LARRY AND ELVIS - THE KINGS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

To know about Larry Mullen is to know that he worships Elvis Presley, The King of Rock 'N' Roll. Here I've compiled some similarities between these two of my heroes... and if you meet Larry, you can impress him with how much you know about his own idol!! =)

1. As young boys, neither Larry nor Elvis were so immensely popular in their schools.

-- Elvis was a polite, shy boy who "could 'Yes, sir' and 'Yes, ma'am' an adult to death," not at all the outstanding, attention-grabbing child you might expect. Likewise, besides for his stunning good looks, there was not much reason to pay attention to Larry, who was very guarded and was too busy committing himself to his music to concern himself with his reputation. Also, since both were just average students, the teachers never had much to write home about.

2. Both were very close to their mothers.

-- Elvis' relationship with his mother, Gladys, was so tight that she walked him to school every day, initially holding his hand until he became a teenager from whence she'd walk on the opposite side of the street so as not to embarrass him. She spoke to him in baby talk; he returned her affection by calling her pet names (nope, nothing like "bitch!" but "baby" and "Sat'nin'.") Similarly, when Larry joined the scouts, his best friend and his mother, Maureen, was so protective of him that she became a Cub Leader. Maureen was Larry's greatest fan, always encouraging his musical talents and aspirations.

3. Both lost a sibling.

-- Elvis Aron Presley lost his twin brother, Jesse Garon. Even though he was stillborn and Elvis never had time to know the baby, he often visited his brother's makeshift grave, which was later transferred to Graceland, and he would always carry Jesse's spirit with him. Gladys explained, "When one twin died, the one that lived got all the strength of both." Though I don't know the cause of her death, Larry's sister Mary passed on in 1973 when she was only around nine years old.

4. Both refused to cut their hair to satisfy an authority.

-- Ever since he was a teen, Elvis had been obsessed with his hair. At one point, he constantly had so much grease in his hair that he had rings of dirt around his neck. When his football coach told him to cut it, Elvis obviously rejected the request. When Larry first joined the Artane Boys' Band, he was told that he didn't have the right look for it. He consented to cutting his hair once. When he returned to them, they said that his hair was still too long. Of course, Larry never went back a second time and moved onto bigger and better things with the Post Office Worker's Union Band.

5. Both are very religious people.

-- Most of you are aware of Larry's undying devotion to God. Once a Charismatic Christian, he has since moved on to follow only his own heart and the words of the Bible and to be guided by his unwavering faith in Him. Elvis' musical interests were first sparked by his fascination with gospel music, when he as a little child would run up to the platform and mimic the choir singers. He regularly worshipped at Tupelo, Mississippi's First Assembly of God Church, and he refused to drink or smoke - that is, until he became a movie star. His music also contained Christian influences, like U2's, but more directly through the recording of a whole gospel album called "His Hand in Mine."

6. During their senior years, they became much more well-known in their schools after they performed at the annual talent show.

-- Elvis, once only recognized for his peculiar outfits of pink shirts, dress pants, and scarves tied around his neck, noted, "It was amazing how popular I became after that [talent show]." Now, I'm not absolutely sure if it was during Larry's senior year just that it would've been Bono's fifth, but once Feedback performed, Larry gained the widespread reputation as the cute and quite talented drummer of a rock band.

7. Both lost their mothers.

-- At around 17 years old, Larry lost his best friend when Maureen passed away from a tragic traffic accident before he ever got to show her where his talent would take him. Elvis, however, was already famous when Gladys succumbed to a heart attack caused by acute hepatitis when she was just 46 years old. Traumatized by the loss of his beloved mother and greatest supporter, Elvis said, "Everything I have is gone. I lived my whole life for you." Out of the hundreds of cars he bought, his mom's favorite pink Cadillac (I think the one you saw in Rattle & Hum) was the only one that he kept for the rest of his life. And just for your info, other people who've sadly shared this fate are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, and of course, Bono -- all who are rock and pop gods and goddess.

8. Both gained the adoration of many fans because of their sulky sex appeal.

-- In reference to his acting career and idols, Elvis said, "I've made a study of Marlon Brando. I've made a study of poor Jimmy Dean. I've made a study of myself, and I know why girls go for us. We're sullen, we're broodin', we're something of a menace...I don't know anything about Hollywood, but I know you can't be sexy if you smile. You can't be a rebel if you grin." That's obviously the same mentality Larry lives by.

[I, on the other hand, am in total, complete, and utter disagreement with those last three statements. I think both Elvis and Larry, and the rest of the general population as a matter of fact, look better when they're smiling. A smile shows me that a person is enjoying him/herself and to me, there's NOTHING sexier than a happy person. And I and many other girls do not go for them merely because of an attraction to the bad boy image - only Boy George does. What I love most about Elvis is his generous heart - he once bought his nurse a mink coat and his maid a house and said, "Sharing money is what gives it its value." In Larry, I admire him much more because of his determination to master his craft and for his quest to end injustice. Besides, both are much too beautiful for me.]

9. Both had becomed disillusioned by the effect of their fame, specifically on the nature of their relationships with others.

-- Larry is obviously very distrustful of most of the people he meets. His instincts force him to doubt most people's intentions and make him wonder if people just like him because he's in U2. Elvis has also been quoted several times saying that it's lonely at the top. (Whenever he wanted to watch a new movie, the whole theater had to close down for a private midnight screening for Elvis alone, or otherwise he would've been mobbed by fans. How sad is that?) He also said, "When you're a celebrity, people treat you nicer. The bad part is they also tell you what they think you want to hear, which ain't always the truth."

10. Now for the final common denominator between them...yep, you all know the scene from Rattle & Hum...here's Larry's quote: "In every single one of his movies, he wasn't acting as a car salesman; he was acting as a car salesman who loved to play guitar. And I really related to that, because I worked for myself for a couple of years. And I was what they called a glorified messenger boy, but I loved to play the drums."

-- Well, for all those who saw my review of "Blue Hawaii" know that I made a mistake. He talked about a car salesman, and I remembered it as truck driver. But nevertheless, Elvis in real life did work as a truck driver for about $42 a week and always left his guitar in the back of the truck. (Muddy Waters did the same thing for a living at first...if anyone gives a crap.) His movies were all essentially musicals, so it would obviously make sense for the producers to integrate music into Elvis' roles. Larry, being the practical one of the U2 bunch, made sure he had something to fall back on, so his sister Cecilia got him a job at Seiscom Delta, an oil exploration company, where she was working as a secretary. Larry was always with U2 to play the gigs, but when it was time for promo pics, that's the reason you see Guggi in his place in many of them.