Shrewd yet generous, U2 have maintained the five-way equal partnership — including manager Paul McGuinness — on which their pre-eminence was built. A brilliant record deal, enhanced by the Irish law rendering artists’ royalties tax free, is said to give them about 3 pounds on every album sold. Their worldwide aggregate is nearly 80 million. Add to that tour grosses and the 1989 windfall when they sold their 10 percent of Island Records for 20m pounds.
Chaotic record label, Mother, has been on an even keel since McGuinness started running it on his own. Without their own state-of-the-art rehearsal studio, Hanover, established in Dublin’s docklands since 1995, and a collective Mediterranean beach retreat at Beaulieu Sur Mer, U2 have business taken care of.
All live around Dublin. Adam Clayton bought the mansion where The Joshua Tree album was recorded. In the past, the bassist took care of jetsetting and going out with supermodels for the whole band. But now he is off the drink and developing more considered interests such as modern art (a Basquiat was a recent purchase). Drummer Larry Mullen has a dual role as band Harley-Davidson man and butt for tightwad jibes.
Although Bono’s club Mr. Pussy’s is currently “dormant,” he inveigled the Edge, along with a third party, into buying a share of Dublin’s Clarence Hotel and its nightclub the Kitchen. Bono will give tramps $200 rather than a dime, but he is capable of the occasional display of rampant starry conduct. A few years ago, when he and wife Ali wanted to move on from their funky, yet single-bedroomed Martello tower, he hired a helicopter to go house-spotting from the air around the Killiney area.
© 1998, Q magazine. All rights reserved.