Music History

An Interview with Ex-U2 Guitarist Ivan McCormick. Wait–Who?

U2 hasn’t had a single lineup change since March 1978. However, the group’s previous incarnations included a series of guys not named Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam. AtU2.com has an interview with one of them.

Ivan McCormick was just 13 years old when he heard from a fellow school friend that Larry Mullen, a pupil a year ahead of him at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, had placed an advert on the school notice board at the start of the new school term in September 1976. McCormick duly noted the date — Saturday, 25th September, 1976 — and set off with guitar and amp in hand to Rosemount Avenue and the home of Larry’s parents.

I caught up with McCormick at his home in Hampshire, England, where he regaled me with memories of his time at Mount Temple, and that fateful afternoon in the late, hot summer of 1976.

And that’s not all. McCormick kindly provided indisputable evidence of the actual event on that date by giving us exclusive access to his diary entry of the time!

Aaron Govern: Ivan, I understand that you and your siblings (brother Neil and sister Stella) all went to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, which the members of U2 also attended. Can you tell us who was in each year group and class, and from your perspective, how well did you know Adam, Bono, Larry and The Edge?

Ivan McCormick: I was only 13 years old when the band started, and I was in the year group below Larry, who is the youngest member of the band. So I was two years below Dave (Edge) and Paul (Bono), and three years below Adam, but they were all known to me. Mount Temple was a very inclusive school and had a nice feeling of intimacy, for me anyway. I never felt intimidated by the big boys (and girls), and there was no established hierarchy. It was easy-going. Of course, this doesn’t occur to you when you’re there; it’s just the way it is, and my school days were very happy.

Read the whole interview here. (Thanks to Michael for the link.)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37969 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.