"U2 was always more than just music to me."
Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is David Stankiewicz, and I teach writing, literature, and ethics at Southern Maine Community College right next to Casco Bay, just outside Portland. It's a lovely place to work and a lovely area to live in. I have also published two collections of poetry with small literary presses.
How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
In the summer of 1984, when I was 11, my awesome older cousin, Sandra, came for a week-long visit to my house and brought with her a new record: *Under a Blood Red Sky.* She told me that U2 made "protest music."
I can't remember if this was actually the first song she played, but what I hear now is, "There's been a lot of talk about this next song. Maybe too much talk. This song is not a rebel song. This song is *Sunday Bloody Sunday,*" followed by that epic drum beat, then the famous guitar riff, and I fell in love with the band that would influence the rest of my life.
You attended a memorable show in 2011 in Moncton, tell us all about it.
I hate to say it, but one of the main things I remember about the Moncton show is the mud! It rained an awful lot leading up to the show, and you had to walk quite a ways across very muddy ground to get to the venue.
I remember my wife literally losing her shoe in the mud and then, after fishing it out, deciding it made more sense to carry the shoes and go barefoot! I remember how friendly everyone was (Canadians really ARE friendlier than Americans on the whole).
We got there a day and a half early, but with all the rain, we spent a lot of time enjoying coffee and treats at a cozy place in town. We were also tent camping in a muddy, crowded campground, so while it was festive and fun, I was pretty exhausted by the time the show rolled around.
If I'm being completely honest, I have more distinct memories of Arcade Fire's opening set! I hadn't seen them live before, and they were totally crushing it in front of a very friendly crowd.
Of course, U2 were amazing. I had seen two earlier *360* shows in Massachusetts, but Moncton seemed more loose and energized. I definitely remember *Out of Control* and *40* and thinking it was a special night as we tramped back through the mud the half mile or so to the shuttle bus that would take us back to the campground.
I still can't believe they played there, let alone ended a huge tour there. I didn't sleep any better the night after the show, but I slept happier, if that makes sense. I remember the beautiful drive back down into Maine, stopping for delicious, fresh blueberry pie at one of the roadside stands.
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?
My cousins are big fans, so U2 is something of a family band. My wife and my best friend are fans, probably mostly thanks to me.
Which member of the band would you most like to share a pint with?
I'm sure I would have said Bono for most of my fandom, but these days I would say Larry. I would like to find out how he's REALLY doing.
I am also a (very mediocre) drummer, played in a couple of bands when I was younger (consciously influenced by Larry's playing), and I would love to chat with him about his style and what he brings to the music. I would also love to get a perspective on the band that wasn't Bono's or Edge's (as much as I would love to have a pint with either of them, or with Adam).
Where do you most prefer to listen to U2?
Well, I MOST prefer to listen to U2 live at a U2 concert, but these days I enjoy listening to U2 with my daughters, ages 7 and 11.
They know "side A" of *The Joshua Tree* pretty well (my 11-year-old has learned the drum beat to *Bullet the Blue Sky
, as well as *All That You Can't Leave Behind* and *Songs of Experience.* Their favorite song, however, is probably *Vertigo.* Which U2 song do you feel the most "attached" to, or means the most for you?
It's hard to pick just one. Hearing the drum beat and then the guitar riff of *Sunday Bloody Sunday* brings me back to my earliest fandom.
All of *The Joshua Tree* and all of *Achtung Baby* are basically woven into the fibers of my being.
There are other songs since that mean a lot to me. But if I had to pick one, it might be *A Sort of Homecoming.* The personal, emotional, and spiritual associations it invokes for me are powerful and have been with me since I was a teenager. I have told more than one person I would like that song played at my funeral.
What are your expectations for U2's next album? Do you think it will be their last?
I've learned to have somewhat diminished expectations over the last several years. But my hopes are that U2 will find the focus and means to make one last masterpiece.
By definition, it wouldn't sound like anything else they'd done (wasn't this a hallmark of their golden age? One surprising masterpiece after another?). I think it would have to be sparser, with less bluster.
Mortality and weakness and vulnerability are hard truths to face, but Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam are at the age that I think only an honest look at these things could produce great art.
I would hope there will be two or three more U2 albums, but who knows? By the year 2000, they had already had a longer, more productive career than pretty much anyone else ever, so everything since has been something of a generous epilogue.
How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
In the heyday of my fandom, I would often listen to U2 pretty exclusively for a stretch of time, then take a break and listen to other stuff, then go back to U2.
U2 was always more than just music to me.
What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
Poetry, fly-fishing, and being a dad pretty much cover it!
