On the way to sound check after a late concert night, U2 bassist Adam Clayton recently took some time out to give us a few thoughts:

Q With such a wide repertoire to choose from, 14 albums and 14 Grammy awards, how do you decide what to play?
A We're trying to find a perfect blend between the old and the new -- where the show is going, what the show is going to add up to.

Q Music groups come and go, but U2 has been together for almost three decades now. What's the secret to your longevity?
A (Laughing) I think a lot of it is kind of tolerance. You have to get used to being with people, being with them for a long period of time, and they become very tolerant of you and your little quirks, and you become tolerant of them and theirs. And you just try to see the positive in every situation. . . . We do great work together and we do inspire each other, and I think we have a very good sense of how much further we can go in the company of each other than just on our own.

Q How would you describe the members of U2, quirks and all?
A (Laughing) I'm not sure that they're kind of quirks, they're strengths, character.

Bono is just the most curious person I think I've ever met, always kind of wondering why things are the way they are. He lives very much in that moment.

Edge is very generous. He's always available to people, always there for other people.

And you know, Larry is a drummer. He's very, very black and white. Things are the way they are.

Q As the bassist do you ever feel like the least-visible member of the band?
A Yeah, I mean, certainly you don't stand out as much.

Q Way back you responded to a high school bulletin board asking for band members. What have you learned over the years?
A Loyalty is very important, and building relationships is very important.

Q Bono recently praised the pope as Catholics' "best front man." Any thoughts about the spiritual influence in U2's music?
A A lot of the original forms of traditional music are rooted in spiritualism of some kind or certainly a kind of spiritual ecstasy. That's the kind of music that we like, and it comes out in our music.

Q U2 has supported music downloading with the iPod. Where do you see music distribution going?
A I think definitely downloading is here to stay. It's a very convenient way to get music, but I think it is true that music distribution is going to come a number of different ways; probably in the end it's going to be mixed up with your phone service. And, you know, your phone will also become your digital music player.

Q Do you download?
A Occasionally, I do, . . . but I still like the hard copy.

Q What is some music that you download or buy?
A Arcade Fire. And a band out of England called Bloc Party that are really great . . . and then there's the Killers. You'd probably heard them.

Q What about these younger rock bands, like the Killers, rising up?
A I think it's great that there's new people coming along that are just bringing a freshness into the band scene and kind of competing with hip-hop -- melodic, emotional tunes.

Q How long do you guys plan on doing U2?
A There isn't really a plan. Just as long as, you know, it still seems like it's going somewhere.

Q What kind of legacy would you and the band like to leave?
A To leave a body of work that people respect. It seems like we're very lucky to have the records that we make that seem to be getting better, so that's really all you can ask for.

© Mercury News, 2005.