U2’s Larry Mullen Jr on his dyscalculia: Counting bars is like climbing Everest
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U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr has said that counting bars within music is like “climbing Everest” for him due to his dyscalculia.
The musician, 63, revealed that he cannot count or add because of the learning difficulty, which affects his ability to use and acquire mathematical skills.
Mullen Jr, who only realised he had dyscalculia recently, has produced and written music for a new film Left Behind about dyslexia and the New York school system.
Discussing his own educational challenges, he told Times Radio: “I’ve always known that there’s something not particularly right with the way that I deal with numbers. I’m numerically challenged.”And I realised recently that I have dyscalculia… so I can’t add, I can’t count.
“I had to find ways of doing this, and counting bars is like climbing Everest.
“And when people watch me play sometimes, they say ‘You look pained’. I am pained because I’m trying to count the bars.”
The drummer rose to prominence with the rock band U2, which formed in 1976 with singer Bono, guitarist the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and Mullen.
He revealed the group are currently writing new material and doing some initial recording and hopes they will tour at some point in 2026.
“I don’t think it will be what we normally do. I would hope it would be something different”, he said.
“But I’m excited to get back in some capacity.”
U2 recently held a residency at the Sphere, a high-tech new immersive venue in Las Vegas which boasts 168,000 square feet of high-definition LEDs, 167,000 speakers and 17,000 seats.
The acclaimed rockers have released a host of albums over the years, the most recent being Songs Of Surrender which featured reimagined recordings from their back catalogue.