How Did the Edge Hear Bono Was Mental?

David Marchese asks the Edge what he thought of Bono before they played together. The Edge says Bono's reputation reached him before the two of them ever played together. Shane Fogarty, one of his best friends and a year ahead at Mount Temple, called a student named Paul Hewson a mad head: mental, and still good fun.

The Edge first agreed with the line in Bono's memoir, Surrender. As teenagers, he and his brother had a name as pleasant weirdos. He says some neurodivergence was there, maybe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism, so they sat a little on the fringe, and they were fascinated with explosives. They ran a lot of experiments, and he knows more about blowing things up than he thinks he ought to, which matches the family garden shed story. Asking Shane Fogarty what Mount Temple was like, he heard it was all right: no uniforms, nice people, and some fun heads. Asked who, Shane Fogarty named Paul Hewson.

The Edge had already heard about the character before he started at the school. He says Bono has always been an extrovert, exhibitionist performer.