Posted October 10, 200618 yr U2 Book Pours on Hype, Hagiography for 'World's Biggest Band' Bloomberg, October 09, 2006 By Mark Beech U2's stash of glittering prizes is impressive: more than 130 million albums sold, songs such as "Beautiful Day" and "One" and Nobel Peace Prize nominations. For all their achievements, the Irish band's first stab at literary posterity is decidedly mundane. U2 by U2 promises "unprecedented access" to the group's "inner life" and aims to back up its claim to being the biggest rock band in the world. What it really demonstrates is how one of their early names, the Hype, was prophetic. http://www.atu2.com/files/bits/4/1202.jpg At their first meeting, the drummer's kit filled the room, the guitarist's Flying V had been made in a garden shed, the bassist could hardly play and nobody liked singing. Their story is already familiar to fans: It should be hard to make a hash of a three-decade drama of showbiz success and excess, presidential and papal meetings. In order for the book to work, however, it needs to go beyond the obvious and tell us something we don't know after the thousands of articles and dozens of U2 books already published. That's a tall order for writer Neil McCormick, who conducted 150 hours of interviews. As a U2 insider and school friend, he has the confidence to get an authorized account. We do not see his questions, only the answers. Rather than insight and controversy, we get bland comments. End of the Road? Amid advance publicity, the book has inspired comment on whether U2 is at the end of the road. "We are like a dysfunctional family," says drummer Larry Mullen Jr. "Personalities will not break up U2. Musical differences will not break up U2. We'll break up because somebody squeezed the toothpaste from the wrong end." Front man Bono says: "I don't think anyone thinks this is a job for life. I always say, two c**p albums in a row and we're out." Even he knows it's a false alarm. "I need this band," he adds. "I would be terrified of being in a recording studio on my own...In the near future I am going to close the door on activism and commerce and other ideas that engage me, and I am going to shut it quite tight, for a little while at least, and focus on writing and making music." The tensions within the band over Bono's political role and his friendship with President George W. Bush are played down as the hagiography kicks in. Some Grumbling Manager Paul McGuinness confirms that Bono's activism put "strains" on all involved. "It is hard to criticize him because his political achievements are very real," McGuinness says. "But there are times when it makes the rest of the band feel that they're taking second place." Mullen makes reference to "some grumbling" about the amount of time Bono was on the phone to world leaders, then backs off: "The more successful and famous he becomes outside U2, the harder it is to talk the way we used to, but that's life." All spend a lot of time praising each other, Bono for his commitment, vision and drive; "unsung hero" Edge for his musical skills. Bassist Adam Clayton is described as the linchpin -- the book has limited details about his drink problems in 1993 when he went into "complete meltdown" on the ZOO TV Tour. Clayton notes: "I don't think I was destined for any kind of greatness in my life before U2. The best decision I ever made was to be part of U2, and I guess I haven't needed to make another serious decision since then." No-Nonsense Clarity Mullen is thanked for bringing no-nonsense clarity to recording sessions. He says "being in U2 is like riding a runaway train, hanging on for dear life." The book's photos follow the evolution of the fresh-faced boys from Anton Corbijn's iconic Joshua Tree cover stars to worldly wise veterans. Huge slabs of text are overlaid on colored backgrounds that make some passages hard to read. This is a shame, when buried deep within are some good anecdotes. We hear of Paul McCartney saying a prayer before singing "Sgt. Pepper" live for the first time. Edge recalls an ailing Frank Sinatra, who picks up a vivid restaurant napkin and remarks: "I remember when my eyes were that blue." For all the hype, U2 affects a calculated modesty. "Sometimes it comes across as if I got into U2 to save the world. I got into U2 to save myself," says Bono. "If we get our songs right, I think we could really be very popular." U2 by U2 is published by HarperCollins (350 pages, $39.95 in the U.S., 30 pounds in the U.K.). (Mark Beech is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.) from @u2
October 11, 200618 yr Author Yes it is :( And we need loads of money with all the new albums and dvd's we'll have to buy the next few weeks :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
November 5, 200618 yr I got it yesterday :cheer: Half price :blink: :dance: Have only had a flick through but it looks amazing ^_^
December 17, 200618 yr I'm in a book club. I hadn't ordered anything for ages and ages. So they sent me the latest catalogue telling me I could order any book for £6.99. So I ordered quite a few. Including the U2 one. £30 book for £6.99. Result. It arrived on Friday. Just had a quick look through. Looks fab though. :dance:
December 17, 200618 yr Author Ohhh great Jups :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: I still haven't bought it :blush:
January 21, 200718 yr It's funny how when the band members all write their own little preface Bono's is about 3 times the length of the others. :lol: I also noticed that the other 3 repeatedly mention all 4 of them in their little prefaces. Like what The Edge brings to the group, what Larry brings etc etc. But Bono's is just 'I' and 'me' throughout. Typical lead singer isn't he? :P
January 21, 200718 yr I'm enjoying it though. Just wish I had the time to read it. :( And I can't take that into my bath to read. <_<
January 21, 200718 yr I'm enjoying it though. Just wish I had the time to read it. :( And I can't take that into my bath to read. <_< I know, you'd probebly sink with the weight of the bloody think :smoke:
January 22, 200718 yr Yip. Good price. And it's a really big book. Must say I'm loving The Edge so far. He is really witty. I'm quoting here- ' I was a very cute toddler; I've seen the photographs. But then at around the age of 5 something started to happen that radically changed my appearance. We are not talking here about some accidental injury or anything medical, but a gradual transformation. And I don't mean to suggest that I became one of the obviously ugly kids, more that my appearance started to inspire a certain mild alarm in adults who caught sight of me for the first time, and to elicit sympathetic and vaguely disappointed looks from my parents. My head grew, quite quickly, to an unfeasibly large size. It was not a disagreeable head, in certain contexts it was quite handsome, but from the age of 5 as a result of this unusual development I started to look unnervingly like the kid on the cover of Mad magazine. Along with the head came the teeth, or specifically my 2 big front teeth. When they first appeared sprouting out of my gums, I knew there was something up. Their size was obvious from the beginning, and they grew in with a kind of terrible inevitability. No matter what kind of mouth management I employed there was just no hiding them, so by age 7 the full Mad magazine look was complete.' :lol: :lol: :lol:
January 22, 200718 yr Currently only £14.99 on Amazon. :o http://www.amazon.co.uk/U2/dp/0007196687/s...ie=UTF8&s=books
January 26, 200718 yr Just to say I'm totally loving this book. But I'm only at page 39. There is so much reading in it. :o
January 31, 200718 yr I'm up to page 90 now. :cheer: U2 have just been offered a record deal with Island. -_-
January 31, 200718 yr I'm up to page 90 now. :cheer: U2 have just been offered a record deal with Island. -_- They have left that deal now ^_^
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