On my radar: The Edge’s cultural highlights
David Howell Evans, better known as U2 guitarist The Edge, was born in Barking, east London, in 1961 and grew up in Dublin. Since forming in 1976, U2 have released 14 studio albums including The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and All That You Can’t Leave Behind. They are one of the biggest-selling bands of all time, and have won 22 Grammy awards and seven Brit awards. Songs of Surrender, a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs re-recorded and reimagined for 2023, is released on Island Records on 17 March. The Edge and his wife live in Dublin and LA.
1. Book
Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being by Neil Theise
I’ve been telling everyone about this book recently. It explains the limitations of science and how there are other routes to understanding. Theise talks about how, although we think of ourselves as separate, unique and distinct, when you start going down to the quantum level, you get to this grey area known as quantum foam, where the boundary between physical objects starts to blur. So he puts forward a proposal that, because of our interconnectedness, there is a thing called big-C Consciousness, or collective consciousness – that, through deep contemplation and intuition, you can access certain truths.
2. Art
Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS Mo CA, Massachusetts
One of my favourite galleries in the world is MASS MoCA, a former textile mill in a post-industrial town called North Adams in Massachusetts. It’s a beautiful art complex and I found this exhibition absolutely mind-blowing. It takes up nearly an acre of space, and comprises Sol’s wall drawings from 1969 to 2007, gathered all together. As a kid, I was always taught not to draw on walls, but this definitely proves that adults know shit about creativity. The graphic power and textures and use of colour are incredible, and it all comes together for this massive tour de force.
3. Music
New wave of Irish folk
A small pub in Dublin called the Cobblestone started monthly open-mic sessions in 2012 and it was the perfect hothouse for a folk trad resurgence. Ten years later, we have artists such as Lankum, whose song Go Dig My Grave is wonderful, and Lisa O’Neill, who’s a unique voice in Irish songwriting – you can hear shades of Seamus Heaney in her words, and a band called Ye Vagabonds, whose latest album, Nine Waves, is a beautiful piece of work. There’s something about the intimacy and authenticity of this music that I really respond to. I find it incredibly inspiring.
4. Film
All Quiet on the Western Front (dirEdward Berger, 2022)
This is a stunning piece of filmmaking. It’s about a tumultuous time in western history, and the tragedy is even more acute when you see how Europe sleepwalked into the Great War, how a misguided sense of patriotism and a desire to safeguard empire was very much a driving factor in entering that war. I found the film a great cautionary tale about how, if we do not pay attention, events can overtake us and we can end up on a road that no one in their right mind would have chosen.
5. Architecture
Chateau La Coste, France
It’s well worth going here just for the artworks – by Sean Scully, Tracey Emin, Andy Goldsworthy – but I don’t know if there’s anywhere in the world that has this concentration of works by the most eminent architects of the day: Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel. Some of my favourites are the Tadao Ando chapel, which is encased in glass, and Oscar Niemeyer’s pavilion, the last thing he designed, an amazing gallery space and auditorium with a reflective pool. It also has the advantage that it’s a vineyard, so you can indulge in great wine.
El Chato Taco Truck, LA
Spending a lot of time in LA, over the years I’ve discovered how amazing the Mexican food trucks are. This one, which is often on Olympic Boulevard, is an incredible taco stand. I’ve always got an eye out for something that’s not necessarily highfalutin – sometimes the best food is street food, the stuff that everyone eats on a daily basis. El Chato does a great meat taco and veggie taco, and I love the beef cheek burrito. Mexican chefs really understand food.