about U2_CR

Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month May of 2013 is user U2_CR. 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? Hi everyone! My name is Cory Ross, I am 16 years old and I live in Ohio. I am a straight A student at my high school, so I guess you could say thats my job How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened? Well me becoming a U2 fan started about 3 or 4 years ago, when I started listening to Nirvana. I got very into them, and eventually the whole grunge scene (PJ, SG, AIC etc.). A few months after this, I went into my house, and found my Uncle's CD collection. He had everything I liked! Nirvana, PJ, R.E.M., and this band I didn't know, called U2. The cover of "Rattle and Hum" intrigued me enough to the point where I took it and added it to my CD's (But never listened to it). Anyway, about two years later, I was in my first period English class, when our teacher introduced a project. It was a big research paper, and we could write it on anything we wanted. My teacher then showed us examples from her previous students. One was made by a friend of mine, Zayn, who wrote his on U2. One the cover, lay the artwork for "The Unforgettable Fire" and "The Joshua Tree". At this point I knew of U2, but thought they were a 60s "Beatles" style band (When I actually first found out about ZOOTV, I thought it was something along the lines of a "BBC Session" from a TV show... boy was I wrong ). Eventually I ended up writing my paper on you guessed it... Kurt Cobain. Anyway, later that very day, I was in my history class with my still favorite teacher, Mrs. Schaedler. For some reason, she mentioned a song by U2, called Sunday Bloody Sunday, and talked about how much she loved them. She then played SBS for the class, and I thought it was... ok. Intrigued by having had all this U2 in one day, I went home, and did nothing. Until a few days later, when I was in my CD collection, and saw it. U2: Rattle and Hum. I thought to myself "Eh, might as well check it out". I popped it in the CD player and looked on the back, looking for a track to listen to. I passed some great songs. What would be my first? Van Diemen's Land? Nope. All Along the Watchtower? Nope. Not even Pride! I then hit track 16. "Bullet The Blue Sky". The name intrigued me. "Wow, thats a cool name for a song!" I thought to myself. So, I turned it to track 16, turned up the volume and hit play. BAM. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Those drums. The bass. Bono's voice. The solo. WOAH I ended up listening to just that song, for the rest of the night. It is still my favorite U2 song. The next morning, I listened to All Along the Watchtower, then Pride, and after about 2 weeks, I became the "super" U2 fan I am today. Which member of the band would you most like to share a pint with? Well, i'm not allowed to drink But if I were, it would definitely be The Edge. He is by far my favorite member of the band... He seems like such a cool guy! I feel like we would have tons of fun together On another note, I really hope they give him a song where he sings sometime soon! After that I would pick Larry, then Bono and then Adam. In your opinion, what has been U2's defining moment and why? I'm not going to be like a lot of other people and say the Sarajevo concert, but mine will have to do with Sarajevo. In my opinion, U2's defining moment(s) would have to be the Satellite link-ups to Sarajevo and Bill Carter. Furthermore, U2's defining period of time would be the "Zooropa" leg of the ZOOTV tour. I feel this is when the band is at its highest point, and everything about this leg sums up the band. What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised? My U2 collection is pretty small right now, even though it is growing bigger and bigger by the months. Right now I have all of their albums on CD, and a few on Vinyl and Cassette. Furthermore, I have a few posters. I am saving up to make it bigger! All of this is part of my music collection, which I will talk about later. When you're forced to leave to a deserted island and you can take only one U2 album with you, which would it be? If we are talking studio albums, it would be Rattle and Hum (Yes I count it as a studio album). If we are talking about albums with ONLY studio tracks on them, it would be "The Joshua Tree". If we are talking bootlegs, it would be the Point Depot NYE show, or ZOOTV Dublin, depending on when I leave. Does anyone in your family or one of your friends like U2? If so, did they introduce you to U2, or did you "convert" them? Sadly, no one in my family likes U2. I do however have a few friends who do. My bestfriend likes them a lot. I actually didn't know this about her until I was driving in her car and "Elevation" came on her radio, and we both screamed "YES!". This has made us even better of friends. Furthermore, I am starting to get my girlfriend to like them... She liked Pride! What is your favorite U2 videoclip, and why? If we are talking music videos, it would probably be "The Fly"... I've always loved that one! Just everything about it is really cool to me, from Bono's "The Fly" suit, to when the ZOOTV screens. If we are talking concert films, it would be Rattle and Hum (Why does everyone hate it, I love it!!), with ZOOTV Sydney coming in a close second. How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like? In reality, they really aren't that different, but they are so different at the same time. It's really weird Other artists I like include everything from INXS to Pearl Jam to Led Zeppelin. I like pretty much anything rock. Furthermore, I like a lot of 80s stuff that isn't really "rock", like Blancmange (IM UP THE BLOODY TREE), Models, Kids in the Kitchen, etc. which are more pop. Comparatively, U2, while still being close to what these other bands do, is so unique in it's own, special way. What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise? Some of my hobbies non-music include Baseball (Starting Catcher for my high school), football (Go Browns!), politics (When I get out of college I want to go into politics), history and more! Musically, I like many other bands and artists. Pretty much anything 80s, which isn't too poppy, I will like. I also like 60s, 70s and 90s Rock. Thanks for this interview U2_CR! Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.