1. Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month September2010 is user gerryhickey. Read along for the interview we had with a this policeman from.. Dublin!


    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    Well i’m 31 years young at the moment living in Dublin all my life . I’m married four years to my long suffering wife who absolutely hates U2 although she is coming to Paris with me this month to see them for some reason . I’m a detective in the Irish Police force and am stationed in a very wealthy area (I have to stress , I don’t live there )on the south side of Dublin City (not too far from U2’s studio at Hanover Quay) . It’s a nice place to work . I have been in the police force for almost ten years and a detective for seven.

    How has being from the band's hometown influenced you as a fan?
    To be honest when I started to get into U2 I didn’t really pay too much attention to the fact that they were from Dublin and strangely enough my greatest U2 memory was at Slane which is in the neighbouring county of Meath . “A Sort Of Homecoming” at Slane was a truly magical moment , even if they did make shite of it . I always love to chat to people about the various U2 sights in Dublin and last year I got to bring Haytrain (Jeremy) to Croke Park the day before the 360 shows started to see the stage being constructed which was cool .



    As a policeman I often see the bad side of Dublin so its nice to be able to chat to people or show them the good side of the city which is the majority of its people and in fairness , it is in places , a very beautiful city . Any U2 fan visiting the city will be spoiled for choice if the want to see the various U2 sights . maybe we should start a thread/map on the places to visit ??

    Which U2 song do you feel the most "attached" to, or means the most for you?
    Well my favourite tune has always been So Cruel and always will be . Not sure why . I just really like it but I’m really fond of Miracle Drug . I think it’s the best song on the album . It means a lot more to me since the birth of my son ten months ago . My wife and I went for a scan on the day of the third 360 show in Croke Park and found out it was to be a boy and due to be born on 31st October so we agreed if it was born on Larry Mullen’s birthday I could call him Larry . Afterwards I went to the show a very happy man . I missed Larry Mullen’s birthday by a few hours but still got my way so on 30th October 2009 Larry Hickey was born . He is quite the little drummer already .

    If you could go back in time, which U2-era would you like to be in, and why?
    Ill never forgive myself but I had a ticket to see Zoo TV in Dublin in 1993 (the radio broadcast show) and gave it away for free to go and play a football match for my team on the other side of the country . The match was kind of a big deal and I don’t regret it but it was such a great show from a their greatest era that it kills me to think about it . I was only a kid a the time but I really envy anyone that seen Zoo TV . There was something really magic about it .

    What do you make of the new live tracks that you heard live before anyone else (except the 80000 other fans in Turin!)?
    I wasn’t sure what to expect from the new songs in Turin . It was the strangest thing . They played them back to back and everyone was so quiet trying to listen them , it was such a strange experience . On the night I have to say I though Glastonbury was magic but thought North Star was terrible but I have to admit now that when its finished I think North Star could be a real cracker . I think it could be up there with Stay (Faraway so close) which is a serious compliment. Im actually surprised to see how many cover versions of both songs are on youtube already .

    What do you think of the political side of U2 reflected in their songs, like SBS or BTBS?
    A lot of the political side of U2’s songs is not really relevant to me . I suppose Bad and Bloody Sunday are much more closer to home but apart from being the inspiration to the band to create such great tunes , it never really bothers me that much . I do think Bono can go on a bit too much about these things but then again everything is relevant to where the songs are played . For me , to hear Bad played in Dublin is something really really special as I suppose is Mothers of the disappeared in South America and so on. I think that’s why there is such a worldwide appeal to the band .

    What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised?
    My dad was a soldier in the Irish Army and in the very early 90’s he went on a United Nations peace keeping Mission to Lebanon. He used to post home small packages to me and my brother with little presents in them like watches and walkmans and stuff like that . One day I received a cassette tape of this bootleg of an album called Achtung Baby by a band called U2 . At the time to be honest I knew of them , but not much. I genuinely didn’t pay it much attention and must have mentioned it to people in school and I was surprised when teachers started calling me out of class saying they heard a rumour I had the new U2 album and could they have a copy or even just listen to it . It turned out that the album had not even been released at this stage . The cassette had about eight songs from the album and New Years Day , I Will Follow and oddly enough three pieces of music from the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves Soundtrack . I said that with all the interest in it , id better give it a listen and that started my love affair with U2 , I think So Cruel and Wild Horses swung it for me . It took me a while before I realized New Years Day was ten years old at that stage . I just checked there and I have 12,177 U2 songs on my I-pod . I have all the 360 , Vertigo , Elevation , Popmart and Lovetown Tours on it and am making good progress on Zoo TV at the moment . Im a bit of a neat-freak and have them all in order by date . It’s a bit extreme but I spend a lot of time in the car so a lot of the time ill just pick a random show and let it run through . I still have all my tickets from the shows I’ve attended with Slane 1 taking pride of place . I have the bands autographs on Zoo TV access passes and the Popmart t shirt I bought in Lansdowne Road in 97 although its seen better days . The 1st CD I ever bought was the Mysterious Ways single which I keep safe and have bought every single CD (Albums and Singles) since then .

    Any good stories you want to share from your job as a policeman in Dublin? Maybe U2 related?
    In late 2004 I was driving around Dublin City in a patrol car with my colleague affectionately known as “Fitzy” who was from a rural part of Ireland just like you see on the postcards . I can remember it was heavily raining that night . We had a student in the back of the car who was there to observe and learn from us and I was playing U2’s latest album “How to dismantle an Atomic Bomb” and telling the student how good it was. As we I drove down Dame Street the student said “There’s Bono” . I assumed he was joking until Fitzy said “yeah it is” so I looked on the corner and there was Bono , Guggi and Gavin Friday . I turned the car around and and seen bono walk down one of the Laneways into Temple Bar . Im not sure which street but anyone who knows Dublin, It’s the one at Apache Pizza on Dame Street . Anyway we followed them down the lane and skidded to a halt and there I was greeted by Bono and Guggi . I rolled down the window and I must admit there were three things I noticed straight away

    1. Bono looked older than I expected
    2. Bono is really shorter than I expected
    3. The two of them were Flaming drunk ……. and I mean “Flaming” Drunk (Even for Irishmen !!) He didn’t even notice “Sometimes you cant make it on your own” playing in the background

    Anyway, Bono approached the patrol car and shook hands with Fitzy so I put out my hand and he shook mine. It was insane. There was a bit of general conversation and I can remember he was surprised I was from Dublin. Then he said out loud to himself “Where’s Gavin Friday ??” and turned around and said to Guggi “Where’s Gavin Friday ??” to which Guggi just shrugged his shoulders . Then he turned back to the patrol car and say “These lads will know, Lads, Where’s Gavin Friday ??” . There was a silence for about five seconds and then Fitzy looked at him and said ………..” Bono …………….. Who the Fuck is Gavin Friday ?????” . Bono exploded into laughter and as himself and Guggi stumbled down the laneway into the darkness and I could hear him say “Wait till I tell Friday about this , well I will if we ever Fucking find him” . True Story !!!!!!!

    What's your favourite non-attended show of the recent tour so far ?
    Purely because I love the city so much I would have to say Chicago. I lived there for a short period of time around the Popmart Tour and have been back a few times. It’s such a great City I would love to see the band there. I will try my best to get there on the next tour but I’d really love to see an indoor show. I know it sounds mad because I’m sure a lot of people would love to have seen the Slane Shows or any U2 Dublin show for that matter, but because of the weather in Dublin and the lack of a decent sized arena, its unlikely that they will ever play indoors here and even the outdoor shows have to be in mid-summer and always start in daylight which I think really ruins the show. If I can get to an indoor show in Chicago I’ll die a happy man.

    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    I’m learning to play the guitar (slowly and poorly) and I still play a lot of football ( I’m a Tottenham supporter for my sins) but its difficult to get the time when you have a ten month old stink-bomb to entertain so he keeps me really busy …………….……… and really happy !!



    Thanks for this interview gerryhickey!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. Great great great great. Nothing else to say
  3. Wow, fantastic interview!!!

    Truly a great read
  4. Nice interview, Congrats
  5. Sublime interview Gerry, really intresting! Great read that was!
  6. great interview and great pics
  7. Wow, fantastic read, one of the best interviews so far!

    Great to have you here Gerry!
  8. Congrats Gerry! Great read... I love the story about the bootleg of AB and...

    What's your favourite non-attended show of the recent tour so far ?
    Purely because I love the city so much I would have to say Chicago. I lived there for a short period of time around the Popmart Tour and have been back a few times. It’s such a great City I would love to see the band there. .... If I can get to an indoor show in Chicago I’ll die a happy man.


    Where did you live at in Chicago? And please let us know if you ever do come out here for the next tour! I'll be there!
  9. Top bloke. I'm sure I saw you in Gogarty's last year but the place was packed and you were gone by the time I hustled my way from one end of the bar to the other.
  10. Absolutely awesome, top lad indeed.
  11. great interview! and really amazing you have met Bono
  12. Originally posted by molang7:Congrats Gerry! Great read... I love the story about the bootleg of AB and...

    [..]

    Where did you live at in Chicago? And please let us know if you ever do come out here for the next tour! I'll be there!



    I was out in Oaklawn . Ah i loved it . Great Great City . Thanks for all the kind words folks .