Exclusive Interview: Larry Mullen Jr.

Hit Parader Presents U2, June 01, 1992

By Kevin Connal

It had been a long time since I'd seen drummer Larry Mullen, the anchoring thunder behind U2's potent musical attack. It was a remarkably warm spring-like day, and Mullen flashed his amicable smile and quickly stuck out his hand, coupled with a warm, "Good day, mate," in a decidedly Irish brogue.

Mullen, as have all the members of U2, has improved immensely with each subsequent recording session/tour. That's a rather general statement which writers could easily make about most bands. However, none more so than U2. While there remains a simplicity in their sound, they exhibit newfound talents that border on perplexity with Achtung Baby.

To most, Mullen is the quiet member of U2. Many people accuse him of hiding behind Bono, who does appear to be a bit of a mentor to Lawrence Jr.

"Hey, if having a best friend is interpreted as hiding behind someone, then yes, I guess I'm guilty of that," Mullen says. "We are all best friends in this band. And while much of the world believes we take ourselves too seriously, it's not that way at all."

He gets a bit testy on that issue, as he continues, "If that were true, I don't think we'd have taken time off after Rattle and Hum to build our own homes and fix our own plumbing problems. We would've been wining and dining on caviar and champagne in some exotic resort, We were working class in 1978 when we formed. We were working in 1983 when we hit paydirt. But now more than ever, we are working class men. We take our work seriously. Our work is music. But we don't take ourselves seriously. That sells tabloid trash. Writers began trashing us on The Unforgettable Fire tour, saying we thought we were sort of gods and had forgotten our roots. We'll never forget our roots. That's why were in Boston, which we see as America's little Ireland, for St. Paddy's day. We've come a long way from those days to the Zoo TV tour, but we'll never forget. We know who we are and we know what we've gone through to get here."

It's hard to believe that little more than a decade ago, this Irish quartet was an American obscurity. They were in this country playing the front end of some Pretenders' gigs. There was magic in the air the night they played through a thirty-minute opening set at the Worcester Centrum. They were so stunning, in fact, that I found myself in Boston the next night checking out their midnight show at Spit.

The days of those intimate club dates are nothing more than a fond memory, as U2's current tour will rank as 1992's largest and most successful. But success hasn't changed these lads a bit. They remain earthy, nice guys (if a bit more reclusive -- by necessity), as they were when they first touched down in America so many years ago.

"We felt we were becoming a cartoon caricature instead of the complex group of individuals that really are in this band. So we decided to change what was in our power," explains Mullen.

When asked about the unusual musical textures that appear on so many new tracks, the drummer explained, "Part of it was a conscious decision to go a bit left of field, but I don't feel that's out of character with any other decisions we've ever made."

While U2 has often been called "rock's most politically correct band," it seems that on parts of Achtung Baby they have chosen to turn their backs on "causes." Mullen clarified their stance, or lack of it. "Yeah, we're misinterpreted often. It's really quite simple. We're politically aware, but non-partisan." He laughed, "We're not about to get involved in an American election or anything like that."


© Hit Parader Publications, Inc., 1992. All rights reserved.