doing something totally original and fantastic!"

Terhaps it is naive, but we believe our music can if not change the world or a country, affect individuals."

"Essentially, U2 is not a sound, it's a spirit. If people rip off the sound, they miss the point."