Es ist noch nicht einmal die Best Of auf dem Markt, schon gehen die Pläne für die Zukunft weiter. In der Montagsausgabe der norwegischen Zeitung VG wurde ein Interview mit Larry abgedruckt, ein U2-Fan hat es ins Englische übersetzt und an Matt von @U2 weitergegeben. Hier ein paar Auszüge: "Wir beendeten die Elevation-Tour mit einem starken Glauben an die Zukunft". Über die Dreharbeiten zum Electrical Storm Video sagte er lachend: "Das war sehr hart; es war der härteste Arbeitstag in meinem Leben". Nach der Tour sind U2 in ein Studio in Monaco zurückgekehrt um ein paar neue Ideen umzusetzen. "Dort haben wir den Guitar-Riff für 'Electrical Storm' und das Piano-Thema für 'The Hands That Built America' gefunden. Es mussten einfach neue Songs werden" "Waren da noch mehr Lieder, oder Ideen?" "Ein Haufen! Wir haben 16-17 Ideen für neue Songs niedergeschrieben, im Dezember geht's wieder ins Studio. Wir haben Pläne für ein neues Album für Ende 2003. "Gibt es Chancen U2 vor dem nächsten Album auf der Bühne zu sehen?" "Das bezweifle ich stark. U2 ist keine Band, die einfach 3-4 Shows spielt. Wir brauchen Zeit um uns aufzuwärmen und eine Show aufzubauen..." Das gesamte Interview, in englisch, gibt es hier zu lesen!

Hier die Übersetzung des kompletten Interviews aus dem Norwegischen in das Englische. Danke an Jakob für die Arbeit und an @U2 für die Weiterleitung! U2 With a Strong Belief in the Future VG, October 07, 2002 by Stein Ostbo "We ended the "Elevation" tour with a very strong belief in the future", says U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. (40) in this exclusive VG interview, and he reveals that a new album with original songs is coming next fall. Because first of all U2 are releasing the second part of their "best of"-story in about a month, this time from the period between 1990 and 2000. Two brand new songs have also been included, "The Hands That Built America" (which will be on the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese's The Gangs of New York) and the single "Electrical Storm". In the Anton Corbijn-directed video for the latter song we meet Larry Mullen Jr. in intimate interaction with the beauthiful Samantha Morton, last seen with Tom Cruise in Minority Report. "Oh, it was very tough. Maybe the hardest working day of my life", Mullen Jr. giggles on the phone from Dublin. Enters the studio again "She is a beautiful woman and a great actress. For me it was a new experience ­ I have never done anything like it before", says Mullen Jr., who can tell us that U2 haven't just been relaxing since the intimate, but very successful "Elevation" tour which ended in December last year. "We went to a studio in Monaco right afterwards to work on new ideas. It was a great time. Down there we found the guitar-riff for "Electrical Storm" and the piano-theme of "The Hands That Built America". It just had to become new songs of it", he says. Then there are maybe more songs ready, or ideas? "Lots of them! We wrote down 16-17 good ideas for new songs. In December we enter the studio again. And we plan to have a new album out by the end of 2003", says Larry Mullen Jr. He is very satisfied with the "Elevation"-tour, which peeled off all the pompous stage-design which had been present on U2's three last tours. Useful learning "The idea was to deconstruct everything that people thought about U2 and find back to what U2 meant to ourselves. And U2 is about four people in a room who focus on making good songs. That's why we stripped the whole thing down, and I believe we managed to do it". Would you say that you regret U2's previous "larger than life" concepts? "Not at all. We did what we felt was natural then ­ we wanted to reflect what was going on around us in that period, among other things by using DJ's and technology. We could use what we learnt then to our own advantage. Just listen to the beginning of the single from our last album, "Beautiful Day". It actually starts with a drum machine." Speaking of "Beautiful Day" ­ you've heard about the Norwegian band a-ha and their "The Sun Always Shines on TV"... "Never heard about it!" he answers quickly, before Mullen Jr. laughs. "I'm just kidding with you. Yes, we noticed that something was similar, but I swear, it was never meant as a plagiarism of anything ­ believe me!" And the technology wasn't exactly on U2's side at Valle Hovin in Oslo during the "PopMart" tour in '97? "I remember it very well! The lemon didn't open, and we were stuck inside it. Oslo was the only place that happened. I guess it just had to happen one time, and unfortunately for you guys it was in Oslo", says a laughing superstar, who obviously doesn't have any problems with talking to a journalist from the miniature-land when it comes to rock, Norway, while the main person himself, Bono, travels around the world to talk to influential people from the Pope and downwards. Admires Bono "I have great respect and admiration for Bono, and you should remember that all of us in U2 are supporting his political work ­ what's important for him is important for us. At the same time it's not that many who think about what consequences Bono's engagement has for his private life, what he's really sacrificing. There's an enormous pressure on him in connection with family, friends and for that matter also U2, who everybody often wishes that he would spend more time at home or in the studio. But within U2 there's a big thankfulness that Bono takes on this burden. But I don't envy him", says Larry Mullen Jr. Will U2 appear on a concert stage again before next year's album? "I highly doubt it. U2 is not a band that can just do 3-4 concerts just like that ­ we need time to warm up and and build up a show", Mullen Jr. explains, and as a closing he gives us the following "I wish it was true" line: "But we're looking forward to meeting you and the rest of Norway sometime during...summer 2004, I guess it has to be!" © VG, 2002.