Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Mojo APRIL 2009 - by Keith Cameron

"ENO USED TO BE INFURIATED"

Adam Clayton talks to Keith Cameron.

Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois are given song-writing credits this time - did that make them try harder?

"I don't know about try harder but I think they were happier! (laughs) Danny really does stay in the trenches and is the last one to leave the building. Brian tends to be the first man in the morning, working on things that will influence the attitude of people, get them thinking in creative and inspired ways.

Who has the final say?

"It is us. It used to infuriate Brian to the point where he would throw the rattle out of the pram, but now I think he has a healthy respect for it. When we were in Olympic [Studios] he had a commitment to finish that record in a way I haven't seen in him for a long time."

Did recording in Morocco have a marked impact on the album?

"It was more dominant earlier on. There was a time when it was more challenging and questioning in a cultural point of view - or the various wars that were going on. Then it seemed to shift again and it became the record it is now. The world has changed and this record acknowledges that things are different, that there's a different value system now."

The process of making a record must be intense. have you come out the other side happy?

"Erm..."(laughs)

What did Bono get you for Christmas?

(Laughs nervously) "Actually, we don't do Christmas presents any more! It was negotiated a few years back. We tend to pass books around. I think people are more relaxed. When you have the kind of success that we had early on, it brings responsibility. For some of the band that became a burden. But now instead of thinking the band is limiting, we feel it is very free. We can do things that we can't do as individuals. It's a great band to be in."