Howdy all,
I used to not care for U2 when I was younger, perhaps I disliked them even. The few songs I had heard I thought morose and depressing, "With or Without You", "One", I still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". Furthermore one song irked the history buff in me, "Pride", while another simply gave me that nails on a chalkboard feel, "Where the Streets have No Name". (The build-up still irritates me and I find it a tad painful, am I the only one who feels that way?)
Their gigs on a few TV shows also sent a shiver down my spine. I was rather upset that the American Flag was used as an article of clothing, which I found disrespectful, and covered up most of the show to boot! Their duet with Green Day saw me feeling as though "The Skids" had lost their punch. And the solo performance of "Numb" viewed as a very young lady did not strike any chord, but then I had not read Kafka and Simon de Beauvior being still young, so I suppose that is my ignorance rather than any lack of musical and artistic flaw.
Later I found that U2 actually did play some songs that were fun and had a catchy beat, "Desire", "Mysterious Ways", "Vertigo", and "Elevation". Of course I had heard these songs before but never really connected them with U2 until I really started to listen to the lyrics and the overall sound. Being a big fan of the CD and Mix Tape I generally did not listen to the radio so my intake of U2 was minimal. I picked up a copy of Achtung Baby and was cranking it up almost instanter to hear and feel the sound it produced.
The big change from me being ambivalent at best about U2 and hating them at worst was watching their Rose Bowl broadcast via YouTube. I thought to myself: I must find out why everyone seems to think them grand when all I can discover about them is their depressing outlook on life. The sound blew me away, the joy and happiness the band radiated simply astounded me from my previous take on them, and the set itself, being a techie, just floored me. I recall spending hours after the show had aired looking up the technical details that such a large ITR set entailed, logistically and financially. Being a student of architexture, the barrel vaulting also peeked my interests as you can well imagine.
Now, I appreciate a great many of their tunes and have endeavored to purchase their record collection. Still missing rather a few but I've got the biggies and am looking for their earlier stuff and the odd stuff in between (not sure about Pop but I'll get it and give it a chance) as well as their singles.
So after a long journey I'm here to sort of get my U2 studied going properly. I hope I found the right place. I want to know everything (it is the academic in me I reckon) about their music, the politics and the religion. I also hope to make a few friends here as U2 fans in Florida seem non-existent.
Cheers, Meg
PS A wee bit about me personally, I enjoy horseback riding, gardening, reading, archery, and travel. I work retail and would eventually like to own my own business. But first I want to get to Europe and walk the same streets Descartes would have, to visit the fields that the Napoleonic solider would have bled upon, and eat at the same inns that Uccello might have dined. Many thanks for permitting me to join you.
I used to not care for U2 when I was younger, perhaps I disliked them even. The few songs I had heard I thought morose and depressing, "With or Without You", "One", I still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". Furthermore one song irked the history buff in me, "Pride", while another simply gave me that nails on a chalkboard feel, "Where the Streets have No Name". (The build-up still irritates me and I find it a tad painful, am I the only one who feels that way?)
Their gigs on a few TV shows also sent a shiver down my spine. I was rather upset that the American Flag was used as an article of clothing, which I found disrespectful, and covered up most of the show to boot! Their duet with Green Day saw me feeling as though "The Skids" had lost their punch. And the solo performance of "Numb" viewed as a very young lady did not strike any chord, but then I had not read Kafka and Simon de Beauvior being still young, so I suppose that is my ignorance rather than any lack of musical and artistic flaw.
Later I found that U2 actually did play some songs that were fun and had a catchy beat, "Desire", "Mysterious Ways", "Vertigo", and "Elevation". Of course I had heard these songs before but never really connected them with U2 until I really started to listen to the lyrics and the overall sound. Being a big fan of the CD and Mix Tape I generally did not listen to the radio so my intake of U2 was minimal. I picked up a copy of Achtung Baby and was cranking it up almost instanter to hear and feel the sound it produced.
The big change from me being ambivalent at best about U2 and hating them at worst was watching their Rose Bowl broadcast via YouTube. I thought to myself: I must find out why everyone seems to think them grand when all I can discover about them is their depressing outlook on life. The sound blew me away, the joy and happiness the band radiated simply astounded me from my previous take on them, and the set itself, being a techie, just floored me. I recall spending hours after the show had aired looking up the technical details that such a large ITR set entailed, logistically and financially. Being a student of architexture, the barrel vaulting also peeked my interests as you can well imagine.
Now, I appreciate a great many of their tunes and have endeavored to purchase their record collection. Still missing rather a few but I've got the biggies and am looking for their earlier stuff and the odd stuff in between (not sure about Pop but I'll get it and give it a chance) as well as their singles.
So after a long journey I'm here to sort of get my U2 studied going properly. I hope I found the right place. I want to know everything (it is the academic in me I reckon) about their music, the politics and the religion. I also hope to make a few friends here as U2 fans in Florida seem non-existent.
Cheers, Meg
PS A wee bit about me personally, I enjoy horseback riding, gardening, reading, archery, and travel. I work retail and would eventually like to own my own business. But first I want to get to Europe and walk the same streets Descartes would have, to visit the fields that the Napoleonic solider would have bled upon, and eat at the same inns that Uccello might have dined. Many thanks for permitting me to join you.
