I ask him if he has any regrets that the band has worked so hard for so long and played to so many people—and is coming out of it with millions of dollars less than if they had staged a simpler show.

"In comparison to a lot of people in our position we don't make a lot of money," Larry concedes. "We've chosen instead to retain our dignity and also to give ourselves more time making music. By putting on a show like this we're not making any money, but that's irrelevant. It broadens our base so next time round we can do what we want, we can make more music. In the end it's investing in our future. Not in our future financially, in our future musically—'cause at the end of the day that's what it's all about. We've all made enough money to live for the rest of our lives quite comfortably. That's enough money.

"The biggest responsibility out of all this is the fact that you employ a lot of people and you are responsible for them, responsible to make sure they're taken care of. People's livelihoods are depending on you. I don't like that responsibilty too much, but that comes with the terri­tory."

Larry is still the only other band member to whom Bono has dared broach the idea of returning to Tokyo to make the next album. I ask how he feels about the idea and he says, "I could deal with it. It's a very difficult place, a very different place. It's one of the strangest places I ve been. There's a funny atmosphere here. I'm not sure on a spiritual level how I feel about it. However"—he smiles—"I'm on for the ride, I'm up for it. If it'll help make a great record, if it'll help Bono be inspired and if it'll make the band be a better band, I'm there."

I suggest that one of the advantages might be that if you're in a weird enough environment you can do what comes naturally and it will come out sounding fresh. I remind him what Adam and Flood said while

487

Making Zooropa—that if U2 just go into a room and play, it wll sound like the old U2, so now everything has to be stopped and thought about because of a conscious band decision to explore new ground. True?

"I think it was true," Larry says. "I think we've discovered how to marry electronics to what U2 do. There's nothing different; it's using the technology to help you do better what you do. The idea of the four of us going into a room and playing together doesn't interest me anymore. I'd much prefer to have some electronic drum machines, some­thing I can play off. 'Cause I play better like that.' I never thought I'd think so, but I play better playing against stuff and being inspired by things like that. After ten years, four people in a room is not as inspiring as it was. You've got to break new ground. That's what we're trying to do and I think that's really healthy.

"I've come through my own learning process. It was very difficult during Achtung Baby. When we got that out of the way I found a real sense of peace within myself. I'm very sure about what I'm doing, very sure about what I want. I've reached a stage in my life where I'm happy to do this! I want it more than anything else and I'm prepared to do whatever's necessary to make it happen. I recommitted myself to the band."

One Zoo insider told me that Larry has said that during the band's year off he is going to go off and "become a great fucking drummer," and he plans to bring Adam along with him if he has to drag him by the boots. Over the last couple of years Larry has quietly taken on the role of Adam's cop and conscience. It's a touchy subject, but I ask Larry to comment on the chances of Adam and him both spending a year studying music in New York.

"It is a touchy subject," Larry says, " 'cause it's to do with Adam on a personal level. My preference would be for Adam to come along with me and take responsibility for his position—which is bass player in the band—but hold a lot more weight than that. I prefer that he would choose to fight for all that. However, he's got different things that he's got to cope with. He's got different difficulties with being successful. Different people cope in different ways."

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