U2 turns 50 today, and you’ve probably heard a lot about it already. There’s too much to say about the band in general and I get overwhelmed at the mere thought of trying to write it all down now, but I want to mark the occasion with a few personal observations about my favorite U2 member, the unsung Adam Clayton.
My first exposure to U2 was the video for “The Unforgettable Fire” about 40 years ago. I was intrigued, although it wasn’t until the video for “With Or Without You” came out a few months later that I fell in love. The first time I saw it, everyone was recognizable with the exception of that sinewy, shorn-headed, bespectacled man. I thought the band had gotten a new bass player because he didn’t look much like the be-mulleted blond who stares down the camera rather intensely as he and Larry Mullen, Jr. descend the stairs in the UF video. Maybe it was the haircut, the lack of a heavy coat, the new glasses, or maybe I was just not particularly good at facial recognition. I would soon see that Adam is the chameleon of the band as I dove into every piece of media I could find, and I was happy to learn that it was all the same members from the beginning. That consistent bond is special and you can’t manufacture it.
Keeping the same members for 50 years is practically unheard of for anything, especially a rock band. Each of the four has been my favorite at different times. It started with Larry when I was 13; it’s not just that I thought he was the cutest, I also have an affinity with drummers. During the Achtung Baby and Zoo TV era I was enamored with Bono and his alter egos, the Fly and Mr. MacPhisto. In the Zooropa times, it was all about the Edge. By the time Pop came out, Adam had firmly established himself as my favorite and he still is to this day.
Both times when I’ve managed to get close to the stage at a U2 show, I’ve stood on Adam’s side. One time I could swear he looked right at me, and I know how that sounds.
Bass parts tend to leap out at me in most of the music I love, and I had a brief fling with trying to play the instrument. In the ‘90s I bought a used bass guitar. I taught myself two bass lines before moving on to another interest like I tend to do: U2’s “With Or Without You” and Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control.” Eventually I decided that I’m more of a singer than an instrument player, but I will always respond to the rhythm.
From the way he can work a dress, or that photo on the Achtung Baby album cover, or that Poptart t-shirt on the PopMart tour, and even the current mustache, I think Adam Clayton is the coolest one and he makes it look effortless. (I still berate myself for not buying that Poptart t-shirt at the show. Consider this my way of throwing out a plea to the universe that I might get my hands on one someday.)
Happy birthday, U2!
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