Adam Clayton: What is the harshest thing anyone has said to you? — FLAPSS

The question

What is the harshest thing anyone has said to you?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

AC

Adam Clayton

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

A headmaster said I was a complete washout and I would never be any good for anything.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Others on this question

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I like you but I wish you looked more like David Beckham.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 January 2025 source ↗

Nikki Amuka-Bird

In a rehearsal just after graduating from drama college, I say my lines to an older actor. He pauses, turns to the director and says: “I’m sorry, but is she going to do it like that?”

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 May 2025 source ↗

Juliet Stevenson

I get a lot of abuse online because of my opposition to the assault on Gaza. The abuse is horrific, but I’ve learned to ignore it. The integrity of how you live your life is more important than what strangers think.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 May 2026 source ↗

Someone once saw me in a play and said that I was disgusting.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 June 2026 source ↗

More from Adam Clayton

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Question How close have you come to dying? Death & what remains

When I was drinking, there were many times when I was out for the night and didn’t come back for a week.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Question What disappointment has stayed with you longest? Failure & regret

That I never became a virtuoso musician.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Question Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them? Values & belief

Gabor Maté. He is very eloquent and articulate about the role of trauma in our lives.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Question How would you want people to remember you? Death & what remains

As someone who added to a situation rather than took away from it.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Question What thought won't let you sleep? Daily life

The fact that I might wake up early.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

Question How would you sum yourself up in three words? Identity & self

Kind, insubstantial and dedicated.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 7 December 2024 source ↗

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