Larry Mullen Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Larry Mullen, Jr. | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Lawrence Joseph Mullen, Jr. | |
| Also known as | Larry Mullen Jr. | |
| Born | October 31, 1961 Dublin, Ireland |
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| Genre(s) | Rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer | |
| Instrument(s) | Drum set | |
| Associated acts |
U2 (Drums) | |
| Website | http://www.u2.com/ | |
Lawrence Joseph Mullen, Jr. (born October 31, 1961 in Artane, Dublin, Ireland) is the drummer for the Irish rock band U2.
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[edit] Early years
Larry Mullen Jr. was born and raised in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, located on the north side of Dublin. Mullen had a tragic childhood, losing his sister Mary when she was six and his mother, Maureen, in a 1978 car accident.
Mullen's parents, Larry Senior and Maureen, thought it was a good idea if their son learned to play an instrument, and so at the age of eight, he began to take piano lessons. It did not take long for him to discover that he preferred to play drums, and so in 1970, his sister Cecilia bought him his first drum kit for £17.
In 1971, Mullen began taking drumming classes with Ireland's best-known drummer, Joe Bonnie and afterward with his daughter Monica. In the mid-70s Mullen began his signature military-drumming style and became a member of the Artane Boys' Band, a military-style fife and drum band. The marching military sound made him develop a drumming style that to this day is characteristic for the music of U2, in songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday". He was forced to leave the band for refusing to cut his long hair. Mullen next turned his interests to jazz music and began to learn how to play it.
In 1976, Mullen posted a note on the message board of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, looking for fellows to form a band with him. Amongst the teenagers congregating in his kitchen were Paul Hewson (Bono), Dave Evans (The Edge), and Adam Clayton.
[edit] Style and techniques
After forming U2, Mullen’s drumming style and techniques began to evolve. At the beginning his contribution to the band was often limited to filling in and adding drum rolls, but as time went on he became more involved in the writing of the songs, particularly in conjunction with Adam Clayton, his partner in the rhythm section. Mullen’s drumming is now an integral part of U2 songs and he is credited as being the band’s backbone. His drumming style and leadership have come a long way after being described in the late 70s as the band's “weak link” by CBS Ireland, who point-blank refused to sign the band initially, unless they got rid of him. Bono described him as being a very heavy-handed drummer on the Joshua Tree Classic Albums documentary, and credits this approach with providing the necessary power behind songs like "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
During the recording of the album “Pop” in 1996, Mullen suffered from severe back problems and was forced to take a back seat while he underwent major surgery. When he left hospital, he arrived back in the studios to find the rest of the band experimenting more than ever with electronic drum machines, something driven largely by The Edge's interest in dance and hip-hop music, and, given his weakness after the operation, he finally gave in to Edge and continued to use such equipment and he contributed heavily to the techno feel of the album. [citation needed] Throughout his career Mullen has been plagued with a battle with tendonitis, which has been curbed by specially-designed drumsticks from Pro-Mark. He also performs with special Yamaha drums and Paiste cymbals.
[edit] Personal life
As U2's popularity increased, Mullen adopted the Junior suffix to his name, to avoid being confused with his father, Larry Mullen Sr. At the time, his father was receiving some unexpectedly huge tax demands which were intended for his son.
Mullen has always been the quiet member of U2, preferring to let the other band members take center stage at press conferences, etc. He is also well known for being the level-headed member of the band, and is most likely to put the brakes on any elaborate and expensive plans the band might have for complex stage sets, etc. Despite the fame that success has brought, he is still content to remain largely in the background.
Mullen lives with his long-time partner, Ann Acheson[1], with whom he has three children: son Aaron Elvis (born 4 October 1995), daughter Ava (born 23 December 1998) and a son named Ezra (born 8 February 2001). [2] The family lives in Howth, County Dublin, and in New York. He’s also known as a dog lover, thanking his Labrador Retrievers JJ and Missy on past U2 albums.
He is well-known for his love for Elvis Presley and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, he owns the copyright to print Harley Davidson t-shirts. In an interview in the Rattle and Hum film, he tells how he really related to the Elvis movies. Mullen is also a big fan of the Irish football team for whom he wrote the song "Put 'Em Under Pressure" in 1990. He also is a regular spectator at Lansdowne Road, Dublin for Ireland rugby Test matches.
He is a smoker.
[edit] Collaborations
In addition to his job playing drums for U2, Mullen has also recorded with artists like Maria McKee, Nanci Griffith, Emmylou Harris, B. B. King, Daniel Lanois, and others. He also worked with fellow band mate Adam Clayton on the theme to the film “Mission: Impossible” in 1996.
The two also teamed up with Mike Mills and Michael Stipe from REM to form the group "Automatic Baby" (which refers to the titles of both bands' then-current albums, Achtung Baby and Automatic for the People) for Bill Clinton's Inauguration in 1993 at MTV's Inaugural Ball .
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ [1]
- ^ This third child was rumored to be a daughter named Anya for a time—a rumor because the protective Mullen did not reveal its name or sex. Bandmate Bono did announce the birth onstage at the Astoria club gig in London on 8 February 2001, saying that the child was a boy, and recent paparazzi photos appeared to bear this out. The mystery was finally solved in Mullen's acknowledgements for the "U2 by U2" book.
[edit] References
- ”Biography: Larry Mullen, Jr.”. @U2. link - last accessed on 30 December 2005.
- "Larry Mullen". NNDB link - last accessed on 16 October 2006.
[edit] External links
- U2.com, official U2 site
- TheLarryMullenBand.Com, Fan Site
- Larry Mullen Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
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