This is super cool: The Guardian has posted a gallery of 27 fan photos from U2-A Diary on their web site today. It’s featured right on the main music page:
You can find link here on the Music page: www.guardian.co.uk/music. If it’s gone by the time you read this, try this direct link, instead.
Hats off to the fans who have had their pictures featured so prominently, and thanks again for contributing your photos to the book!
Quick note that I’m scheduled to appear on KKPT-FM radio in Little Rock on Thursday to talk about U2 - A Diary. It’s a classic rock station, and I believe it’ll be a live interview with the morning show hosts, Jennifer and Eric.
I’m due to call them at 9:00 am Little Rock time (7:00 am for me), but I don’t know exactly what time the interview will begin.
Looks like you listen live online if you’re so inclined.
It’s not a book review, per se, but U2 - A Diary was featured in today’s Metro, a Dublin newspaper. It’s a photo collage that features some of the unique fan photos that were submitted for inclusion in the book:
From what I understand, the NME may soon be running a similar collage featuring fan photos from the book, and other media outlets may be following suit.
If you want to read the article, have a look at the large version on Flickr. Just between us, it’s a bit goofy; the author focuses on how the photos show Bono’s ever-changing hair styles through the years.
(Thx to Paul W. in Dublin for letting me know about this!)
To save myself from getting yet another copy of Rattle and Hum each Christmas, a few years back I began creating a “U2 wish list” for family and friends who buy me holiday gifts. I realize it’s hard for civilians (my term for non-U2-die-hards) to understand that with few exceptions, each time U2 releases something “official” I rush to the store that very day to buy it. That includes magazines that feature them, books they’re in and clothing they’re affiliated with. So the U2 items my kin see on the top shelf at Target are bound to be things I already own.
But that’s not to say I own everything—with the economy like it is, and a tour on the horizon (wink) I’ve scaled back on my collecting and tried to buy only “necessities.” This means that my list this year includes the re-issue of October, the fish shirt that Bono designed for the Hard Rock Café and the Edun organic knit scarf I’ve had my eye on all year.
And that begs the question: what’s on your U2 wish list?
This is a post from the @U2 blog.
What’s on your holiday (U2) wish list?
U2 fans have a reputation for doing Good Things. You’ve probably heard some cool stories about fellow U2 fans over the years, but the story of Elsha’s Christmas Cards has to be one of the more inspirational U2 fan stories you’ll ever hear.
Elsha makes Christmas Cards and uses the proceeds to benefit children in need in Africa. That’s cool in and of itself, but what makes her story inspiring is that Elsha has Muscular Dystrophy. In fact, rather than me explaining what she’s doing and how she does it, click this link below and spend a couple minutes watching a news feature about Elsha’s Christmas Cards that ran this past weekend on Fox-13 in Salt Lake City:
Woman With Muscular Dystrophy Praised for Christmas Card Artwork
Amazing, isn’t she? To learn more or place an order, here’s the link: Elsha’s Christmas Cards.
Congrats, Elsha — keep up the great work!
This is a post from the @U2 blog.
Elsha’s Christmas Cards for Africa
An article from the Sunday Times reports that American researchers have discovered that “line Nazis” run the queues of U2 concerts. Here is a brief snippet:
A study of almost 500 U2 fans queuing overnight for four concerts in Philadelphia and Atlanta discovered those seeking to gain entry to “the rail”, a sought-after area at the front of the concert, organise themselves in a remarkably systematic fashion without prompting from concert organisers.
The study’s authors, who have a background in anthropology and one of whom describes herself as a U2 fan, discovered that concert queues “are managed largely by fans themselves who organise a system in which the first fans in line keep a list with names and numbers assigned to people as they arrive”.
Venue staff support the system by telling newly arrived fans to get a number from the “line Nazi”, a fan at the top of the queue who invariably takes control at each event.
To test the strength of the system, researchers invented a series of scenarios in which people jumped the queue. Fans were then asked to fill in a questionnaire that assessed their reaction. The academics discovered that fans of the group, who had an average age of 30, got upset even when someone cut in behind them, not affecting their place in the queue. Hardcore fans were more incensed than more moderate devotees.
For those who may not have experienced a GA line at a U2 concert, I can confirm that this does indeed happen, and I’m pretty impressed that the researchers have even used the terminology that U2 fans who have experienced this phenomenon have dubbed the practice. While I can only speak of the American concert experience, my husband informs me that the GA queue experience is more of an understood social norm as opposed to someone overtaking a GA line to enforce the “rules.”
After U2 graduated from the clubs, general admission has only been available at US gigs since 2001’s Elevation tour. General admission is a relatively newish phenomenon because of venue rules enforced after fans died attending other concerts because of crushing or trampling. This is the reason why there are somewhat strict rules set by venues to capacities both inside the heart/bomb shelter/etc., and elsewhere on the floor.
From my experience with the “line Nazis” at various US shows in 2001 and 2005, the level of enforcement did change as U2 changed their policy of who got into the inner-circle of the venue and who didn’t. While it caused a great deal more disappointment among those who were first in line when they didn’t get scanned into the bomb shelter (as opposed to first-come, first-served in 2001), it did change who the band saw in front of them night after night. This only seemed to be an issue in arenas because of the smaller numbers in a more confined area. While there were the occasional few who did manage to get their same concert viewing position show-after-show, it was harder for them to do so. Fans who followed the tours know this story, so I’m not going to revisit that.
A couple of items the Sunday Times article did not point out was that the two big responsibilities of the “line Nazi” commander was to a) have a different colored sharpie for each show and to leave the show early to reform the line if the band had multiple shows in one city. The sharpie marker color changed based on the show to differentiate between the previous gig and the following night’s gig. The fine art of leaving the show early was for self-preservation so that the same group could enforce the rules of the line for the next show. The frustration of having to deal with the “line Nazi” was that you may be third in line, but they had already accounted for all of their group…which meant you were pushed back to 14th in line (give or take.) They took care of their own at the start of the line and sometimes changed the rules as they went along as long as they served their purpose.
From my 2005 experiences, there really was never a coup d’etat to overthrow the “line Nazis” - it was an understood norm where it was better to just put up with it than it would be to confront the same group of people night after night. Part of it was for the sake of keeping peace, and another part of it was personal satisfaction when they weren’t scanned into the bomb shelter…albeit at my own disappointment when I wasn’t scanned in either. It did create more stress to those in the GA line - “will I be scanned in, or not?” - but it was better than doing a head count and realizing they were only letting in 300 and you were number 303 in line.
It is interesting that this research is being publicized now - nothing like getting people all in a tizzy before the next tour is announced and months before tickets go on sale. I’m sure people on the @U2 Forum and beyond will have a lot to say about this topic!
This is a post from the @U2 blog.
Charlie Taylor
Van Morrison and U2 lead singer Bono have both been included in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, poll which is topped by Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin.
Belfast-born Morrison, who recently performed his landmark 1968 Astral Weeks album live for the first time, was ranked at no 24 in the poll ahead of superstars such as Michael Jackson and Nina Simone.
Rolling Stone said Morrison has left his mark on over 40 years' worth of rock, blues, folk, jazz and soul, as well as several genres that only really exist on his records.
It described him as a "master of unexpected phrasing whose voice can transform lyrics into something abstract and mystical", and noted his influence on singers such as Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen.
Bono was voted the 32nd greatest singer of all time in the poll, which was selected by a number of musicians including Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, Metallica frontman James Hetfield, folk singers David Crosby and Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), punk legend Iggy Pop and English pop star James Blunt.
Bono's singing is described by Rolling Stone as being "50 per cent Guinness, 10 per cent cigarettes - and the rest is religion".
"He's a physical singer, like the leader of a gospel choir, and he gets lost in the melodic moment. He goes to a place outside himself, especially in front of an audience, when he hits those high notes," the magazine said.
Although the poll initially appears comprehensive women are notable by their absence. Just 17 female singers are included in the top 100 singers and Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald are among those who didn't make the final cut.
Rounding out the top five greatest singers in the poll are Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and John Lennon.
The 100-strong list is published in the latest issue of Rolling Stone.
The Top Ten greatest singers of all time:
1. Aretha Franklin
2. Ray Charles
3. Elvis Presley
4. Sam Cooke
5. John Lennon
6. Marvin Gaye
7. Bob Dylan
8. Otis Redding
9. Stevie Wonder
10. James Brown
Copyright © 2008 Irish Times.
In September, U2 frontman Bono informed fans through the band’s website that they would delay plans to release their forthcoming album till 2009. While the news came as a disappointment to fans, the band claims that their latest sessions have brought brought newfound success. Already, the band has worked on fifty-plus songs during sessions across the globe. So when we talked with the band’s longtime producer Daniel Lanois last week regarding his upcoming show and in-residency at Berklee College of Music, we had to sneak in a few questions about his work on the forthcoming album from the Irish rockers.
“We just did two weeks in New York,” Lanois informed Boston Music Spotlight. “We mixed in New York for two weeks and that went great. I’m seeing them right after Boston, in fact. I’m going to see them in England and we’re going to do another ten days there.” A short video clip of the recent sessions is now on U2.com.
When asked about how he and co-producers Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite work together, Lanois explained that each brings his own strengths to the studio. “Eno and I very much work together” he said. “In fact, that’s probably Eno’s most exciting position. He’s a great catalyst at the front end of the project, he’s a model ingredient, a highly intelligent one, and a non-stop source of sonic surprises.”
“What usually happens then is Eno stops coming by and then I take over and do more of the, you know, take care of the many chores that pile up that don’t have anything to do with spontaneous initial moments - vocal comps, remembering the best guitar riff moments,” Lanois continues. “I put a lot of time into chores. Lilywhite’s involvement historically has been at the back end, so he’s coming to help us out with mixes.”
Further describing his own role in the process, Lanois says, “I’m a very committed and dedicated worker and so my constancy, or consistency, is contagious in the room. I’ll be there on the front line with the footsoldiers.”
Those footsoldiers, Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, and Adam Clayton, have made the front lines for this album Morocco, France, and their hometown of Dublin, among other places.
Meanwhile, Lanois is gearing up for his upcoming appearance in Boston this weekend. Besides performing a rare solo show at the Berklee Performance Center on Sunday, Lanois will serve as an artist-in-residence from November 16 to 18. Stay tuned for a full feature later this week from our interview with Lanois.
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Producer Daniel Lanois gives update on new U2 album
I think it was many months ago that I said something here on U2diary.com about how I assumed I would be doing a lot of the book promotion myself … and I have been doing a lot of it myself, mainly via things like the interview contest last month, spreading book-related news on Facebook and other social media sites, etc.
But Omnibus has also put two public relations persons on the job — one in the UK/Europe, and one here in North America. The PR folks are really doing some neat things, like setting up interviews for me and making sure the book will be reviewed/discussed in as many high-profile publications as possible. (Look for one soon in Q Magazine!)
One of the interviews I’ve done was with CNN Radio. It happened yesterday, but I have no idea how soon any of it will be on air. The reporter who interviewed me promised to send an MP3 of whatever gets used — I don’t know if I should expect something super short that would fit in their hourly news updates, or something a little longer that might fit in an entertainment-focused segment.
Regardless, just getting the book mentioned on CNN Radio is pretty cool, I say! The PR folks are doing some great work — thank you Beth, and thank you Ann!
I think this is the first media review of U2 - A Diary: In Friday’s edition of The Sun (UK), writer Natasha Harding says
“For fans this well-written, in-depth book is essential.”
Sweet!
I’m even more excited that the fan reviews on Amazon.com and Amazon UK are so positive. Fingers crossed that the great feedback/response continues.
In this recent article from The Independent, MTV Europe’s Richard Godfrey discusses the hits and misses of the past 15 years of music awards shows.
Apparently the production was in danger because of an especially awful broadcast the prior year (sometime in the 90s), so U2 agreed to come back in the middle of their American tour and perform. In the usual fashion, they saved the day.
I’m just amazed I’ve never heard this story before…
This is a post from the @U2 blog.
U2 credited with taking MTV awards show to “another level.”