Original subtitles

We might get expelled for this.

>> We're setting such a bad example.

>> You really are. [laughter]

[music]

>> Just realized we've just timeraveled.

>> I know.

>> This is it.

>> Yeah.

>> 50 years on. I want to take you right

back. I want to go [music] back to the

first minute. There was something in the

water here that connected people long

term. [music]

>> This is actually where we used to

rehearse. In here. In here. Larry, they

just found the keys to my brain. This is

>> your brain.

>> The door had opened with an opportunity

to try and start finding something new

to say. I think right [music] now it's

like we got back to that moment.

>> This is going to be our new um rock and

roll 45.

[music]

>> In the silence, the devil rock and roll.

[music]

Heat. Heat. Heat.

[music]

Ghost

[music] like the devil tonight.

[cheering]

No such thing as rock and roll. We just

needed it to be. Was standing in the

schoolyard waiting for you to happen to

me. This is the schoolyard.

[bell]

>> Oh my god. Look at this. Here we go. So,

this is what it feels like before you

got on stage, huh?

>> Yeah.

>> Wow.

>> Incredible.

>> I've just realized we've just

timeraveled.

>> I know.

>> This is it.

>> Yeah.

>> Is that Yeah, it is.

>> It's legit.

>> It's a working.

>> It's the only thing that's going to

stay. That's It's important to mention

that here at Mount Temple,

>> back on the stage where it kind of all

began, that there's a new school that's

going to be built and pretty much this

entire campus is going to be raised to

the ground. Exactly. You're going to

keep the the clock tower thankfully. So,

I guess the stage will stay. So, you two

will remain a part of the history of the

new school. But it is quite symbolic,

isn't it, that you came to sort of say

hello again, but also say goodbye

cuz I feel like Carnival Doo is almost a

goodbye and a hello again. Does that

make sense to you?

>> Carnival Doo is definitely more goodbye.

That's for sure. This clock tower here,

it was the name of a book um written by

Christopher Nolan

um and

under the eye of the clock. He was a

student here.

>> Yeah. He put out his first book of

poetry

when he in 1980,

same as when we put out Boy and his

second the full length story was under

the eye of the clock. The difference

between him and the four of us is he's a

miracle. Well, we're actually we might

be as well just the fact that we've met

each other and and what has happened is

but his was a actual miracle of science

which is he was born he he terrible

pausy

>> terrible pulsey I think

>> and as a result of this miracle drug he

could move one muscle enough to write he

was at age 11 it was all released from

him all these poems and prayers and all

this all this writing

And that is the clock tower he refers to

in under the eye of the clock.

>> Have you ever referred to any of his

poetry or work in your songwriting or

does it

>> Yes.

>> Yeah. And indeed it is not wasn't great

at shouting it from the rooftops at the

time. And it's one of I would say one of

the great YouTube songs that got away

from us in that it's very special but it

wasn't quite the song it could have

been. It was called Miracle Drug. It was

on atomic.

>> Yeah. Amazing.

>> Did you spend time here, Larry?

>> Not not not up this far, but in this

building. Yeah. It's where Donald Moxom,

who was kind of a an old school teacher

of ours, and uh he was a mentor.

>> He's an important guy in the the story

of the band, right?

>> Big.

>> In what ways?

>> Encouragement mostly and facilitated us.

>> Yeah.

>> Put up with us.

>> Advocacy.

>> He spotted us. School wasn't for me. I I

appreciated that

>> he did. He facilitated your exit in a

kind and he did it very very gracefully.

He you he said I think you've outgrown

school,

>> right?

>> And you can't argue with that.

>> It's almost impossible to be expelled

from from that temple, but he managed.

>> You got the second school.

>> Do you know that he was expelled from?

>> Out of the four of you that I thought

would have gotten expelled, you were the

person I thought the least would have

ended up getting kicked out of school.

>> I I know. I just had a bad attitude. You

know, I did. I did. And I I regret it.

>> Can I just say you had perfect manners?

>> Yes, I had a bad attitude with great

manners.

>> So, the manners are like a look at a

puppet while you're doing all this [ __ ]

under the table.

>> Yeah. Yeah. I sat beside him for a few

classes. And I did have to explain to

him, "This is French. You're reading an

English novel." And on another occasion,

how are you how do you think you're not

going to be noticed taking a flask of

coffee out of your school bag where

there are no textbooks and pouring

yourself

a cup of coffee? How do you think you're

not going to be noticed doing that?

>> You lattes while you're in French class.

[laughter]

>> Yeah, you did. Yeah.

>> And I cannot say this cuz that's wrong,

but I'm going to cuz I I don't like I

don't like toilet humor.

>> Oh dear. But he he was famous for

flatulence

>> and at one point during I wandered lowly

as a cloud or whatever it was he he goes

off and everyone's like and

was Miss Manning I think it was and Miss

Manning went Adam and he went pardon it

it slipped from my bottom. [laughter]

That's that's what we that's the bass

end. very annoying I cuz Ally I met Ally

my business um just I mean literally

just there going into the

>> home block was it?

>> That's right. And and I was working with

her friend. She reminds me daily. Yeah.

So she she was very taken with Adam as

lots of um girls were. But annoyingly

her mother her mother was taken cuz he

spoke so

>> beautifully with full stops and commas

>> and he would say some of the again some

of the filthy [ __ ] that I just saw the

look in his eyes like this all coming

out. All we do is put you on the roof

mate and the mask comes on. [ __ ]

hell. No, like I'm just a I'm trying to

make impress my future mother-in-law

>> and he gets away with it. No one will

get away with he's so he's so polite

though.

>> Yeah, he did get away with that. This

building is interesting cuz we performed

>> the show that we did the repeat of was

was a later show. We played before that

when we were like just doing covers in

this building,

>> right?

>> And we were at that point we were doing

like a Stranglers cover, Goddy Go and

the the Ramones and all that. And we

were so bad that about 40 minutes before

going on stage, I realized we'd never

managed to get through any of these

songs fully. So we'd never ended any of

them. We had no idea how to end each.

>> So we're furiously in a room here going,

"Oh, how are we going to end? I I'll

look at you when we get to the end of

the second chorus and and and Larry will

give us a nod and we'll we'll end.

>> Yeah.

>> You learned a very valuable lesson there

day, fellas, which is you can start

badly, but you need to end well.

>> Yeah. Yeah.

>> Yeah. We got

>> Unfortunately, we we did both badly

>> and ended badly. [laughter]

>> It's so weird looking at the stadium,

which you guys have played so many

times.

>> Wow. It seems very close now,

>> but if you come up here back then, it

would have seemed like an impossible

distance.

>> Yeah.

>> Away.

>> I didn't know you'd see Croak Park.

Honestly, the scene of the original

Bloody Sunday, just so you know.

>> Yeah, it was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

>> Can we see Dan's work from here, by the

way? Do you think

>> Adam lives on the direction?

>> Was it the music up there?

>> Up the hill?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> Well, that was where we recorded Joshua

Tree.

>> Yeah.

>> But he got used to the place.

I thought,

>> but next door to the hill was your old

school you were first expelled from.

>> I went I went back there [laughter]

because because I I I actually I

actually wanted to taunt them a little

bit.

>> Oh, so the coming out. Now it's coming

out.

>> Is that a revenge house?

>> It kind of is. Yeah, cuz that was

>> I never heard him put it exactly like

that. Wow.

>> Cuz I have to say now, now to be fair, I

was up there today and it's a radically

different place.

>> Right. Right. Right.

>> But when I was there at the school, it

was the old school boarding school rules

of, you know, you wear a uniform, you

say sir. So

>> I would leave the school and look over

this wall and I'd see this idyllic house

with a garden and a stream that ran

through it. And I if I if only I could

get to there, I'd be okay. Eventually I

did cuz we rented the house for Joshua

Tree recording. And I Yeah. I'd never

come up the drive obviously cuz I'd only

been climbing over the wall.

>> So I didn't recognize it for like a few

weeks and then I went, "Fuck,

>> this is like the place next door to the

school." It was like, "Yeah, just buy

it." [laughter]

>> That's so rock and roll.

>> So good.

>> He's the only rock and roll member

really at the time.

>> See, I mean, we're learning so much.

>> Yeah.

>> What are we going to find out in 5

minutes when we go downstairs?

>> Shall we? I want to go down and take a

look at the stage where you guys played

[music] yesterday.

>> Follow me.

[music]

Heat.

Heat. [music]

[music]

>> [music]

>> Have any of you come [music] back to the

school before this anniversary? This

reason to come play for the students

here.

>> I think B was back, weren't you? For a

couple of things

>> for me, me. Right.

>> And I'm a few other things.

>> Right. Right. Right. There is the home

economics block where I met Ali for the

first time. Where did you meet an

>> yellow corridor?

>> In the yellow corridor.

>> Well, where we're headed.

>> Well, it started in in um Sophie

Shirley's room.

>> You're kidding.

>> Oh my god.

>> Yeah. On our first day in school.

>> Oh my god.

>> Crazy.

>> I This is so profound for so many

reasons. Not just because obviously it's

where the band formed. That's why we're

here. But as you just pointed out, you

know, you met the loves of your life

here, the two of you, people that have

been with you through all of this

experience. I mean, this school, this

area, this crazy kind of random reason

for you all to come together and be

dumped into the same, which can be tough

for kids, too, man. School's not always

fun, but you got so much life out of

this place.

>> I know.

>> We're not the only ones.

>> I still have friends who were in this

school.

>> Yeah.

>> Um who became couples, had children

exactly the same as us. So, there was

something in the water here

>> um that connected people long term. So

all of the fears that the Catholic

priests had were absolutely true that if

you just put the boys and the girls at

the same school,

>> things would uh develop. Let's go back

cuz you were here yesterday and you you

brought us all up to speed with this

amazing performance in front of the

student, modern day students, class of

2026 and below. Um so bring us up to

speed on the on the on the first show,

the photo, the famous photo of what was

going on that day when you

>> I can't remember, but Larry brought the

bass drum back. you cuz you kept it,

right?

>> I did.

>> You played on that yesterday.

>> Yeah, I I I kept it in in my basement.

>> Um for all these years and uh yeah, it

was just it was quite a trip actually.

Sounded better than I thought.

[laughter]

>> Was it particularly poignant for you,

Larry, because and please keep me

honest, this will be the first time

anyone's seen you play with the band for

a few years, at least from a crowd point

of view, right?

>> That's right. All right. So, to be back

here where it began kind of and be back

here playing with the band for the first

time in some time, did that cross your

mind at all?

>> Um, there were moments of reflection.

Um, but as a a drummer, your job is to

try and keep time.

>> So, they're they're both things going on

at the same time. I I did have a a

sense, you know, playing to the

students, I that felt so amazing.

There's something between us. There's

something that we share that we don't

really understand. um you know they

they're here to see these guys who were

here many years ago and we're reliving a

moment that maybe their parents saw but

they're engaged in this relationship

that is kind of inexplicable. So there

was that and it will go down in my you

know top 10 uh shows will be definitely

what we did here yesterday. It was just

an extraordinary experience and we are

under the clock.

>> As soon as you you started, it was so

interesting cuz you came out.

>> I didn't know if it was going to be out

of control. I will follow. I put money

on one of the two.

>> And when you came out and it's and you

started it up, it's that unexplainable

magic that you have as a band. It's just

you and it's no one else can sound.

>> It's our fingerprint.

>> Yeah. We we have a collective

fingerprint.

>> I was trying to date that photograph.

Yeah. Because obviously Larry put the

note on the board in 1976, but this was

this was a bit later

>> and it was Adam's t-shirt that gave me

the clue cuz we actually made it. We

didn't have any money for for clothes.

>> So we we made that t-shirt in his

kitchen and that's what you were

wearing.

>> Heavily influenced [clears throat] by

the shore stripe if I remember

correctly. [laughter]

The word shore stripe.

>> Oh, was it was Hello, I'm exciting.

>> Yes. Yeah, it [laughter] was.

>> It did the trick.

>> Do you still have the t-shirt?

>> No,

>> not a collector. He's not much of a

collector. This guy. This guy's got it

all. This guy like, "Ah, you know what?

I left it in a hotel room somewhere in

hell."

>> Yeah.

>> But Edge found some memorabilia.

>> That's right. Under your bed. Your

>> Yeah. My my parents passed a few years

ago and

after a little while, myself, my sister,

and my brother went through the house

and we're we're kind of going through

their bedroom and in their bed was a

drawer. So, we opened the drawer and

suddenly there's a pile of press cutings

and magazines and I'm like going through

them and I'm, "Wow, this was all YouTube

related." My mom was obviously early

days collecting all this stuff. So I'm

emptying it and at the bottom of the

drawer I find this diary like one of

those Collins kind of hardback diaries

from the from 1980

>> 1978

>> 78 and I go wow. So I opened it and I

recognized Bono's writing

and he'd always told us the story that

the lyric for out of control was started

on his 18th birthday.

kind of had this moment of kind of

recognition. So I was going through the

diary and it got to the 10th of May and

sure enough on that page was the lyrics

out of control.

>> That is so beautiful. You know, and the

fact that you probably had no idea where

that lyric was.

>> No,

>> for the longest time

>> in my head.

>> Yeah, sure. And

>> the notorious

>> B O [laughter]

and a bunch of early bootlegs that I'm

sure got thrown around record stores in

the early in the late '7s. That's so

cool that you found that original.

>> Yeah, I didn't charge him very much for

it either. I was like,

>> that's beautiful.

>> That's beautiful to have it. So, what's

next?

>> I want to go see the message the the

poster board. Yeah,

>> let's go.

[music]

>> Which one is it? Oh, it's this one.

Look, someone's looking DJ to shop with

>> Oh, that's funny. Who did that? Yeah.

[laughter] Hello, Zane.

>> Stop with the Stop with the jokes,

people. Stop with the jokes. Yeah,

that's a memo. You frame that, will you?

Frame that.

>> Is this where it was? Yeah. There was a

little bit of confusion about

um the notice on the board. There's a

few things, but there was one piece of

confusion where a teacher

um has believed for years that they had

encouraged me to put the notice up on

the notice board. Um and I remember that

it was my old man because he was so

frustrated with me playing the drums in

the house on my own. He he thought if it

would get me out of the house, it would

um get rid of his headache. Um so I was

thinking about this saying, "Have I got

this wrong? Am I going to have to mess

up after 50 years? Turns out what

happened was that I put the notice on

the board. I then had to take it down

and I had to ask Mr. McKenzie's

permission to put it back up and that's

what he remembers.

>> So that's just to correct some factual

errors. I'm happy to do it.

>> Yeah, I'm glad you did that. Yes. 50

years on. I want to take you right back.

And people talk about the first shows,

the first years, the first rehearsals,

the first tours. I want to go back to

the first minute that you put that that

that notice up on the board and what you

were hoping to get out of that

experience. If you can remember back to

that moment, your dad wanted you to get

out of the house and find somewhere else

to play the drums. But what did you want

it to be?

I think if you take yourself back to

when you were 14, brain operates uh

differently. Um the only thing that I

could manage to do was keep a beat. Um

but it was pretty basic, but I could do

that. And um uh I think my my dad would

have preferred that I studied jazz or

that I um went into the military and

learned how to play like that. I just

wasn't going to be able to do any of

that. So he kind of gave in and you know

and that was part of the note on the

board once it went up. Um I didn't

expect anything else to happen. I never

expected to hear from anybody. So, the

biggest surprise was when these guys

showed up at my kitchen cuz I really

didn't think they would. And and Bon

tells the story that he wasn't sure if

you had you had talked about it, but

your mate comes in today to do this.

>> Yeah. I wasn't sure I wanted to hang out

with somebody 2 years below us. You know

what I mean? That that blonde kid. Um,

[clears throat]

>> and it's like such a distance.

He's like, "And then my mate Reggie the

dog, Reggie the co Reggie Manuel the

cockus spaniel, he said, "No, this this

is for you. I I sense this is for you."

He knew me and he knew that I was in a

kind of some kind of pain sort of thing

and he just said, "This is for you." And

I said, "I don't think so." And then he

said, "I'm driving you there." So he

drove me on the back of his Yami 100.

Not the It's not a Harley-Davidson,

but he he got me there. And uh Yeah. And

>> that's called an angel, by the way.

>> I think it is. And random angels, you

know, we all become them for each other.

>> Children, for example. But but yeah,

you're mates.

>> Yeah.

>> He knew me better than I I knew myself.

And I'm I'm sure in some really

non-meloatic way, he actually saved my

life. I think so.

>> We had some friends last night who

had been at that first meeting, Ivan

McCormick.

>> Yeah.

>> And his brother Neil is uh was in a band

with Ivan later. And but Neil is a a

music critic.

>> But his sister

>> had played with us,

>> Stella.

>> Yeah.

>> Remember when we played that one of our

early early gigs again? This is before

you two. This is when we're still doing

covers. And uh so and they were all at

the school as well. My brother was and

the comics and

>> yeah Dick was the kind of a genius. He

was in computer science before anyone

was in the 70s and he he was paid for by

the government. He was so clever to go

to Trinity College. The university had

rooms.

>> Can you imagine that being and it's

called skull, isn't it?

>> Yeah. Scholarship. We we took full

advantage of those rooms. We were there.

>> We slept in those rooms.

>> We ate in Trinity College buttery cuz

people thought we were students and uh

all because of Ed's brother Dick who

went on to be in the Virgin Prunes which

is the alter ego of you two. Gavin

Friday. That's right.

>> Goi my mate who's a painter now. Um but

the thing about this note

>> Yeah.

is none of us saw it. So, you didn't

need to read.

>> Very good, Adam. So, I think Edge told

me about it. I don't know who told Edge

about it.

>> Wait, none of you actually walked.

That's for me. Oh my god. It was a tree

falling in a forest. [laughter]

>> It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable.

>> Did you see Do you remember?

>> I don't think so. That's I think it was

the Caucus. the carcass spaniel sort and

somebody um Albert Bradshaw who was our

music chief told me about it and said I

was like you know Larry the young guy in

in second year he's he's a drummer

>> go have a chat with Larry

>> so yeah cuz my friend David Barnett who

I was in the same class with he was a

drummer and he had a garage band they

were like a a kind of rock thing so I'd

been to see him

>> you could have been in a band called

Barnet

>> Barnet called [laughter] Barnet

>> Barnett

Yes.

>> Where were you born

>> exactly?

>> Um, East End of London in a place called

uh Barking.

>> So, Barking the Manet.

>> Barnett and a man from Barking.

>> It could have been very different for

all of you, especially considering none

saw the [ __ ] note.

>> Yeah. Yeah.

That's so funny. We've spent some time

in this school now. It's been beautiful.

I think we've covered quite a lot of the

past. You know, we could go take a look

at other areas. There's a great room

down here which I believe was set up for

you. There's just a whole bunch of

random words on the wall. Some of them

are hilarious. It's a Bono room. You

should go take a look at that.

>> Okay. To the right. To the left.

>> It's cool actually. It's obviously some

kind of like English type experiment

where they put a whole bunch of words up

and I don't know whether it's props or

whatever.

>> Bowie wrote all his lyrics. He just cut

them up and throw them on the floor kind

of.

>> I think it's this one.

>> There you go.

>> What do you think of when you think of

the singer?

>> Irony.

>> Wow.

>> Sarcasm. It's very ironic.

>> Sincerity,

>> hyperbole,

>> dramatic irony.

>> Wow.

>> Persona. Wow. This is

>> literal.

>> Larry, they just found the keys to my

brain.

>> This is your brain.

>> Check this. The truth will set you free,

but first it will annoy the hell out of

you. This is so good.

>> This is cool, right?

>> That's also cool about the school is

that you didn't just leave. You You took

some people with you. Didn't you take

Father Didn't Didn't Father Jack?

>> Father Jack came on the road. Yeah.

>> The reason he came again and again was

because the crew wanted him to stay.

>> Yeah. Beautiful.

>> And they said, "Jack makes us feel

because we're leaving our families.

>> There's, you know, and if you're a

rigger, you're putting up, you know,

dangerous stages and putting yourself in

danger, leaving your families."

>> So, Father Jack would go out and and

bless the tour, not just us, but anyone

who was working on. And then father Jack

did an interesting thing. He would walk

the arena walk he would walk every seat.

That was his uh his practice was to to

to sort of leave a blessing

>> in these rock and roll um dungeons

>> like 20,000 seats. He would go around.

>> He just walk around and eventually when

it became stadiums he would he just

visit each stand.

>> Yeah. Because that's a lot.

>> That's a lot. But he was also

uh just to say

>> on occasion which happened to me where I

where I span out a bit and cuz teenagers

can and well anyone can and I had a I

had definitely spun out a bit and I went

to see him. This is before he became a

priest. So he was that guy and so he to

listen to me just going on and on just

trying to sort my head out and and yeah

so that's how deep the connection with

this man and then he became a priest and

then he ends up coming on the road with

us.

>> How long did he tour with you for?

>> Maybe 10 years.

>> More I'd say.

>> Wow.

>> Yeah. And as I was just explaining that

the crew wouldn't let him go home.

>> Yeah. That was we we never thought he

would come on the road with us.

>> Just to honor Father Jack that you know

and to and to honor you.

>> Yeah. You spent three years figuring it

out. Out of control comes out. Yeah. You

put three or four albums out. Steady

steady steady steady. But when it hit,

it was like a rocket ship to the moon,

wasn't it? I mean, I think we're all

grown up enough now to be able to

acknowledge that like you you went

through an abnormal experience, the four

of you.

>> Yeah. in that time.

>> Yeah. What happens when you get to that

level of success? I think we we enjoyed

quite a bit of it. Although our manager

said to us because we're in photographs,

we always look very stern like you know

that was the only face we knew how to

pull. M

>> I don't think I've ever seen an Anton

Corbyn photo that hasn't got a stern

outlook that

>> and Paul McInness said a manager said at

the time he said now please don't look

like your band too stupid to enjoy being

at number one. That was his line.

>> Such a Brian Epstein thing to say

though, isn't it? That's the kind of

thing I'd imagine said to the Beatles.

Now boys, you're number one. Make sure

they know it.

>> Yes. No, it was that.

>> Yeah. [laughter]

>> This is our music room, isn't it? This

is actually where we used to rehearse

>> in here.

>> In here. This actually does bring back

real memories. I think we used to leave

our gear back here. This was it. I don't

know if I'm right about this. I think

the first song that was ever written was

Wednesday Afternoon and it was written

in here. Do you remember that song?

>> Uh, vaguely. That's possible. Yeah. Hold

on, hold on, hold on. His character,

this is a psychological portrait.

>> Yeah.

>> Of the man, the edge. um the Zen

Presbyterian. I'm going to do it because

he won't do it. Okay. So, we're here.

We're not making sense. We don't end. We

don't start the songs properly. We're in

the wrong whatever. And then we end up

in a big Do you remember the actual

argument about what the argument was

about? But in the end, Edge finally has

it. And he just ripped his guitar off

his neck and he just put it very gently

down. [laughter] And then he just went

out and he went,

[laughter]

"I'm so sorry. I'm really, really sorry

about that." That's what happened. The

guitar almost went through the window,

but then I realized just prior to

throwing it out the window,

>> what happens if I damage it like badly?

That would be really not good.

>> Yeah.

>> Not very punk edge.

>> Not very punk.

>> But this was the rehearsal space. This

is where you used to rehearse. What

songs were you playing in here? What do

we know? Out of control.

>> Only out of control.

>> Only out of control.

>> Boy, girl.

>> Boy, girl. We had a couple of our own

songs and on one occasion we were here

um

>> um another teacher came and said, "Oh,

oh, um there's a producer from the local

TV network is over from RTE. He's

looking for, you know, students doing

interesting things to put on this new TV

show."

>> Yeah.

>> And we've told them about you. So, he'll

be over in 20 minutes.

>> So, we're like, "Okay,

what are we going to play?" So, we got a

couple of our songs and we're trying to

play them and it isn't happening.

>> So, literally 2 minutes before he comes

in,

>> okay,

>> glad to see you go cuz [snorts] this is

his number one bullshitter.

>> Yeah. Yeah.

>> So, I had a panic attack.

>> Yeah.

>> And he just he just came in. He said,

>> "Oh." He said, "It's wonderful. You and

and you I believe you write your own

songs."

>> Yeah. I'm Joey. I'm Marky. I'm Johnny.

Nice to meet you. Can we play Glad to

see you go? And and he said, "Is that

your one of yours?" And we went,

[clears throat]

>> "Yeah, [laughter]

but actually it was precient because we

did go on that TV show."

>> Yeah.

>> By then we'd actually finished our

songs. So it's it's now out there

>> and we got to meet Joy Ramon

>> eventually and thank him

>> as a parting gift to the school. What

might be quite nice?

>> Talk about some graffiti possibly.

>> A message will be nice.

>> After you, sir. I'll do

>> I think it's a self portrait.

>> I'm trying to put it here.

>> Oh, I see it.

>> And you do yours.

>> Well, you got to sign it. Otherwise, no

one's going to know it's you.

>> It's obvious.

>> Oh, very. [laughter]

>> Oh my god.

>> Perfect. So, the carnival we go.

>> Okay,

>> let's do it. We're setting such a bad

example. We really are.

[music]

[music]

>> [music]

[music]

>> in the music room. Look at this. Come

on.

>> The other place was a rehearsal. That's

Spanish. This was actually where proper

violinist piano player. And we didn't

spend much time in that.

>> We did not. And and I and I do remember

>> that feeling a bit left out in here like

because I didn't play piano didn't play

guitar and I had all these melodies in

my head and at one point Albert Bradshaw

the guy he says

would anyone be interested in composing

because believe it or not I can you know

we can probably compose something alto

together and I'm thinking I've been

composing all I felt my life and I've

got all in my head and and he was

showing notation, wasn't that it?

>> And it was interesting. It was a but so

I was listening to those even the

medieval stuff, the coral stuff

>> blew my mind because can you remember

the name of these singers, the temple

singers I think they were called.

>> Yeah,

>> that's your temple players.

>> There you go. You got it. Wow.

So they were the people who actually

knew how to sing and knew what music was

like, you know, the the notes and the

>> So it was here that we started a

tradition that's carried on of us

hanging out with a lot of musicians.

>> Yeah. Yeah. Clearly you're such a

collaborative band. I think of all of

the I mean you have dabbled here and

there, but I mean you're right. It's

it's been a it's been a very it's been a

gang from the second you began. I mean,

I think of the classic gangs, you know,

the Clash, you guys, the bands that

really present themselves as us against

the world to some degree. And but it's

been so beautiful being here today to

feel so much love coming out of the

ground, coming out of these halls. I I

realize why family came out of the

school. I realize why music came out of

the school, band came out of the school.

There's something magic on this.

>> It was such an unusual place in the

early '7s because

>> Ireland was so conservative. So this

place was like a a little oasis.

>> Yeah.

>> Of uh I suppose freedom, you know, like

like most of my friends were beaten in

school. Like

>> corporal punishment was normal.

>> Mean who weren't in the school

>> who were not. And then we came here and

and no uniform.

>> Yep. Had a few beatings. When I came

here from, you know, the the private

school that I'd been at, I couldn't

believe the freedom. I couldn't believe

that you could wear your own clothes,

that you could be respected by the

teachers, you know, you could have an

opinion and the teachers would be

reasonable and pretend to listen or

whatever.

>> Um, and and then when we wanted to start

a band, it was openly encouraged and I I

think there was always a a a love of

music in this school. I mean, I I I

remember before I came here hearing

about the choirs and everything. I think

maybe the greatest gift they gave us,

the school gave us, was it took away all

the obvious things,

artists rebel against.

>> Yeah.

>> We had to pick a more interesting foe

>> because we're not going to rebel against

the school.

>> They took away it wasn't a religious

school, so they took away the you know,

for Irish artists always fight against

the church. So it made it we we it made

us pick on pick a different set of of

fights. Do you know what that's what's

really interesting about that is that

after all of the the albums, the music,

the success, and the years of being

the biggest band

in the world that it taught you very

early on that there was still things to

fight against. Whereas most a lot of

bands would get to that point of success

and they'd run out of things to fight

against. Carnival Doo is a scrappy

fight, you know, street fighting record.

It's

it's very unbecoming of a band of your

stature to be making a record so scrappy

and so edgy and out on a limb.

>> It's certainly out on a limb. We we were

trying to make um two kinds of music or

hold two different ideas in tension. One

was music that only you two could make.

>> Yes.

>> But the other part of that tension was

you two like music that you two has

never made before.

>> Like the opening is really a a sort of

throwdown um almost to ourselves. The

opening of the record with which

features Briano's keyboard. It's like

>> okay that's our opening. What is the

rest of the record?

>> Oh, you lay it out. I mean, there's

there's a lyric on there, the past and

me have to break up.

>> Go.

>> Yeah.

>> There's a song on um Easter Lily

>> in a life.

>> Mhm.

>> And it is I it was it is was a real

moment for me because it was the return

of Larry Mullen Jr.

He was playing in the room uh and I I

just thought he's gone to the rimshot

and he's playing this

thing and the train is a symbol that

only arrives at the very end, the lyric.

And um I'm not even sure it was there.

It was even written yet, but it was

there. And I felt something in the room.

I said, "Okay." And we [snorts] ended up

writing about, you know, it's it's a

song. It's really a song about

friendship. And um there's a few on this

collection.

>> Yeah, there is. Um but at the end it it

talks about the train and the driver of

the train whose soul's in so much pain

says the coin we used to put the coin on

these on the train tracks just at the

end of the school here. Uh the coin will

will flatten but it won't crack. And

that's I suppose where the where the

image for friendship came from. And but

it's also this it was when I know we

have something

really extraordinary and I wouldn't like

people to miss that cuz it's not on the

main album. Do you remember doing that?

>> Yeah, I do. And I remember the reaction

to it as well.

>> So I was in an environment where I

didn't know what I could do. I hadn't

played for so long. Um uh so I hadn't

really played and I remember going into

the the room and and having two sippy

drum kit and go what am I going to do

now?

>> How am I going to do this? And uh there

was just a sense of well if I don't do

something

>> Yeah.

>> So I did I did where I naturally felt

and I just I I threw myself into it. But

I really didn't know once I dived in how

deep it was going to be and whether I

would get out.

>> So it was kind of a very complex moment.

Um but I I do remember the reaction was

oh

>> we didn't expect that.

>> Yeah.

>> And neither did I.

>> What were the other songs without that

hit you? Um uh Sweet of Dreams.

>> Oh right.

>> Yeah. That was amazing. Yeah. I mean,

and I think on um

>> resurrection.

>> Yeah. Um and a reneg um

>> American American I I remember being

surprised at doing that that I could

still do that. I didn't think I had that

amount of gas left in me.

>> Well, not still do it. It's you. I

thought you went past yourself.

>> Yeah. I hope so. Well, you were the

first person in the band I ever met,

>> and so I've known you technically the

longest out of many.

>> Correct.

>> And so, you know, I I know you'll take

this question in in the faith in which

it's it's it's meant, which is, let's

just be let's just be real. Um, you

protected each other through that time

when you were away. You protect

protected each other for us and kept the

the the feeling we wanted from the band

alive, but how how hard was the recovery

really? Like, how how

deep did you have to go to bring

yourself back to the band? Um, I I kind

of

I I took a leaf out of um Bon's book for

a period of time during touring which is

um my body was a bit of an inconvenience

and and with the result I kind of

overstretched

on it and I knew that I had hurt myself

but I didn't realize how badly and I I I

kind of ignored myself and um so I paid

the price for that and

>> this was on the Joshua retry run.

>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

>> So I I just I just knew.

>> Um and it was difficult, you know, not

to do the sphere. I committed to it. Uh

I just couldn't do it. Um so yeah, it

was a you know, we've come out of CO as

well, which is a period of reflection

and you know, what are we doing here?

And will we survive all the um all the

great questions that you're meant to ask

when you're 13?

>> You know, you're ask if you stop asking

them though, you're [ __ ]

>> Yeah. So, you know, I

you don't know if you can do this. It's

like

there's nothing to rely on. You don't go

back to oh the skill set that that's not

how this works. Part of it, but you

don't you you don't um open the suitcase

and go, okay, I'll take out these, you

know, this particular piece of clothing.

I'll put this on and this will allow me.

It's like it doesn't work. Like so you

go back in and you're listening to the

music and trying to interpret it

>> with no guarantee that you will actually

make it any better.

>> Isn't that the same for everybody to

some degree? Regardless of what you had

to go through to get there, it must feel

like that every time. I certainly think

that's part of the the chemistry of a

YouTube album is that you put

yourselves, whether you meant to or not,

through that experience to get to the

best possible result, right? We don't

have really a musical uh genre that we

fit into. And I discovered this recently

very um clearly when I was playing

around with some of these AI music

programs. I was trying to see if it

could come up with a YouTube song. They

couldn't. And I realized that it is

possible to get it to write a country

song cuz it's very

>> strictly codified.

>> Yeah.

>> But nothing any of us do. I mean, my

guitar would probably be the most um I

suppose um I go certain places

sonically, but our songwriting is is is

never um a formula. We don't know how to

do that.

>> But I will say that there's no way, no

matter how much you train that thing,

that's going to give me or anyone a riff

like Greatest Show on Earth.

>> No.

>> When you open that,

>> man,

>> that's the one.

It's so dark and melancholy and just

yearning and then all of a sudden the

band comes in and it it it's comforting

and beautiful and taking you somewhere

else but you start that song man and

it's that's that's the darkness in you I

think

>> is the tension tension.

>> Yeah. And

>> I think that's our approach is to

find something that is intriguing,

inspiring

and just let it dictate where where we

go. So, we always find uh ourselves

surprised by where things go and there's

a deliberate element to it, but it's

also it's kind of a mysterious thing.

>> Well, it's the mirror. It's the theme of

the mirror through the record, isn't it?

I'm really fascinated by this as well.

The idea that you you keep coming back

to of who who or what you see all the

mirrors you're talking about. Uh cuz

that's in part of the carnival, too. the

the distorted

>> pictures of yourself

>> or is it a major crack?

>> Yeah. Which can happen, I think, when

you when you when you get a famous face,

it just it becomes self-conscious and

loses its appeal or whatever. There's

that. Then there's the other kind of

mirror which is is not narcissistic.

It's just reported really of what's

behind you, what's brought you to the

front of the mirror. But the arts that

we love somehow

always pushed through the mirror.

They're interested in what's going on

behind the mirror. That's why the mirror

maker, the that song is was was inspired

by Rosalia and because she's one of

those kinds of artists. Patty Smith is

another one of those kinds of artists

just, you know, not just the physical

but the metaphysical. And it's just or

the smashing of the mirror which you

need to do at some point. Um yeah, the

mirror maker and then just to try and

make her laugh. Ro Zalia, who are you?

That was the line from the terraces,

right?

>> Yeah. [laughter] I mean, it's it's, you

know, it's in in in kind of soccer um

culture, it's sort of a bit of a put

down, but

>> at the same time,

>> it's like we're just be dazzled by

>> Hey, where'd you come from?

>> Yeah. Where are you? Like, where did you

happen from?

>> Yeah, that's the read of it. And

normally, as you know, people have to be

dead or in jail or something like that

for us to write a song about them. But

here was this just incredible female

artist who this spirit um

>> one of the great artists of our time. I

mean

>> your interview with her was so so

special. Um that really helped me. I

didn't hadn't read any other interviews

before that. Um just experienced her

music and was really more than beguiled.

You know, I for the Mosama tour, we'd

seen that um online it uh our daughter

Jordan had been there and she was

talking about who is this spirit

>> and that's so we tried to put it into a

tune with a bit of a clash vibe on it.

>> Definitely

>> to try and not just make her laugh but

kind of make her think we might be a bit

cool which of course we're not.

>> Have you sent her the song? Did you hear

it?

>> Oh, I sent it. the song. But um and she

was she it did make her smile.

>> Yeah.

>> And um she was very very good about it

cuz it could be really really set

yourself up for one of the most awkward

things of all time. She's just like,

"Yeah, this is great, mate." But if I'm

really honest,

>> we we we wouldn't have put it out.

Although we're saying now we'll we'll

call it Santa Rosalia because she's

named after a saint from the 16th to

17th century who

uh lived in a cave and the cave was

named after a sparkling water San

Pelgro. Just saying get out of here.

>> Yeah, we could have just changed the

direction of the song. Who is this

Rosalia? We wouldn't do that. Let's talk

about the creating of this record, you

know, because

one of the things I love about the

scrappinesses of it is it feels very

much and again not to bring us back to

being here and what the anniversary

means and everything, but it feels like

the four of you are staring at each

other while you're at least while you're

writing these songs, maybe even playing

these songs in the studio. It's it's

like all right, it's live in all the

right ways. Is that fair to say?

>> I think so. um small rooms.

>> We we we're lucky because each of us has

such a idiosyncratic

personality that when we play on the

same piece of music, it's always us. And

that gives us great uh freedom to start

a piece of music from somewhere very odd

and unusual with the knowledge that as

that piece of music is developed and

arranged and performed that it'll

eventually just sound like us. So um the

process

>> Yeah. is fascinating, you know, and we

had a lot of material going into this um

recording because we von and I'd been

experimenting with writing for maybe

other speculative projects. I've been

working on a lot of stuff just to

generate some music during the co

lockdown. So we had all this this I

would say half finished quarter finished

stuff but then the process of really

kind of bringing it to fruition was so

much fun. And um as you say everyone

really got the chance to really shine I

think in in the way this record came

together and you really hear what we are

about you know as as musicians and and

and

writers as as on this record.

>> You know, Adam, for you, I'd love to

know what you're most proud of in this

record as a fan of the music you make,

not just as a player of it.

>> Well, that's um

that's that's a big one. Um, I think

probably what I like most about it is we

were able to make this record the way

some of the my most favorite records are

made, which is really it's the four

instruments with great parts that fit

together. And there's something I mean,

the illusion of it being quick is, you

know, it'd be lovely if it was quick.

It's not as never as quick as you

>> ever done a quick album ever. But it it

has the illusion of being it has that

fresh

zero boy probably the

>> Oh yeah. Yeah. Fast. But

>> uh and you know that's what I'm proud

of. That's what I like is is that you

know we bring

kind of what we've developed over 50

years of playing together whatever that

is. and and you can't think about it too

much or whatever, but it it gives us the

confidence to leave the material

finished rather than keep tinkering with

it.

>> The world around us was in a bit of a

spin. And

>> your world or the world?

>> The world?

>> The world.

>> And so that's an understatement. and the

we we wanted to get to some sort of

weightlessness and not be sort of

boedied down by the gravity of it but

yet we were writing songs about what was

going on in the world.

>> Yeah, I wouldn't say that you know

American obituary is weightless. I think

that's very beautifully heavy.

>> So that's what Larry saying is we got

that we you know Renee Good was killed

that week. We were we we couldn't talk

about anything else. We put it up and

but all the songs what was going on in

in in in the Middle East, we just these

songs they they came out which allowed

us to then approach the carnival with

the the light. You see light is not just

luminescence.

It's lightness.

>> Sure. and lightness of touch, you know,

um to be light on your feet.

>> But you know that this is this is an

album and two EPs that ultimately will

will sit in people's collection or

perhaps at some point even in in a in a

tangible way as a double album.

>> And if you look at it in the order in

which it's intended, which I believe

according to the religious calendar,

carnival,

>> ash lily.

>> Yes.

>> Yeah. It doesn't end. It it starts with

light. That's right.

>> But then we find ourselves under

>> the wilderness, go through the 40 days

in the desert, whatever.

>> And then you come out at Easter is the

thought.

>> Yes.

>> And you find some renewal, rebirth,

>> and and I mean it's it's just a great

narrative arc for a story of any kind.

>> We're just starting the story at the

end.

>> But I think in terms of the storytelling

is you start with the end, then you

retell it.

>> That's why we read them over and over

again. And it made perfect sense

obviously because the album is the focus

of our our concert of next year. So to

have it come out later in the in in the

phase was was I think the right call.

>> There's a few of those songs that going

to kick your ass. Try and get in that

set list though on those EPs. American

Obituary wants to be heard I think in

that set in that set list. It's also an

album that represents our relationship

with Jack Knife Lee. I think it had

gotten to a point where we understood

each other. He knew what we wanted to do

and he was great at keeping us on track

and, you know, a lot of the sounds on

the record are sounds that, you know, he

worked on

>> and he bonded very well with Brian. You

know, it was a was a real I think is a

similar spirit. And so when Brian was

around with his with his it was a little

bit of what's he doing

>> with those those knobs and Brian doesn't

like um to repeat himself or or whatever

Steve was just doing and we were saying

just catch that while while that's going

down can we and then one of one of the

other thing that Brian likes to do is to

do what they would be kind of it's not

just unusual time signatures but he

likes an uneven amount of bars. So, it's

really difficult

>> to um find melodies, but when you find

them, you're never going to get bored

with them.

>> By keeping it light and uh all about

following the inspiration, letting the

music kind of guide us,

>> I think we got to some very unusual

places, which is always fun for us.

That's

>> when things get too conventional, I

think we we start to twitch. you know,

this this collection of songs were from

the get-go just something we were

excited by cuz we'd never heard anything

like it.

>> Torn is

a lot in all [snorts] the great ways. I

mean, it it really is. It's

ah it's just such a um beautiful vocal

>> and uh obviously in light of the sadness

of Dolly Parton no longer being with us

on this earthly in this earthly realm

>> um it it it brings a whole new

spirituality I think to that being her

final recording. I didn't realize until

very recently either that she had

started the song

>> and you and you had helped finish the

song.

>> Yeah.

>> I thought you had brought her a complete

song. So I'd love that story if you

wouldn't mind sharing that.

>> Yeah. No, we we had a a couple of ideas

for a different project um more sort of

Celtic um Irish folk project that we

were looking at exploring like a like a

uh yeah passengers based with on Irish

traditional musicians and some

experimentation with with Brian Eno and

we'd worked with uh Johnny McDade, Ed

Sheeran, that's how he ended up at at

the pub with us. So I I I I got in touch

with her and we were discussing some of

the songs just her and I across the

phone line. One of the songs was called

Lifelong. I think it was kind of like a

Marian song like like a wedding song.

And and she said that's a little too

Irish for me if you don't mind. And and

I'm from the Appalachians, aren't you?

Old Scots Irish. She said, "Yeah, yeah,

yeah, yeah. But I just I'm talking about

my voice and and she said, "I got a song

started called

Torn now. You can take it somewhere

else." And I might like to see where you

could take it or some something like

that. And and it arrived in it was quite

traditional and we we and we really took

it somewhere else. I was really

surprised that she

ran with it. That's because not only was

it sort of, you know, not just American

families, but you, you know, arguing at

the kitchen table and two brothers not

speaking and you know, had some real

friction of the times in it. Um, this

idea of u division being planted in

discourse, right? It's not actually

necessarily supposed to be. It's been

planted in there.

>> That's it. As well as the subject matter

taking a turn, the the production, which

was very um very abstract.

>> It's circular. It's the circular thing

you're talking about.

>> Yeah. And and that's why I was surprised

that she she ran with it and she sang it

like

She she just took flight.

>> Yeah.

>> And and

>> amazing vocal.

>> And she was ill at the time. We didn't

know how ill, of course. And she got out

of bed to sing this song. And

and it it it meant a lot to us um at the

time just knowing she was ill that she

would even consider doing something with

us. Did I tell you this? We're with

Michael Stip who's, you know, himself

one of the great singers of ever.

>> Mhm.

>> Singer from OM. The great OM. The

extraordinary.

>> The much missed and can you just get

your [ __ ] together, Arian? If I could be

really honest with the world.

>> Yeah.

>> And

>> just one more time would be really nice,

wouldn't it? You know,

>> he he's got an extraordinary solo um

flight to come and it will be

extraordinary. But we happened to be

traveling together in a van when

[snorts] I got the call

and it was like it physically hit him

and he he he kind of fell a bit and he

he he just he was in a like a

he just he just wept.

And I realized cuz he's from the south,

the significance of of her voice, I

guess if you're an American.

And then of then it then the wave hit us

all in the days that followed of just

what exactly the what we'd lost. And

then of course what are we going to do?

And I think the family and the the the

ma management there was talk of you know

putting it out immediately but it just

didn't feel right. Mortality is a it

does it is a word that is an an

inevitable part of life and we

especially when we see people that have

raised us through their music or people

who we admire it is the order of things.

>> Yeah.

>> Um it happens to every family. It

happens to everybody. Um, and it happens

to every band. And you know, the only

thing that's kind of in slight contrast

to the kicking and screaming banshee

nature of this record is the fact that

you've gone there a few times. You know,

greatest show on earth may not be that

literal, but it feels like a mourning of

some description to me when I hear it.

>> It started out with Brian, you know, Ed

had done this incredible work on. Then

Larry came in and did this again. I

think really innovative stuff. And

[snorts] Adam, you kind of came in later

with the the the bass stuff, but it it

it had already had this very strong

atmosphere

and I was we're wrestling with what it

was to be called and what was the song

about originally. was titled Cathedral

and it was a kind of it was a song about

really the female form and the this line

um the greatest show on earth turns up

and I wasn't sure that I could sing

something like that and [clears throat]

>> why

>> and it and I like the irony of the once

we were the greatest show on earth. We

were once the greatest show on earth,

but I I thought it was ex accepting

the end and and I wasn't sure I could go

there and

with the relationship I was writing

about or the band or the the lyric in

the centers is really about the church.

>> The church was the greatest show on

earth. shows up here.

>> Micro to macro.

>> Yeah. And it was um I think it goes, "Is

that a smile or a tear?

Is it all show business here?" The

cinema that is stained glass. You're at

the altar at our wedding mass. Is this a

church of love or fear? Have we made God

feel like a stranger here? Yeah.

>> And so the greatest show on earth is is

about the end of something

>> and and a kind of mourning as you as as

you point out. But I still wasn't ready

to go there

>> until I saw Baz Lurman's

um film Epic um uh the story Elvis

Presley in in concert

>> and Elvis is singing you've lost that

love and feeling and it's an amazing

performance the oporadic Elvis and I

realized that song is no way about the

end of something you can't write that

if if it is not filled with the absence

of a person that you are missing so much

that you cannot let them go and

at that moment I went in sang it I don't

think any of us including me thought it

was a good idea

until I sang it and then suddenly the

whole song just went

>> forward like that.

>> Yeah. One of the one of the main themes

I think of of the record is is

acknowledgment that certain things are

coming to an end.

>> Mhm.

>> And that you can look at that as a very

fearful and and and

an anxietyinducing

reality or you can see it as the

opportunity for something new to come.

And when we were formed as a band 50

years ago, it seemed like we're in a

very similar situation. We had recently

come out of the Vietnam War. The uh

Europe was in an economic doldrum

because of the oil crisis. Unemployment

was everywhere. Punk rock arrives and

punk rock is basically tearing things

down. It's it's the end of a phase of

music and and and it's kind of the

beginning of nealism and it's it's

anarchy, right? Anarchy in the UK.

That was the very moment we arrived and

to us it was this the door had opened

with an opportunity to try and start

finding something new to say some new

direction. I think right now it's like

we got back to that moment. Yeah. And

I'm fascinated to see what's going to

happen because I know certain things

won't survive.

>> Yeah.

>> Certain things are kind of on the way

out.

>> Yeah.

>> Uh we hope it's not democracy. We hope

democracy survives but it's under

assault all over the world.

Authoritarianism is rising.

>> We hope it's not rooms like this and

instruments like that and musicians like

you. Well, the first thing that goes

though, the humor. They can't the

fascists don't like people taking the

piss out of them.

>> When's art next?

>> Um, then art and and music. It's always

it's always that.

>> What I love about this whole new era of

you, too, is I feel like you're in it

for the fight. You're in it for the

fight. And I and I and we welcome that,

>> you know, with the music that you're

making and how you going to take this on

tour and do it. Yeah,

>> that's the real challenge is can you

stare the darkness in the face and still

choose joy

>> like choose the light at the end of the

song. Yeah.

>> And that's the defiance I think that

we're interested in is you don't ignore

what's going on.

>> You take it on board and you still find

the the way to celebrate what's positive

and look to the future in a in a

positive way. Because right now there's

so much uh dispondency

around created by all kinds of things

just so

>> defiance is important and that's I think

what we're interested in is is finding a

way to to push back against all that.

>> No such thing as rock and roll. We just

needed it to be was standing in the

schoolyard waiting for you to happen to

me. This is really hard.

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