This morning I had a molar extracted. My surgeon proved to be very competent and got the job done in about 20 minutes. However, while he had my mouth pried open and was finessing the useless tooth out of its home, he started talking about U2's new album, Songs of Innocence. (If oral surgeons are discussing your album mid-operation, you or your marketing team may be doing something right.)

Doc had it on his iPhone, of course, but he hadn't listened to it yet. He then asked if I am a U2 fan. In my vulnerable, distressed state, I couldn't say, “Well, I like scattered songs from the first few albums, but I lost interest in them around 1984.” So instead I spluttered something incomprehensible and sprayed blood onto his implements. I hope listening to Songs of Innocence is a more pleasurable experience than having a tooth yanked, but I'm not overly optimistic.