Just got a press release from across the hall and it’s going to be something I’ll make an effort to listen to as Larry (the one on the left) is a complete ledgebag and one of the nicest guys in the biz…

RTÉ Music

WHEN LARRY MET LARRY ON RTÉ 2FM

Tune in to RTÉ 2fm this Sunday at 4pm to hear Larry Gogan interviewing U2 drummer Larry Mullen. Recorded in the Marine Hotel in Sutton, Larry Mullen talks to the RTÉ 2fm DJ about what it took to get U2 back into a studio again to make the new album, how the music business has changed over the years, how his dad got him into his first band and what music fans can expect of the new show from the biggest live band on the planet.

It’s no secret Larry Mullen has a lot of time for Ireland’s best known DJ and with each new U2 album the drummer always reserves a little bit of extra time in his hectic schedule to talk exclusively to Larry Gogan.

You can download the full interview on RTÉ 2fm on Sunday and check out The Two Larrys podcast, available this weekend.

Larry Mullen on recording the new album:

“Bono was away and, on all those very long plane journeys over various continents, he gets an opportunity to write a lot of lyrics, that’s what he spends of lot of his time doing.”

On stage:

“On stage for many years there are moments where certain songs change the atmosphere in the room. The one song that does that consistently is “Where the Streets Have No Name”. It’s one of those great moments. It always makes me laugh thinking of Brian Eno trying to burn the tape because he couldn’t get his head around the song”.

On the new live shows:

“It’s like a spaceship…and I know we’ve done spaceships before and walked out of citrus fruits! But this allows us to be placed close to the centre of the stadium. It hasn’t been done before. Essentially it’s trying to bring the band closer to the audience and that’s the challenge.”

On the music business:

“The music business has changed so dramatically now. It’s not about how many albums you sell. People don’t buy albums, it’s about individual songs. Its very difficult for young bands, they end up having to do things and sell themselves in a way that would have just been offensive when we were starting out.”