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"I don't find interviews easy. All the introspection involved isn't good for you." -- Edge, 2000 |
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"I don't find interviews easy. All the introspection involved isn't good for you." -- Edge, 2000 |
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@U2 QOM March 2009: Happy birthday, Adam!And in honor of our favorite bassist, what's your favorite moment (musical or otherwise) from Adam?
@U2,
April 01, 2009
(Each month, @U2 puts a spotlight on U2 fans with our "Question of the Month." We pose a question to our readers and invite answers of 200 words or less. If you're interested in taking part, check our home page to see if the current question is still open. If not, check back shortly after the beginning of next month and we'll have another question ready to be answered!) -- Anita Smith I've always been a fan since "Out of Control" and "New Year's Day" of Mr. Clayton's thumping! I have been to over 50 shows and on the last 2 tours I was able to get into the heart and the bomb. At 6'3 I am a jumping freak during the entire show and Adam noticed me a few times...I think. During the last show, Adam stopped as he was walking the catwalk, knelt down and gave me a handshake. He said thanks for coming to our shows! It is one of my favorite U2 moments! -- Jono Bono's Hall of Fame speech says it all.... "Third Kodak moment. 1987. Somewhere in the south. We'd been campaigning for Dr. King, for his birthday to become a national holiday. In Arizona , they are saying no. We're campaigning very hard for Dr. King. Some people don't like it. Some people get very annoyed. Some people want to kill us. Some people are taken very seriously by the FBI. They tell the singer that he shouldn't play the gig because tonight his life is at risk, and he must not go on stage. And the singer laughs. Of course we're playing the gig. Of course we go onstage, and I'm singing "Pride (In the Name of Love)" -- the third verse -- and I close my eyes. And you know, I'm excited about meeting my maker, but maybe not tonight. I don't really want to meet my maker tonight. I close my eyes and when I look up I see Adam Clayton standing in front of me, holding his bass as only Adam Clayton can hold his bass. There are people in this room who'd tell you they'd take a bullet for you, but Adam Clayton would have taken a bullet for me. " -- Dan in NJ While I was watching U23D, Adam really caught my eye more than he ever had before. He just seemed so centered. Our favorite jazzman has gone through a lot, but it looks like he's reached a really good place. And what do I admire most about him? Hands down, it is his humility. He is always graciously giving the credit to others, and that is such an attractive trait. I think all of us who post to the @U2 forum thread entitled "Adam Appreciation" would agree. After all, his thread has more hits than any of the other band members' threads do! -- Katie Adam moment: when he's on stage, gosh if he looks at you! Your heart stops, your mouth goes dry and you can't breathe. Then after the shock you feel really happy...He's soooooo cute! FELIZ CUMPLEANOS MR. SEXY! -- Grace At one of the Vertigo concerts, my sister and I witnessed a VERY voluptuous brunette approaching the rail near Adam. Adam smiled down and nodded approvingly as she set up camp right beneath him. What a funny moment. Of course, watching him groove to the tunes is always momentous. -- Debbie Broadman & Michelle Benvenisti My favorite Adam "moment" is his inspirational story. He has overcome many challenges in his life and discovered his true self in the process. His life is a reminder to me always to keep going and to pursue the things I love, no matter what. Happy birthday, Adam!!! -- Elisabeth Deaton In the "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" video, near the end, the entire band starts singing along. There is a shot of Adam and he is joyfully singing the chorus. He has a huge smile on his face. Then, he casually, playfully, walks out into the street with a bottle of champagne and looks back at the camera with a shrug as if to say, " What the hey, I'm here to have a good time." This is what should be called, "The Adam Swagger." Here in this moment, Adam is at peace with who he is and what he is doing. The Adam Swagger...something we could all benefit from. -- Matt Catalano When they won a Grammy and were presented the award in a pub in Dublin. Phil Collins was the presenter and Adam said, "Thanks Phil. Our parents have all your records!" -- Christopher Nottleman My favorite Adam moment was captured for all eternity in the Zoo TV: Live From Sydney concert film. Towards the end of "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car", Bono yells "DADDY'S GONNA PAY!" and an explosion rips across the back of the stage, shooting fake money into the air high above the crowd. If you look closely, you'll see that the explosion catches Adam COMPLETELY by surprise! I'm pretty sure he wet his drawers just a little bit. I just get a kick out of knowing that even the biggest, baddest band in the world get scared by loud noises. I could watch it over and over again! -- Ben Estes, Chicago October 1998 I found myself in Dublin, visiting the HQ recording studios for some days. Everyday I went there with my rented pushbike around noon. Every band member would arrive between 1200 and 1400 hours. In those days they had to park their car outside the studio, it wasn't until later they bought the house next to the studio so they could drive their cars directly in the house nearby. I went visiting Dublin all day after they went in, and came back later in the evening, when they were leaving, sometimes around 1900 hrs... Sometimes around 2300 hrs... I even refused a lift from Bono with his Mercedes because I didn't want somebody to steal my rented bike. Big mistake, I have to admit now! One evening, U2 was inside; suddenly a car came to the studios, stood there for a moment and left. A while later, it came back. Somebody got out and put something on Adam's car, on the thing you use to clean the windows in front. He didn't knock on the door or say anything to me. The car left and I saw it was a little box attached to a watch. It seemed very strange...One hour later, Adam came out and I said somebody put something on his car, and it looked like a bomb. I wasn't keen on touching the stuff, Adam wasn't keen on touching it, but Adam went over to his car, me behind his back and after a while, he touched it and there was no explosion. It just was a message for him, in a very strange funny way. If it was a bomb, he would have probably saved my life, because I was too chicken to touch it first and let him do it. -- Tom Vanderpoorten, Brussels, Belgium When he is made to dress like a woman for the "One" video and loves every moment of it. (U2 At the End of the World, Bill Flanagan) Rock on! -- Patricia Well...they are so many...he has so many great bass guitar performances that becomes hard to select one...Even so, I think that my favorite moment is his performance in U23D There we could see that he seems so well, so focused, so good...really good. I really don't know, but seems like he grew up, he became more mature and secure...now it really seems that he knows what he wants. To the greatest bassist of all -- I really HOPE you had have a nice day. -- Marta Luisa, from Portugal Hands down his ultra-cool intro bass line on "New Years Day"! As Steve Lillywhite said on NPR Radio, "when you pick up a guitar, you play the riff on "Smoke on the Water", and when you pick up a bass, you play "New Year's Day". Take it from me, I play bass! -- Rob Pretty much all Adam moments are my favorite Adam moment. But I've really been digging the new moves he's been showcasing lately, with the super head bob and exaggerated bass swing. (And also, that video from U2.com with the bathrobe...pretty good moment there >+O [<--swoon emoticon]). -- A.S. My favorite Adam moment was when I met him in the lobby of Crunch Fitness (Buckhead area of Atlanta/Nov '01). We chatted for 5 minutes...he was lovely! -- Carol Adam is the silent assassin in the band. I would have to say my favorite is the bass beat to "With or Without You", but I think the walk through the crowd in Mexico sticks as well, before getting on stage. Happy birthday, Adam. -- Ido F. The sight of Adam using his camera phone to record the moment when Bono mischievously massaged Sally Bowles' neck and shoulders at she read the traffic report on Chris Evans' Drive Time show. The idea that Adam, who lives these very public moments under the scrutiny of the TV and press, likes to capture such things on his own phone to relive at a later time shows a real down-to-earth person. A simple fun act I can identify with. -- Martin Putnam Adam posing nude on the inside cover of Achtung Baby!!! -- Amanda Guillot Mine is from the ZooTV: Live From Sydney DVD, during "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car". As the pyrotechnics go off, fake money explodes into the air, and it scares the heck out of Adam. He goes into a full crouch just as the editing goes to another angle. Either he didn't know what was coming, forgot, or just has shaky nerves. It's funny stuff. -- Michael Fetterer, Norwalk, CT When it comes to Mr. Posh, I have to say that Adam's top moments have always been fashion statements. These three immediately come to mind: October - that blonde fro is SWEET. Reeeeeeeeejoice! Joshua Tree - fashion-forward wife-beaters that showed off his guns (uber-weenies like me found hope that sometimes weaklings can be cool too) Zoo TV tour - platinum blonde faux hawk. Ever the savvy businessman, after the tour wrapped, he sold the rights to said coif to Twisted Sister front man Dee Snyder. Sadly, after more than 15 years Mr. Snyder hasn't found another buyer. Have a beautiful day. -- Jeff I meant to write this back when the U2: A Diary book was being compiled. Everyone writes how their 1984 show in Detroit was scary and, dare I say it, out of control; but it provided me with my favorite U2 memories. Despite what was said in U2: A Diary about the band skipping backstage activities following the show, the fans were still able to meet and chat with the boys outside the theater. Adam was the first one out and I recall him on the sidewalk, reclining against a station wagon at the curb, and holding a small cordial of red wine. Someone asked him where The Edge was; and Adam replied, perfectly deadpan, "The Edge...is in his underpants." Later on, when The Edge finally came outside, another person rushed up to ask him if he was wearing underwear. I assume The Edge had no idea why this question was asked, but he replied equally deadpan, "I am, but I'm about to prove it." (P.S.: We got to chat with Bono too. But Larry ran through us too quickly, heading straight for the bus.) -- I8B4IFlew I think that Adam's best moment was when there were threats against Bono at Sun Devil Stadium back in the 80's, and he went and put himself in front of Bono. I wasn't there that day but the first time I heard that I almost started crying. I am sure that if I would have been there I would have. To me that is when you know how close the boys are to each other and nothing can break that bond. Also that is one of the greatest things a person can do for another, to give their own life so that others may live. Thankfully it didn't have to get to that point but I gained a tremendous amount of respect for Adam after learning about that experience. It is even more incredible because it seemed like there wasn't even a question in his mind whether to do that or not, it was just something he needed to do. Adam, Happy Birthday buddy, you are such a sweetheart and I really look forward to the day when I can "see you again"! -- Elsha Stockseth Four years ago, I bought my first bass guitar after being captivated by the rhythms of "New Year's Day", "Do You Feel Loved" and "In A Little While", and I took on learning it like nothing I had before. I had found something in the instrument that deeply resonated with who I was. Week to week I was trying to better myself, listening to as many players as possible in an attempt to master the instrument. I listened to virtuosos like Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten, took lessons and read up on theory, but I still wasn't happy with where I was as a player. I was beginning to become frustrated, and I didn't know why. Any bass line I wanted to play, I could, from U2 to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Primus, but something was still missing. It was about this time that after a long, long wait, the Vertigo Tour came to Australia. My girlfriend and I waited in the scorching sun all day to secure our place inside the horseshoe, and when the time finally came to make the mad dash for the stage, we aimed for the right side runway, native land of Bono, and one Adam Clayton. Success! We stood right against the barrier, mid way along the inner side of the runway. And as the euphoria fell over me, I screamed like a schoolgirl as Bono walked past, close enough to touch. Halfway through the show, the band ripped into "New Year's Day", and that meant it was time for Adam Clayton to take a walk. So there he was, the man who inspired me to pick up the bass, standing right in front of me, playing the bass line that made me notice bass in the first place. He held the head stock of his bass out to the crowd, and I managed to put a finger to it. And that was when I remembered why I got into music in the first place. The feeling, not the speed, not the technical prowess. In U2, joy comes from short words, ringing notes and simple, but infectious rhythms. So thank you, Mr. Clayton. For inspiring me. For giving me joy. For doing the least you need to in order to get the greatest emotional response. Happy Birthday. -- Dean Law
(c) @U2/individual contributors above, 2009.
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Can we start calling Adam the "Silver Fox"? Geeze, that pic you have up for his birthday is FANTASTIC!
