U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. has revealed he has dyscalculia, a form of dyslexia that makes counting and working with numbers a challenge and which has impacted him as a musician.
During an interview with Times Radio, Mullen offered a glimpse into how the learning disability has long affected him without knowing the root cause, saying that "counting bars is like climbing Everest."
"I've always known that there's something not particularly right with the way that I deal with numbers. I'm numerically challenged," Mullen, who co-founded U2 in 1976 with Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton, said, according to Deadline. "And I realized recently that I have dyscalculia, which is a sub-version of dyslexia. So I can't count [and] I can't add."
The Learning Disabilities Association of America defines dyscalculia as "a specific learning disability with an impairment in mathematics, which can affect calculations, problem-solving, or both."
Speaking with the Times, Mullen reflected on the toll his learning disability takes.
"When people watch me play sometimes, they say, 'You look pained,'" he said. "I am pained because I'm trying to count the bars. I had to find ways of doing this — and counting bars is like climbing Everest."
Mullen recently worked as a producer and composer to "Left Behind," a documentary highlighting a school for children with dyslexia. He revealed that his son is affected by dyslexia, a condition often associated with dyscalculia.
"Making the music through the eyes of my dyslexic son felt personal and visceral," he told the Times.
The drummer recently underwent neck surgery, forcing him to skip U2's Las Vegas Sphere residency, where Bram van den Berg stepped in as his replacement.
"Not since October 1978 have we played shows without Larry Mullen Jr.," Bono told the crowd at the band's penultimate Sphere performance in March, reported Variety. "That is the man who pinned the note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School all those years ago. And we are very grateful that he did and that he's here with us tonight. We wish him a speedy, speedy, speedy recovery. We love you, Larry Mullen Jr."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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