U2.COM : 'The Job Of Art'

Dorian Lynskey's interview with the band in The Observer newspaper in the UK today, is a great read. Here's some  highlights.

On the album release through iTunes
''We were already annoying people, it was already divisive, it was already, 'I can't stand them, I want to kill them.' It's the job of art to be divisive.' (Bono)

'I absolutely had my doubts about it before we did it, and after, but it was the right thing to do. It was an opportunity that will only ever come around once for anybody. I don't think anyone would want to do it again.' (Edge)

'The plan wasn't to be controversial. In today's world there is so much chatter, so in order to get through the chatter I'm afraid we are destined to make a very loud noise ourselves.' (Adam)

On Losing A Mother
'If someone were to do an analysis of the singers and writers in rock'n'roll, you'd be shocked by how many lost their mother. You're just at the age where you're discovering girls and the woman who brought you into the world exits stage left in a very dramatic way. But what's more interesting is the rage that follows grief. Where do you put it? Music arrives in my life as an emancipation and punk rock gives me a place to howl. It's literally turning your shit into gold records.' (Bono)

'Everything I thought that would be was no longer. Everything was broken, Like home, that was just gone, everything was gone. So my thing was to find somewhere else to go. I needed another family and the band became that for me and it was a refuge. ...'   (Larry)

On Punk
'People were either turned on by it or completely repulsed. It was something that defined you.  It makes me start to twitch when music is smooth, like a beautiful soundtrack to your life. Music has become wallpaper, a commodity, something going on in the background. That's why I love Kanye West because he's like, 'Take this! I'm with him. Let's not make it comfortable...' (Edge)

On Being In A Band
'The reason that  we do this is because we are incomplete and being in the band allows people who are slightly broken to feel fixed for that period of time.' (Larry)

On Being In The Middle of A Howling Argument
'Why do I write songs about political violence? Where is that coming from. It's very disturbing to think that my teenage life was largely dominated by memories of violence and that my worldview was shaped by that. It might mean some sort of psychological flaw in me, but I feel most comfortable in the middle of the biggest, noisiest, most chaotic howling argument.' (Bono)