The great big U2 thread

[fat cherry]

Aaaaaaand here it comes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Title-117895-C ... marturl-21


And there's an animation he made, with him reading from his book. Sarge could learn a thing or two fron young bonio. Oh and according to amazon, its already a #1 best seller, even though its not ought yet.

[fat cherry]

When I started to write this book I was hoping to draw in detail what I'd previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept. A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book. I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands. In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim's lack of progress ... With a fair amount of fun along the way.' - Bono

[fat cherry]

[fat cherry]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022 ... obal-en-GB

[fat cherry]

See, I fancy reading this but fear the ever so 'umble rock star bit is going to wind me up. And the reviews aren't helping the dread....

a kind of poetic grandiloquence that tempers a default long-windedness throughout these 40 chapters (the “songs” of the title).

But you don’t come to the 500+-page memoir by a big-mouth vocalist of a squillion-selling stadium act for pithiness

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/ ... to-mandela

[fat cherry]

Reimaginings..........., you know how that goes.,

https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-annou ... er-3378104

[fat cherry]

Sound familiar

[meh]

it's their own the stars, the ocean and the moon

[fat cherry]

So I did read Bono's book, and I did start writing a review but it was going to match the 500 pages of the actual book so I thought, well, you know, I'll summarise (yes really).

1. Its quite good - if annoying in places - many places.
2. If you're not a fan at the start, you probably won't be at the end - for all the reaons you're already not a fan.
3. If one of those reasons is he annoys you - he says its OK that you think that because he can't possibly annoy you any more than he annoys himself - see, that's how annoying he is.
4. If you want a U2 book then this isn't it. Actual U2 detail is quite light, though he loves his bandmates and would never say anything bad about them - and there's lots of bits about how great they are and how proud he is of them becoming who they are and who they're meant to be - its like a father of the bride speech for everyone he knows.
5. Its wryly funny in places, only one bit - about his dad - made me laugh properly, compared to say Hookey's book which averaged one every couple of pages.
6. All of these books have bits where they include anecdotes about other people. Bono wins the 'who know's/has met more famous people, and more 'more famous people' competition' by a country mile. And he cranks it up as the book goes along - ooh, whos's that at the door -oh hi Mr Gorbachev - and that's only the beginning - US presidents, presidents men/women, JFK's nephew, the pope FFS. After all the saving the world shenanigans he goes back to the music he loops back in time (there's a general arc of time but he flits back and forth a bit) and brings in Jonny Cash - and the way he writes this is quite interesting because its as if he's still cranking it up - and Sinatra.
7. The bits about debt relief and Red and all that is probably more interesting than the music parts- who's fucking who over etc, all gets a bit tense. The band stuff is often, went to blah blah studios, made an album. Pop wrankles because it wasn't the album it was meant to be but he takes full responsibility for the failure because, well he just couldn't explain it all to them, etc etc ect, so on and so forth.
8. He says some stuff thats just wrong really. And always referring to yourself as a 'rock star' or a 'punk rock star', well you know, fill in the rest.
9. You know in some horror films, or maybe a thriller, they start off well but at the end blow it by going really over the top? Bono does the rock memoir equivalent of this:
(a) I always thought that when he talks about 'great artists', he's kind of aligning himself with them - just the way he talks about them. Well near the end (spoilers) he mentions that when he's really troubled he goes back to the scriptures and his favourite saint is Paul**. And then he says something like 'how did this pain in the arse with anger management issues become a saint' - or something like that, so I'm, like, fuck me - since he's constantly doubting himself, going on about his anger management and being a pain in the arse.
(b) Double spoiler here. Right at the end he imagines his own birth. I'm not even sure if he's trying to be funny but I was past it at this point. Mrs FC's saying 'calm down chez, calm down', but it was too late. Its as if nobody at the publishers had the balls to say, don't do that, its crap.
10. He had a dog called Jackson - and I have a dog called Jackson, so he's forgiven for all but No. 9.
11. If you want an answer to the question 'why are U2 bigger than [insert name of your favourite band]. The answer is Paul McGuinness.
12. The 40 songs title bit is just something to hang stuff on. And quoting lyrics all the time was a bit lost on me. My bad I suppose, but he's no NIck Cave is he?

woah, time to kill there. I'll stop now.

**I've only just thought that this might not be a coincidence

[fat cherry]

ere......., I could probably find this on the internet somewhere bu I thought I'd ask the cleverest people I know (apart from Mrs FC of course, but as the americans say, she could care less about U2) - what are these medals/ribbons they are wearing in this picture?

https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-u2 ... 85-3530476

Punk rock star my arse. :-)

[Kounelaki]

what are these medals/ribbons they are wearing in this picture?

https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-u2 ... 85-3530476

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors

[fat cherry]

Ah thankyou. I do believe, now I've seen it, theres a video somewhere with the chaps from The Led Zepplins have them too.