"And the somewhat Eerie synth part also woke me up. Bono's vocal simply KILLED ME. I immediately bought the single when I saw it at the record store."
Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
Great question. I'll give it a poor answer. Unless you are lucky to work in the music or entertainment business, your answer to this on a fan forum may only interest a few around here. I basically work a boring office job, where only a few seem to have even a narrow interest in music. I don't know even one co-worker who has seen U2 live. At a previous job, I did find two people who had been to some of the U2 shows I have been to. One guy even went to a show before I became a fan, at the now closed Hollywood Sportatorium in 1985 in the Fort Lauderdale area. For a greater example of what I do for a living, just watch "Office Space," or either versions of "The Office." It's all there. I'm just a normal guy living in Orlando, Florida wishing I was in my hometown of Tallahassee.
How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
(long, boring answer) It was a slow, somewhat painful process. I first became aware of U2 in early 1983, as the video for "New Years Day" became a staple on MTV. I absolutely hated the song. I would even switch the channel when it came on sometimes, but would ultimately switch back, as I never liked much on TV. Later that year, MTV started showing concerts on Friday Nights, and to my disgust, the Red Rocks concert was broadcast. With nothing else on, I watched in horror, as this awful Irish band played this wretched music. It was rebroadcast later on, and again, with nothing else on, I sat through it again. I did start to notice something different about this concert. I still hated the music, but the fog and mist at the venue was quite a scene to my 14 year old eyes. This was Rock N Roll! Still, I could care less about the band. Move to 1984: I see the video for "Pride," and as someone who was quite passionate about equal rights for all, I found it compelling that a white rock band from Ireland would care to champion a black civil rights leader. I was impressed. I even kind of liked the song, but still refused to become a fan. This was still that band that played the horrible music at the cool looking concert. I dug the song to a point, but the band still failed to make any impression on me. Not even the performance at Live Aid. I remember watching it, and thought it was a great performance of a song I didn't get. (The actual answer below)In the spring of 1987, I was all excited about Prince's new album coming out, and Michael Jackson's follow up to Thriller being on the way. In fact, the Prince album was being released on 3-31-87. Just a few days before, a radio DJ announced the new U2 single. I almost switched the station, but the opening bassline caught my attention. And the somewhat Eerie synth part also woke me up. Bono's vocal simply KILLED ME. I immediately bought the single when I saw it at the record store. There was no way I would buy the album, right? Wrong. I heard the entire album in a record store, and bought it that day. Just a few months later, I bought my first cd player on my 18th birthday in June, 1987. I bought Prince's "Sign O The Times," and U2's "The Joshua Tree." Those who read my posts know that I am a diehard Prince fan who has seen him 45 times live, and have over 1,000 cds with different shows, rehearsal sessions, and outtakes. Was there room for me to be a fanatic of anybody else? Yes, there was. Taking a bus with other fans in Tallahassee, I was scared to go to Tampa for my first U2 concert, on Dec 5, 1987. I had the time of my life. I had gone back and purchased every single U2 album and had most of the singles. I was the only one in my group that knew "Spanish Eyes." I could write forever about how I loved the album, and how I saw the first showing of "Rattle And Hum" in 1988, but I'll just say I jumped on the bandwagon like everyone else in 1987, but I never left, and continued to support the band to this day. A superfan was born.
What do you think of Songs Of Innocence? What is your favourite song and why?
I intially was positive to the new album. SOI is a good album, but sadly, I think the best days are in the past for U2. I'm not counting them out. I just think that they have run their creative course. I currently rank SOI as their worst album. Just below "October." Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad album, there are some really good songs. Once you get past the intro, "California" is a great pop song. "Volcano" has some old classic U2 sounds in it. I also like how they brought "Glastonbury's" guitar in there a little bit. That song was slapped together, but the guitar lives on. My favorite song is "Every Breaking Wave." What is rare for me, is I actually prefer the acoustic version better. The 60 minutes performance is my favorite. I am a sucker for a catchy pop song, and "Wave" has the soaring Bono vocals, and the passion and slight cracking of his voice in the acoustic versions remind me of why I love U2. I always think bigger is better, and was a little sad that "The Crystal Ballroom," and "Lucifer's Hands," did not make the cut. For that matter, "Invisible" and "Ordinary Love," also belong.
Do you see U2 releasing more albums in the following years, or do you think this is their last album?
This is a tough question. As a songwriter, I have had long periods of writer's block where I thought I was done. At 45 years old, I have written some really moving pieces lately, and I doubt U2 is done. My wish is that they actually can the producers, and just make an album on their own. As a Prince fan, I like the fact that Prince has produced over 1,000 songs with no outside help. He's probably done around 50 songs with co-producers. Sure, he's a different animal altogether. Perhaps U2 could just do this on their own, and maybe get Lillywhite, Eno, and Lanois to hear the results, and offer some feedback. I'm still hopeful the Rick Rubin sessions get finished, as he really seems to have a back to basics approach they could really use. But no, U2 are not done. No matter what the final verdict on SOI is, U2 sounds hungry on SOI, and I know they want more.
In your opinion, what has been U2's defining moment and why?
Just like Prince, they have a lot of them. 1: Red Rocks. I could go on and on about this. Even when I didn't like them, it was fun to watch. In the future, anytime I mentioned myself as a U2 fan, Red Rocks came up. The bad weather gave the show the ambiance unlike anything I'd ever seen. 2: Live Aid. Until the DVD release of the benefit concert came out, I had only watched it on the original broadcast, and on You Tube a few times. But it was a legendary moment most bands could only dream of. 3: The Joshua Tree hype. Only a handful of artists get a megahit album. And they weren't done. 4: Achtung Baby. By the time the Zoo TV tour hit the planet, the hype machine kicked up again. "One" became that defining song...for a group that had many.
Do you have any tour plans for the next tour already?
Yes. I will do whatever is possible to attend every single show in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Even if it means selling off bits of my music collection of over several thousand cds.
If there would be only one U2 song you could hear the rest of your life, which one would it be?
I’d probably figure out a way to take ten with me on the spaceship that was taking me away for research...but one song? "One." As a songwriter, I know that the lyrics and meaning of a song can change over time. Some people have that one person that they would drop anything for. I do as well. A woman I met at a Prince concert can take me whenever she calls. The heartache and pain I've had in my personal life can be summed up in the passion throughout the song. It's very rare that a hit single can get past 1,000 plays for me, and still hold up. Edge's perfect guitar, Bono's soaring vocals throughout are an easy example of U2 at their best. "Achtung Baby" is by far my favorite U2 album, and "One" is the one song for me!
How did U2start (or other forums) influence your music preferences? Did U2 fans influence you liking other artists?
I was at a job a few years back just searching for U2 fansites, and after reading several of them, U2start just seemed to be the place for me. I've met some really kind people on the site, but never in person. The only artist a U2 fan influenced me with was R.E.M.. I already liked them, but a co-worker in 1987 suggested I buy "Document," which had a profound effect on me. They became one of my favorite bands, but they had several so so albums after 1996, and their worst album is not even close to U2's worst(SOI).
How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
At the time of my becoming a U2 fan, they were quite unique. Prince and Michael Jackson were at the forefront of American pop music, and U2 were like a shock to my system. I was into Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp. I also dug The Beatles. So U2 was not a complete about face for me, but they were a unique addition to my favorites.
What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
I’ve noted I am a songwriter. Well, sort of. I'm a terrible musician. I can't really play passable piano. I just haven't been able to find the right peopleto translate my songs for me. If I could sing and play piano, I'd be able topost some samples, but my voice is a little better than awful. I don't really write like U2, or Prince. Their influence can be heard in small bits and pieces. I sometimes cop Bono's lyrical style with lines that use contradiction. I believe that expressing myself with song and poetry is the greatest escape from life's issues, and hope that I never stop writing. I've got around 200 bits and pieces of songs. 3 of them are decent. 197 of them are not.
Thanks for this interview pleasegone!
Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
And I didn't go overboard about Prince!(Good thing...even though I go overboard about U2 on prince.org) 
I guess Joshua was too big of an offering to keep refusing it. You had to give in finally 
