Why U2 drummer struggles with musical beats

Larry Mullen Jr., U2 drummer, has dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects math. British Times radio reported that the 63-year-old compares counting musical bars to climbing Mount Everest.

Drumming has been Larry Mullen Jr.’s career, but it’s not easy. The U2 percussionist revealed Thursday (Dec. 12) in a Times Radio interview that he has long struggled with dyscalculia, a math learning disorder that sometimes affects his playing.

In an interview about his soundtrack for Anna Toomey’s Left Behind documentary, which follows five mothers who found New York’s first dyslexic school, Mullen Jr. said he’s “always known that there’s something not particularly right with the way that I deal with numbers.”

Dyscalculia disrupts numerical comprehension skills in the brain, like dyslexia does for reading, according to Cleveland Clinic. Mullen Jr. struggles to count music while playing with Bono, the Edge, and Adam Clayton due to the disorder.

“When people watch me play, they say, ‘You look pained,’” he told Times Radio. “Counting the bars hurts. I needed solutions, and counting bars is like climbing Everest.”

Left Behind premiered at Woodstock Film Festival in October with Mullen Jr.-written and produced music. As one of his sons has a learning disability, the U2 band member found the documentary’s story relatable.

According to Mullen Jr., “making the music through the eyes of my dyslexic son felt personal and visceral.”

Just a few weeks after the Nov. 22 release of U2’s How to Re-assemble an Atomic Bomb, a special release celebrating the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the interview was conducted. The rock band screened V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas in September, reliving their historic residency at The Sphere.

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. says he has a learning disability that makes counting musical bars like climbing Mount Everest.

I’ve always known my math approach was off. In a Friday interview with Britain’s Times Radio, the Grammy winner said, “I’m numerically challenged.” The Times, its sister publication, published interview excerpts on Thursday.

“I recently discovered I have dyscalculia, a subtype of dyslexia. He said he couldn’t count or add.

The British Dyslexia Association website reports that 6% of UK residents have dyscalculia, a persistent number-related difficulty. The Learning Disabilities Association of America website reports a similar percentage of US students with the condition.

People say, ‘You look pained.’ when they watch me play. Mullen said counting the bars hurts.

“I had to find ways – and counting bars is like climbing Everest,” he said.

Mullen, 63, discussed his recent diagnosis while promoting his upcoming documentary film “Left Behind,” about a group of frustrated and determined moms who open New York City’s first public school for dyslexic students.

According to the film’s website, his oldest son has dyslexia, which affects reading, writing, and spelling.

Mullen formed U2 in Dublin in 1977 with his high school friends Bono, Adam Clayton, and the Edge, becoming famous in the 1980s.

The band, which entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, is known for hits like “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “Beautiful Day.”

Why U2 drummer struggles with musical beats

By nr39r

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