1. Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month August of 2015 is user blink. Read along for the interview we had this this U2 fan.


    - Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    Greetings U2Start! I'm Blink, 26, and I live in Amsterdam. I'm currently studying for a MSc in artificial intelligence. I registered here about 8 years ago, time flies!

    - How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
    It was around the summer of 2007, I was 17-18 at the time, after the HTDAAB era. I was on a Blink 182 message board, and someone posted I Will Follow (from the Milan dvd) and.... I liked it! I knew the band, knew some songs, but never was interested in them, or took the time to really discover them. I watched the whole show and fell in love with COBL.



    The Milan show soon became the golden standard to which I would compare U2 songs (IWF, COBL, ISHFWILF, OOTS) haha. Things started rolling from there . After HTDAAB, I got into Joshua Tree, AB, R&H etc. I also remember liking Pop a lot . So yeah, unknown guy on the message board, thank you!

    - Did you ever have a special U2 experience like a live concert? Can you tell us something about it?
    My first U2 live experience was on the 360 Tour in Amsterdam in 2009. I remember I wasn't able to get any tickets, but luckily I could buy one from Remy!
    The show was awesome. And it was unreal to see them in person, kinda like seeing comic book characters come to life or something.

    - What would you say to U2, or one of its band members, should you meet with them?
    I think I would thank them for making music. I'm pretty sure I'd be waaay too nervous/self conscious to make some small talk. There's a fairly high chance I'd say something stupid lol. Maybe, I'd ask for a selfie with Larry .

    - In your opinion, what has been U2's defining moment and why?
    Ah, this is hard! I'd say it's gotta be the release of the JT album. In my opinion, it solidified them as a stadium rock act while also upgrading their status to true artists. Edge perfected his sound, and lyrically Bono was at the top of his game. The record defines U2's magic.



    - When you're forced to leave to a deserted island and you can take only one U2 album with you, which would it be?
    This would have to be JT. I know, I know, very cliche! But this is one of the few albums where I don't skip any songs, and has the highest replay value.
    I think it's because it's such a cohesive collection of songs, where each song triggers a visual image in my mind...bit hard to explain but, it gives me a very cinematic experience.

    - What is your favorite U2 videoclip, and why?
    Elevation! It is in fact the first music video from U2 I ever saw.....It was also the first U2 song I ever heard I think. I was around 11 or 12 at the time, and the music video really blew me away, you have Angelina Jolie, slow motion explosions, a flying Bono! And I suppose 11 year old me was very impressed with Edge's leather outfit lol.




    - How did U2start (or other forums) influence your music preferences? Did U2 fans influence you liking other artists?

    Well, not really. If anything, the site only made me MORE of a U2 fan!

    - How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
    I really like this question! Well, my musical taste started with the San Diego, CA, band Blink 182. They started out as a punk/rock band, then pop/punk and eventually evolved to alternative/rock. They really got me into music and made me wanna play in a band.

    After Blink and U2, I discovered New York singer songwriter Fiona Apple. Her music is piano driven rooted in jazz/alternative/pop. So yeah, vastly different from U2 hehe. Fiona's voice is definitely an acquired taste, but this makes me like her even more! Her songs are highly personal, and lyrically she is very strong.

    Around the same time I got heavily into film scores, which also led me a little bit to some classical stuff. It really showed me how endless music can be. I absolutely love this quote from John Williams (originally by Sergej Rachmaninov):
    Music is enough for one lifetime, but one lifetime is not enough for music.
    That says it all for me .

    And of course bands like, Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters etc., I enjoy very much!

    - What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    I like to fitness/work out, and I bought a (crappy) guitar last year. We'll see how that goes . And there's this rehearsal room for bands in my neighborhood, I often go there to play drums! I also used to have an unhealthy obsession with Natalie Portman (avatar). Obsessions count as interests right guys?!


    Thanks for reading people I hope this was FOTM-worthy!



    ____________

    Thank you again for this interview blink!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. "Leuk" interview! I don't know exactly how "leuk" translates within this context, but it was a fun read (and for some reason in English "Fun read" - or fun interview - is not a sentence, where it actualy is in Dutch).

    Love how you connect to various genres of music and also started making music yourself. Make sure you know the chords to All I Want Is You and Desire

    See you around
  3. Great read

    it s very interesting how everyone had started with U2 ...every diferent history ..and this "I will follow" in Milano is unexpected
  4. Excellent story...
  5. Yeah! A Blink182 fan isn't the kind of guy you'd expect to be easily convertible into a U2 fan but it's always nice to read such stories
  6. nice read!

    (I always think about B182 when I read Blink's name, but never thought that that was the actual reason of the name)

    Originally posted by LikeASong:Yeah! A Blink182 fan isn't the kind of guy you'd expect to be easily convertible into a U2 fan but it's always nice to read such stories
    Those guys are U2 fans themselves, don't they?

    And imho they do fit with the whole U2 early days era sound
  7. Originally posted by Bloodraven: nice read!

    (I always think about B182 when I read Blink's name, but never thought that that was the actual reason of the name)

    [..]
    Those guys are U2 fans themselves, don't they?

    And imho they do fit with the whole U2 early days era sound
    I don't know if the Blink guys are U2 fans, and I somehow agree that U2 1976-83 might fit with some of Blink's style, but that's not the era that everybody thinks about when the U2 number pops out... We think of Streets, Beautiful Day, the Achtung Baby parafernalia and all that - that's what I meant.
  8. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    I don't know if the Blink guys are U2 fans, and I somehow agree that U2 1976-83 might fit with some of Blink's style, but that's not the era that everybody thinks about when the U2 number pops out... We think of Streets, Beautiful Day, the Achtung Baby parafernalia and all that - that's what I meant.
    I just googled it, one of Blink's members (Tom DeLonge) is a big U2 fan in there.

    ---

    ...and I really want to ask Blink something about the whole artificial intelligence thing, but I'm not sure what... can you guys make another FOTM interview focusing on that single aspect leaving U2 aside? that was really really interesting
  9. hahaha yeah, this is his topic, I'm sure he can explain it himself - there's no offtopicness here. Just ask and he'll answer (or not)
  10. nice interview! I don't know blink but he sounds like a good guy
  11. First, to Blink, SUPER INTRESTING READ!

    Second, I've read accounts of DeLonge's fandom of U2 starting with his discovery of The Joshua Tree in his childhood. After Blink-182's first break up in '05, he focused his inspirations on his then new band Angels & Airwaves and if you hear their first album, it's chock full of U2 influences, especially The Adventure. Which is, personally, my favorite song from them.

    And it's so odd you mention being a Blink-182 fan, 'cause I've been in a Blink-182 kick this year and have re-listened to their music. They're another band I also got into the same time I discovered U2, plus their hits like All The Small Things, The Rock Show, Stay Together For The Kids and First Date are awesome, nostalgic songs of my teen years.
  12. FOTM time again. I always love reading these. Excellent interview; great hearing about all the different ways people get involved with U2. I think "I Will Follow" from Milan is definitely a new one!