U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jnr has revealed he will need surgery if he is to continue performing.
The 61-year-old is said to be suffering the effects of a lifetime playing with the chart-topping band. In his first interview in seven years, the Dubliner told the Washington Post he needs surgery to continue to perform.
Larry said: “I have lots of bits falling off, elbows, knees, necks, and so during Covid, when we weren’t playing, I got a chance to have a look at some of these things. So, there’s some damage along the way. So, I’d like to take some time, which I will do to get myself healed.
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“I really enjoy playing and I enjoy the process of playing and being in the company of creative people. I enjoy that. I don’t care if that’s big or small. It’s a bit like a sprout looking for water.”
In the interview, Larry, who is often credited as the man who formed U2 after he pinned a note to the notice board in Mount Temple School in Dublin looking for fellow musicians, also says the dynamics in the band changed after they achieved mega stardom, adding that decisions would be made by what they called the “Politburo”. He said: “You only do this if you’re having the best time. And not everyone is going to make it because the price is so high. So I think the challenge is for more generosity. More openness to the process. I am autonomous and I value my autonomy.
“I don’t sing from the same hymn sheet. I don’t pray to the same version of God. So everyone has their limits. And you only do this if it is a great time you’re having, you know?” In the interview, U2 frontman Bono said the band have come close to breaking up on several occasions and admits some of the group’s finest work has cost them in personal relationships.
The One singer said: “We come close to breaking up much more often than you’d think. Usually after the really good albums, because they cost you in personal relationships because you’re pushing each other and get really at your elastic limit.”
The band – Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry – are close to marking 46 years together and were recently selected to be part of the prestigious 45th class of the Kennedy Center Honors for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
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