U2 is one of the biggest rock bands of all time, with hit albums including “The Joshua Tree” (1987), “Achtung Baby” (1991) and “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” (2000); some of the highest-grossing and most innovative tours ever; and 22 Grammys, among myriad other achievements. The four members of the band — Bono on lead vocals, the Edge on guitar, Larry Mullen Jr. on drums and Adam Clayton on bass — still occupy the same positions they did when they first played together in suburban Dublin in September 1976 — 50 years ago this fall. On Sept. 25, U2 celebrated its golden anniversary with performances in front of giddy students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, where the members first met, and then, as a surprise, from a balcony of a former rock club in front of an instant crowd of thousands in the city’s center. Next month, on Nov. 13, @U2official will release “Carnaval De Luz,” the band’s first full-length album of new material since 2017. (It follows two EPs, “Days of Ash” and “Easter Lily,” both released this year.) On the day after those commemorative events, David Marchese spoke with Bono and the Edge, the band’s two principal songwriters, about their long working relationship, friendship and what U2 still means — both to them and to the world. Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/magazine/bono-and-the-edge-interview.html [00:02:44] What is U2's purpose now? [00:06:10] What ideas does Bono want in the mainstream? [00:08:15] The religious feelings in their music [00:11:54] What does success or failure look like for the new album? [00:14:32] Their first memories of each other [00:16:55] How they came to call themselves Bono and the Edge [00:19:05] How album concepts change [00:22:20] Their new album and “defiant joy” [00:28:47] Renee Good and "Days of Ash" [00:32:49] The impact of DOGE and the loss of human life [00:34:39] Loving your enemies [00:38:47] “We are brothers in arms for sure” [00:43:45] Edge's guitar playing & reinvention [00:47:03] Finding new listeners [00:51:18] The iTunes debacle [00:53:40] Plans for the next tour and U2’s future “The Interview” features conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Each week, co-hosts David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro talk to compelling, influential figures in culture, politics, business, sports and beyond — illuminating who they are, why they do what they do and how they impact the rest of us. Subscribe to “The Interview”: https://www.youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast Discover the journalism Times subscribers get daily, free for your first month in The New York Times app. Download here: https://nytimes.onelink.me/Xpht/a6wzplra #U2 #bono #theedge theinterview