Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
There's not all that much to tell really. I'm Ross and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. Not long out of school and I'm lacking direction if I'm honest. A disastrous last few years in school coupled with my longing for a break from education have pushed me in the direction of getting a job for the next few years. At least until I feel like going back down the academic route. Something good has recently come up and I'm expecting to be employed within the next month or so.
How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
My earliest memory of U2 was the result of my dad. U2 had released a free CD which was distributed by a newspaper, and it contained a few live tracks. The track "New York" was what really captivated me though. I played that CD to death. To this day I cannot fully explain what it is about U2 that excites me. I hear their music and particularly their live music in a different way from any other band I've ever come across. These days my love for them honestly starts to feel like an addiction. I have never smoked, but I imagine it feels a lot like this.
Did you ever have a special U2 experience like a live concert? Can you tell us something about it?
I've never been to a U2 show, I'm ashamed to admit. Kieran went to Croke Park back in 2009. I wasn't jealous at all. I certainly didn't send him hateful, angry text messages while he was in Ireland. No, definitely not.
Where do you most prefer to listen to U2?
I find myself listening to an increasingly high number of shows while I'm at the gym actually. I actually listened to all of this week's round table show whilst running like hell on one of those god awful treadmills.
My absolute favourite place though is still at home with my nice headphones. Preferably while everyone is out.
What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised?
Long answer: It's not vast in comparison to many of yours but I'm somewhat proud of it. I have most of their albums on vinyl, all the CDs of course, a few books, some posters, my Achtung Baby gold disc, two pairs of sunglasses, a few T-shirts, and don’t forget about all the live DVDs. Short answer: I’ll take an updated picture and post it in the relevant thread shortly after this topic goes live.
Can you tell us one song (U2 or not) that you wish you had written?
Very interesting question. Probably Mysterious Ways. U2 have written many more meaningful songs that speak to me truly, but Mysterious Ways is just such a fun song and certainly one of my favourites. It holds a special place with me just for being so unique. For me it symbolizes perfectly their dramatic turn in the 90s.
What is your favorite U2 book, and why?
U2 Show. Perhaps you might consider that cheating since it's mainly a photo book but for me, the live content of U2 is their centrepiece. U2 Show takes you through the live era's up to the Elevation tour with text but also with magnificent images. I particularly enjoyed Willie Williams' napkin sketch of the Elevation stage. It's amazing how similar the final design was to that initial sketch. I have U2 by U2 sitting here and I really need to get around to reading that. I just received Steve Jobs' biography though and I want to get through that first. U2 by U2 is supposed to be great read.
Does anyone in your family or one of your friends like U2? If so, did they introduce you to U2, or did you "convert" them?
As I mentioned previously my dad is into U2 and has been since about the War era. Up until very recently he still had his War tour T-shirt. He cut the sleeves off just to make it last a few more years. Around twelve years ago his sister met U2 in an airport (very apt given the era
) and got Bono's autograph for him. It's still here sitting in a frame. Apparently His sister got Bono on the phone but my dad bottled it and refused to speak. Anyway, he was a vital part of my initial interest in U2. I have to admit though that my obsession greatly outweighs his at this point. You have our very own KieranU2 to thank for that one. He's the reason I'm on this site and he's the reason I have nearly 1TB of bootlegs. Having someone to play guess the lyric with really makes social education classes go much faster.How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
Call me dull but I can't think of any other bands that can captivate me so completely with their live playing. That's what I enjoy in music. Anyone can make an album worth listening to, but playing in front of a crown 80,000 large is no small feat. I rekindled my love for Pink Floyd recently though. Finally got around to buying The Dark Side of The Moon on vinyl and it blew me away. Some albums deserve nothing less than to be pressed on those magical, spinning black discs.
What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
I'm massively into technology. I obsess over anything with a screen. I try my best to spend time with my camera. I know that's a subject right in the hearts of many of our members and I'm glad to be a part of a site with one of the best photography threads around. I can't compare with many of my fellow members' results but I do love taking photos. I recently tried turning my hand to a bit of coding as well, and well... we shall see how that turns out. Couple that with regular visits to the gym to stop myself turning into a pile of goo and you pretty much have this question sussed.
I may have kind of sort of suggested parts of Kieran's "Fan of the month" interview for his year book profile, so I expect that he's never going to let me forget this now...
Oh well, thanks for reading, everyone!
Thanks for this interview Ross1441!
Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
