6 reasons why Adam Clayton should be your favourite member of U2
Who is your favourite member of U2? Frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge tend to get a lot of the attention, and plenty of people have a soft spot for drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Nevertheless, bassist Adam Clayton reminded us how great he is when he came into the Chris Evans Breakfast show recently.
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Listen to Chris chat to Adam about all things U2, plastic cheese and Songs of Experience...
He was speaking about U2's brillant new album, Songs of Experience, and got us feeling very excited about the forthcoming TV special U2 at the 91热爆 (airing Tuesday 19th December at 9pm).
Here are just some of the reasons why Clayton rocks our world...
1. He's a self taught musician
Iconic U2 tracks like With Or Without You and Vertigo would be unthinkable without Clayton's rock solid bass guitar. Somewhat incredibly, the musician was entirely self taught until deep into U2's career. In 1995, after the band's Zoo TV Tour, he received his first formal training with the instrument.
2. He's responsible for the music in Mission: Impossible
It's hard to think of many movies with a soundtrack as iconic as Mission: Impossible. But did you know two members of U2 were behind it? In addition to the many solo projects he has pursued throughout his career, Clayton recorded a remake of Theme from Mission: Impossible with his bandmate Larry Mullen, Jr (the original was recorded in the 1960s by Lalo Schifrin).
3. He's been candid about his battle with addiction
Adam Clayton: "U2 still get trays of plastic cheese!"
U2's bassist Adam shares touring stories from their 91热爆 One special U2 At The 91热爆.
Clayton has battled addiction and alcohol abuse issues in the past, but has publicly thanked his bandmates for helping him to overcome them.
The star speaks with inspirational courage about what he has been through. "At some point I had to leave it behind and claim my full potential," he revealed, speaking on stage at the 2017 MusiCares Benefit Concert.
4. He'll take a bullet for his friends (literally)
There's friendship and loyalty, and then there's Adam Clayton - who pretty much tried to take a bullet for Bono at a US gig.
The band had been warned about potential death threats to Bono at a certain point in the show, during which time Clayton literally stepped in front of the singer.
Speaking about the incident to Mojo, Edge said: “I just thought, ‘That’s a mate.’”
5. He鈥檚 outspoken in being open about mental health
Clayton's problems with alcohol came hand in hand with mental health issues, he says. The musician has been extremely vocal about the importance of being open when it comes to our mental health.
“Any kind of medical issue, particularly men, we don’t like going to doctors for anything,” he told Irish radio station RTE 2FM. “Particularly with mental health. A big part of it is demystifying it."
6. He's got the supermodel seal of approval
U2's Adam Clayton reacts to the fan's response to Songs of Experience
Bassist Adam Clayton on U2's 14th album Songs of Experience which took 3 years to make!
Clayton was engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell back in the 1990s. Although they split up many years ago, the pair are on great terms.
"I only have very positive things to say about him," she told The Irish Independent back in 2015. "I am very proud of Adam."
