salomeU2000
The Fly
Bio : Paul McGuinness
By Devlin Smith
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/bios/pmcgthumb.gif[/SIMG]
?When I thought of The Beatles, I was always conscious that Brian Epstein was their manager,? Paul McGuinness once told The Sunday Independent. With his nearly 25 years as U2?s manager, McGuinness has made a connection with U2 as notable as that of Epstein and The Beatles.
The son of a Royal Air Force officer, McGuinness was born in Rintein, West Germany, on June 16, 1951. He attended Clongowes Wood College boarding school in Kildare, Ireland, where he edited the school magazine and directed two plays. In 1968, McGuinness enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin to study philosophy and psychology. Though he never graduated, McGuinness? time at Trinity had a great impact on the rest of his life, not only did he meet future wife Kathy Gilfillan at the school, he also befriended Michael Deeny, future Horslips manager (a group which included U2 producer and video director Barry Devlin) and Bill Graham, the Hot Press writer who introduced McGuinness to a young U2.
After leaving Trinity, McGuinness worked as a tour guide in Lourdes, France, and a minicab driver in London. He returned to Dublin in the early ?70s and worked as location manager on the Sean Connery film ?Zardoz.? He also worked at Ardmore Studios in Bray and made television commercials.
Soon, McGuinness turned his focus from film and television to music. He began managing Spud, a folk group. McGuinness stayed with Spud for one year, securing the group a recording and publishing contract before ending the business relationship.
In 1978, Trinity pal Graham told McGuinness about U2, a young band making its way in the Dublin scene. On May 25, 1978, McGuinness attended a U2 show at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin and met the band for the first time.
(Photo: U2.com)
After that first meeting, and interviews of sorts with Edge?s father, Garvin Evans, and Adam Clayton?s mother, Jo, McGuinness became U2?s manager for a six-month trial period. McGuinness booked the band more gigs and got U2 into the studio to make a demo.
Next came the deal with CBS, the release of U2-3 and the deal with Chris Blackwell and Island Records. During contract renegotiations in 1985, U2 got back from Island the title to all its song publishing, and the band also owns masters for all of its recordings.
Through smart dealing by McGuinness, U2 takes retains rights to all of its work regardless of what label the band is signed to, and U2 songs cannot be used in commercials or anything else without the band?s permission. McGuinness is also considered ?the fifth member of U2,? and profits are thusly split five ways.
Through Principle Management, McGuinness and the members of U2 handle all aspects of running the band, from marketing to merchandising. Principle also manages PJ Harvey and used to represent Chrissie Hynde and Sinead O?Connor.
Beyond U2, McGuinness is co-founder of the Celtic Heartbeat label and is a shareholder in Ardmore and TV3. He and his wife Kathy have been married since 1977 and have a daughter Alexandra and a son Max.
With as far as McGuinness has come with U2, he?s still as enthusiastic for and committed to the band as he was when first joining forces with the band in 1978. ?The plan is to keep doing it for as long as they are good at it,? McGuiness told The Network News.
?They are creatively stronger than ever, they?re doing their best work and constantly surpassing themselves artistically, that?s why they stay together and that?s why it?s fun to manage them because it?s very challenging.?
By Devlin Smith
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/bios/pmcgthumb.gif[/SIMG]
?When I thought of The Beatles, I was always conscious that Brian Epstein was their manager,? Paul McGuinness once told The Sunday Independent. With his nearly 25 years as U2?s manager, McGuinness has made a connection with U2 as notable as that of Epstein and The Beatles.
The son of a Royal Air Force officer, McGuinness was born in Rintein, West Germany, on June 16, 1951. He attended Clongowes Wood College boarding school in Kildare, Ireland, where he edited the school magazine and directed two plays. In 1968, McGuinness enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin to study philosophy and psychology. Though he never graduated, McGuinness? time at Trinity had a great impact on the rest of his life, not only did he meet future wife Kathy Gilfillan at the school, he also befriended Michael Deeny, future Horslips manager (a group which included U2 producer and video director Barry Devlin) and Bill Graham, the Hot Press writer who introduced McGuinness to a young U2.
After leaving Trinity, McGuinness worked as a tour guide in Lourdes, France, and a minicab driver in London. He returned to Dublin in the early ?70s and worked as location manager on the Sean Connery film ?Zardoz.? He also worked at Ardmore Studios in Bray and made television commercials.
Soon, McGuinness turned his focus from film and television to music. He began managing Spud, a folk group. McGuinness stayed with Spud for one year, securing the group a recording and publishing contract before ending the business relationship.
In 1978, Trinity pal Graham told McGuinness about U2, a young band making its way in the Dublin scene. On May 25, 1978, McGuinness attended a U2 show at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin and met the band for the first time.
(Photo: U2.com)
After that first meeting, and interviews of sorts with Edge?s father, Garvin Evans, and Adam Clayton?s mother, Jo, McGuinness became U2?s manager for a six-month trial period. McGuinness booked the band more gigs and got U2 into the studio to make a demo.
Next came the deal with CBS, the release of U2-3 and the deal with Chris Blackwell and Island Records. During contract renegotiations in 1985, U2 got back from Island the title to all its song publishing, and the band also owns masters for all of its recordings.
Through smart dealing by McGuinness, U2 takes retains rights to all of its work regardless of what label the band is signed to, and U2 songs cannot be used in commercials or anything else without the band?s permission. McGuinness is also considered ?the fifth member of U2,? and profits are thusly split five ways.
Through Principle Management, McGuinness and the members of U2 handle all aspects of running the band, from marketing to merchandising. Principle also manages PJ Harvey and used to represent Chrissie Hynde and Sinead O?Connor.
Beyond U2, McGuinness is co-founder of the Celtic Heartbeat label and is a shareholder in Ardmore and TV3. He and his wife Kathy have been married since 1977 and have a daughter Alexandra and a son Max.
With as far as McGuinness has come with U2, he?s still as enthusiastic for and committed to the band as he was when first joining forces with the band in 1978. ?The plan is to keep doing it for as long as they are good at it,? McGuiness told The Network News.
?They are creatively stronger than ever, they?re doing their best work and constantly surpassing themselves artistically, that?s why they stay together and that?s why it?s fun to manage them because it?s very challenging.?
