Foggy Memories
I’m not sure how many of you have read the article from the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages, but something struck me funny reading it….were U2 really pot smokers in the early 80s?
The article quotes longtime Sam’s/First Avenue DJ Roy Freedom: “They asked me and [fellow DJ] Kevin [Cole] to come back to the dressing room, because they hadn’t met any American kids on their tour. I think they thought this was going to be their only shot in America. We smoked pot with ‘em and talked about music and had a good time.”
That quote could be taken several ways: did Freedom & Cole smoke while the band didn’t? Did the band not inhale? Was the whole band involved?
What was also telling was the following quote: “They were like the nicest Catholic school boys you could meet,” recalls Wilson. “They talked about chess; they were really into chess. They gave us their beer. They didn’t drink.”
We know not everyone was catholic, the band did enjoy a drink, and we also know that Bono’s the chess enthusiast in the group.
It’s interesting how foggy people’s memories get…I know U2 themselves have had a lot of things said about them, most of which they don’t comment or give a rebuttal about. However, given the band’s reputation and Adam’s history on such substances, this topic is a more sensitive one - so these quotes shouldn’t be thrown around lightly by people remembering the past. It’s also telling that the journalist for the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages didn’t bother to ask any kind of follow-up question or do some homework on the topic before this went to print.
DonnaU2fan said,
September 23, 2005 @ 12:55 pm
I thought the exact same thing when I read the article. We — the hardcore/true fans — know more about the band so we can recognize these instances of suspect “reporting.” But for people who don’t follow the band so closely, it damages the band’s reputation unjustly. I think it is highly irresponsible “journalism.”
Watts said,
September 23, 2005 @ 9:38 pm
Yeah, it seems odd they weren’t drinking
People smoked pot back in the 80’s, too, and though U2 doesn’t endorse this, you’d have to be pretty naieve to think that they haven’t all done it at some point. I don’t see how this dubious, 20+ year old, pot-smoking revelation could damage the band’s reputation, I mean, they’re rock stars, right?
Roeli said,
September 24, 2005 @ 7:26 am
I remember an old interview from the eraly nineties, which I can’t find right now, where at least one of the band members rows across the river from the studio, taking in a joint….