By
Maya Akin
Elevation
is a Toronto-based U2 tribute band made up of members
Shawn Brady (as Bono), Kevin Strom (as The Edge), John
Johnstone
(as Larry Mullen Jr.), Mick Barnard (as Adam Clayton) and
Interference?s Jessica Cunningham as Elevation?s very
own belly dancer.
This
piece is based on an interview conducted by BP Fallon,
all of the questions and U2?s answers are from BP?s original
interview, the entirety of which can be viewed at http://www.bpfallon.com/u2_interview.html.
BP:
What turned you on to rock'n'roll?
LARRY:
T Rex and Slade and when I saw those guys playing and
saw drummers I said I wanna be able to do that.
JOHN:
I never went through the phase of disliking girls, so
I'd have to say that when I saw all the girls screaming
for the Bay City Rollers, I knew I had to be a rock n
roller. My question is: Where are the screaming girls?
ADAM:
Yeah, it was seeing Stiff Little Fingers in The Laurence
Hotel in about '78 when I was about 18. I loved the energy,
the excitement and the noise.
MICK:
Hearing Peter Gabriel singing "Dancing With
The Moonlit Knight.?Also, Steve Hackett's incendiary
guitar solo in that same song. Did you know he was doing
all that tapping stuff on the neck years before Eddie
Van Halen? It still has an effect on me thirty years
later. EDGE:
My first guitar, my first records from David Bowie records
to Taste records. The Beatles obviously were huge.
KEVIN:
Well it's either my brothers playing the stereo at
ear piercing volumes, cranking out Rush and Kiss every
morning before and after school, or it's hearing them
jam the Smoke on the Water riff in the basement a million
times!!
BONO:
There was a few incidents - seeing Elvis, seeing Tom
Jones - yeah! - and realising I fancied Marc Bolan
and he wasn't a girl and I thought this rock'n'roll
was quite a potion if it can do that to me 'cos I'm very
heterosexual.
BRADY: Seeing The Cult when I was 12 years
old in a small arena. I'll never forget the
rush I got from that show (which looking back, could have
been from the "funny smelling smoke" that
filled the arena). Afterwards I practiced
my guitar 4 hours per day instead of the usual 4 hours
per week. I would play along to "Sonic Temple" and
try stage moves by jumping off my bed. My
parents thought I was nuts. That show was LOUD. My ears
are still ringing.
BP:
What was the first record you actually bought? LARRY:
The re-released version of 'Space Oddity' by David
Bowie.
JOHN: I bought the single for Ebony and
Ivory. (Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney)
I told my friends it was a birthday gift for my sister.
BONO:
John Lennon's 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)'.
BRADY:
Bryan Adams? "Reckless." There
are some great tunes on that record
that have passed the test of time. I really believe "Run
To You" and "Summer of 69" are
definitive moments in Canadian rock
history.
ADAM:
I was given a lot of Beatles records and then probably
the first record that I could afford
to buy, which is when I was about twelve, was 'Jesus
Christ Superstar.?
MICK: "Selling England By The
Pound," secondhand,
for the princely sum of one UK
pound. Arguably Genesis' finest album. However, I would
like to apologise to your readers
for almost everything they recorded
after Gabriel left and Phil Collins
started singing.
EDGE:
'Mama We're All Crazee Now' by Slade.
KEVIN: I'm not
totally sure but I believe it was the 45 single
of "Sultans of Swing" by
Dire Straits. This song has the
catchiest chorus and one of the
best solos ever!
BP:
What was the first concert you were ever
at?
BONO:
There was a cabaret band that played our primary school,
the Ink Bottle in Glasnevin.
I was 8, and I never quite got
over the sound
of the drums. When we made our
first album I would have dreams about
the bass drum. Drums got me into
rock'n'roll. I mean, it was
Larry who put together U2, he
was the only one who could play and it
was enough
just to listen to his drums.
BRADY:
Tom Cochrane and Red Rider with opening act Glass
Tiger
at the Sudbury Arena in 1986.
I was 10 years old but I still
remember the vibe of that
show. I went to see Glass Tiger but I
was much
more impressed with Tom Cochrane's
showmanship and ability to connect
with a crowd. His experience really showed.
ADAM:
Rory Gallagher in The Carlton. I was into the 'Tattoo'
album,
I liked that and 'Irish
Tour 1974'. I went to a gig
in 1974, I was fourteen.
MICK:
The Stranglers in 1978 on the Rattus tour
in Hamburg,
Germany. They were brilliant.
It may still be the loudest
gig
I have ever
seen, including the utterly
deafening Motorhead the
following
year.
LARRY:
A blues concert in Trinity College.
JOHN: A Canadian
band called Triumph. New
Years Eve,
in the 1980's.
EDGE:
Horslips in Skerries in '75 or '76. Then
I saw Thin Lizzy
in Dalymount Park,
The Jam and The Clash
in theatres
around
town,
it was a great time
for concerts really.
Stiff Little
Fingers, just
great artists, Elvis
Costello, The Ramones...
KEVIN: Kiss at Maple
Leaf Gardens in Toronto
in 1980
or 81 -
I can't remember
I was only 6 or 7. Those guys
were
so cool
with
their makeup and
pyro. I remember dressing up for Halloween
as Peter
Chris, although I
used to play my plastic guitar
with "ACE" written
in black marker across
the front.
BP:
If there was an extra
six hours
per
day, what
would you
do with
it?
LARRY:
Sleep.
JOHN: Learn to
play guitar at
a high
level.
EDGE:
Sleep.
KEVIN: Too many
things to list!
There are
so many things
that
I neglect due
to work every
day
plus music
on the
weekends and
some weeknights.
BONO:
Charge interest.
BRADY:
I love to nap, so
that would
take
up 2 hours.
With
the remaining
four hours
I would
do some
song writing
of my
own, possibly
some extra running, help out
with
a good
cause and
visit
with friends
and family...can I please
have more
than
6 hours?
ADAM:
I'd get everything
done
that I
never
get
done normally,
like
checkin' in
with people,
gettin'
my
life together.
I'd
actually get my life together - I
wouldn't need
music!
MICK:
I'd just sit
on
my... OK, I'd
spend
it with my
children.
BP:
What's the best thing
about you? BONO:
My nose.
BRADY:
I am
very determined
and dedicated
and when
I put
my mind
to something
I accomplish
it. Oh,
and my
cheekbones -
I should
specify - the
one's on
my face.
ADAM:
The way
I might
look at
you.
MICK:
I can't
hold a
grudge for
long (is
that a
strength or
a weakness?)
LARRY:
My dog.
JOHN:
When I
like someone,
I'm very
loyal.
EDGE:
I don't
snore.
KEVIN:
I'm a
good-hearted person.
I treat
people with
the respect which,
I feel
I should
be given
in return.
BP:
And what's
the worst
thing about
you?
BONO:
My nose.
BRADY:
I love
eating chicken.
Anytime -
breakfast, dinner,
lunch, 3:30am....whenever.
It is
my Achilles
heel. If
there is
a Swiss
Chalet or
KFC within
smelling distance
I will
likely be
found minutes
later scarfing
down a
piece of
chicken. Don't
interrupt me
while I
am eating chicken because bad
things may
happen to
you. It
is a
good thing
I run competitively
to keep
my weight
down because
otherwise I
may have ended
up in
a Meatloaf
tribute.
LARRY:
I'm black
and white.
JOHN:
If I
don't like
someone, I
can't hide
it.
EDGE:
I'm so
single-minded
on
some things
that I
find it
hard to
keep other
things together.
When I'm
really concentrating
on an
album or tour
or something,
a lot
of other
things in
my life
get shelved.
KEVIN:
I'm stubborn,
can't say
?no? and
I give
people way
too many chances
and get
burned.
ADAM:
I'm very
bad in
the mornings,
grumpy.
I don't say
very much.
MICK:
Given the
choice,
I'd
just sit
on my
arse and
look out
of the window.
Obviously
this
is a
great
ability
to bring
to a
marriage involving
small children.
BP:
If you
were
an
animal,
which
animal
would
you
be?
ADAM:
A
giraffe.
Why?
'Cos
then
you'd
meet
other
giraffes.
MICK:
A
cat,
obviously.
My
cats
live
lives
of
pampered
luxury.
They just
sit
on
their
arses
all
day
and
look
out
of
the
window.
EDGE:
One
of
the
big
cats,
so
I
could
just
s-t-r-e-t-c-h
out
in
the sun,
a
panther
or
a
cheetah.
KEVIN:
Without
question
a
dog.
If
you
were
a
dog
in
my
house
growing up
you
were
treated
better
than
the
kids.
Ok
so
maybe
that
is
an exaggeration
but
not
by
much!
LARRY:
Aaah!
A
fly.
Because
Bono
wrote
about
a
fly
and
what's
good enough
for
Bono
is
good
enough
for
me.
JOHN:
I
agree
with
Mick.
A
cat.
What
a
life!
BONO:
A
wildebeest.
You'd
have
to
have
a
sense
of
humor
with
a
name
like
that.
BRADY:
A
lion
-
king
of
the
jungle
baby!
Pardon
the
pun
but
cats
are pussies
(did
you
hear
that
Mick
and
John?)
BP:
What
is
the
most
vulgar
thing
you
own? LARRY:
Julian
Cope's
Peggy
Suicide
and
Jehova
Kill.
JOHN:
Fart
Spray.
I
think
my
wife
hid
it
on
me
though.
EDGE:
A
Mexican
sequined
whiskey
bottle.
KEVIN:
I
don't
own
anything
vulgar,
I'm
a
good
boy!
BONO:
A
1973
canary
yellow
Ford
Cortina
with
fake
leopard
skin interior
complete
with
nodding
dog
and
furry
dice
and
me
driving
it, having
to explain
to
people
that
I
won
it
in
a
poker
game.
BRADY:
I
don't
own
anything
vulgar
-
unless "Poison" CDs
count?
I
have a
weakness
for
glam
rock
from
time
to
time.
ADAM:
A
1993
yellow
suit.
MICK:
Everything
I
own
reflects
good
taste,
though
Brady
did
leave
a pair
of
his
underpants
at
my
house
once.
Does
that
count?
BP:
What's
your
favorite
method
of
transportation?
ADAM:
Escalator.
MICK:
I've
always
liked
the
idea
of
having
a
glider.
But
you
have
to get
them
up
in
the
air
first,
don't
you?
So
I'm
nominating
a
red London
bus.
EDGE:
Train
or
fast
car.
KEVIN:
A
plane.
I
love
flying,
besides
there's
no
traffic!
Nothing beats
the
feel
of
the
plane
on
the
runway
picking
up
speed
and
then the
feel
of falling
back
as
the
nose
goes
up
and
you
sail
into
the sky.
LARRY:
Moto-Sickle.
JOHN:
I
love
driving,
but
there
can
be
absolutely
no
traffic,
and
a great
stereo
helps
also.
BONO:
An
angel's
back.
No,
make
that
blindfolded.
BRADY:
Running.
There
is
nothing
more
satisfying
than
reaching
a
level a
fitness
that
allows
for
coming
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