Interference Interuption:

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I remember that and being so blown away at that time. I couldn't get all of the words or the concepts at the time - it was so overwhelming. But here, seeing them written out and being able to really read them...all I can say is WOW! So much imagery, so much emotion, so much information, so much... I have to really read it and try to have my brain wrap around it some more...

Thank you, Edge.

:dance:
 
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Television.... In the spirit of Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 .... if only it was used for good instead of evil ....
 
We are all being overstimulated. The effects of media on our children is scary. Media sends messages of sex, violence and consumerism to our children every day. What are the ramifications of this...? I guess we'll find out in about twenty years!

Edge once again thank you for a provacative post.
 
please tell the band that this next tour has to really send a message

ohh I have no doubt this tour will carry a big message no matter how it's packaged.. can't wait...

I spent a year away with no T.V once when I was north ..miss that actually.. I did have CBC radio and a whole bunch of books and some intense games of pond hockey (girls always won LOL) ..amazing how much that did to unclogg my mind
 
i love you The Edge!!


even more than i love that song, "Television- Drug of the Nation." It's really a cool song.



how about the George Bush Rap? still relevant, right? :wink:
 
The internet can still give us hope though. Unlike televison, the internet gives each and everyone of us a voice. Television has only one voice. The voice of money.
 
Interesting

Philo T. Farnsworth, a Utahn, was the inventor of television.

To answer the question posed in your post...I think t.v. imitates us. I think it's very egotistical of anybody to think it's otherwise.

P.S. Just FYI, I don't watch much t.v.
 
Edge --

So true. The Internet is Zoo TV on steroids. Except channels are now websites, blogs, chatrooms, message boards, and video conferences, among other things.

As a society, we are being bombarded by information like never before. Makes the early to mid 90's seem tame in comparison. The Internet has replaced the tube as society's drug of choice. So many people now have the power of seemingly infinite knowledge and communication at their fingertips.

So now the question becomes how will people use this power of accessible information? For the benefit of others? To spread hatred and lies? To touch other people's lives? Change the world maybe?

The net is still in its infancy. We probably haven't even seen a fraction of what it can do.

AJ
 
Hawk269 said:
So now the question becomes how will people use this power of accessible information? For the benefit of others? To spread hatred and lies? To touch other people's lives? Change the world maybe?

All of the above.
 
If they do the ruined city thing, I totally start thinking about Spinal Tap, Stonehenge sort of things. If it's too avant garde art then it will sail over everyone's head and might also be pretentious. At least with PopMart, it was kitschy. So even if you didn't get it, you thought... cool a 25 foot lemon! and an olive!
Maybe it's time to acknowledge OK Computer (ala Radiohead) something that reflects the interactivity of the internet. Maybe instead of calling George Bush, you could IM him instead. Maybe a I talk, you type sort of thing, so that we could see Bono's words go up as he says them. It would be like following the bouncing ball during Pop Mart Karaoke.
Maybe U2 could download MP3's of their stuff only to find that they are mislabled Barry Manilow tunes. Lots of possible humor mocking us here using Blue Crack. Which would be a tremendous in joke.
I'll think of more ideas if they want a geek's opinion on how to abuse technology. Wait, the Edge is a geek right? He'll do fine abusing technology.
 
I remember the shows opening with this song as well. It really did leave an impression on me.
As a future mathematics teacher, technology is something I find myself discussing and using often. I have so much to say on the topic of tv/internet/technology, but it’s all floating around in my head and unable to come out in a logical fashion right now (it‘s been a long day). So for now this is what I can muster to make sense (I think):

While computers and the internet have made information available at fractions of a second, the ideas of how the information was gathered is becoming lost. It's learning the right buttons to press over learning the concepts that lead to the answer. It seems like as society advances with technology, the fundamentals are starting to disappear.

At the same time, it's nice that I can come to a place like this and read the experiences and stories of people who I will probably never get to meet and who are in places of the world that I will probably never get to visit. Technology can bring the world closer -sometimes.
 
Interesting lyrics for sure... but there's a LOT of BS in them as well. :D

They are very negative lyrics, seeing only the pessimistic side of the situation - very one-sided. Of course, that was the theme of ZOO TV: to show this side to the world, to demonstrate how numb we've all become. And for the time we were at the concert, it was fun to see that side. But would I want to dwell on that view much further without seeing opposing views? Not really - one needs to escape the ZOO in order to appreciate it.

TV and the 'net offer far more than just commercials, sex and oxymorons. For an enlightened mind, it can liberate and educate, and yes, entertain. There is far more than just bouncing breasts - there is history, there is theory, there is debate, there is discussion. PBS offers a plethora of shows, depicting the excellence of the past, the beauty of the present and the dreams of the future.

The 'net, time-consuming place that it is, opens channels of communication. We may hide behind anonymous names, but some of us do advance beyond the world of online words and become friends. The 'net has helped me in so many ways. It has allowed me to express my thoughts as well as anxieties. It has taught me more about people's feelings than many real life interactions (people seem far more expressive online than they are in reality). It has educated me on so many topics, teaching me science and history. It has helped me collect cherished items (including many U2 items - more $$ for you, Edge :wink: ).

So while those lyrics are indeed worthwhile and merit consideration, they also have a shallowness to them - they only cover "the surface of things" (if you forgive me borrowing a quote from a well known band ;) ).
 
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Edge -

No outside source of information (TV, Internet, etc) can ultimately influence you or control your thoughts if you are centered and at peace with yourself. :wink:

YOUR EYES and your mind filter all the information you need to know.

Truth either lives inside you or it doesn't.:ohmy:

For those for whom truth does not live inside them, then outside sources of info might control them.

It is up to you - do you want to control your destiny or do you want the media to do so? :scratch:

For me, I will always control my own thoughts and deeds. :up:

Thanks for another thought-provoking thread, O MASTER OF THE GUITAR RIFFS! :edge:

(Hopefully you got to check out the thread on The Clash - we have some requests for the next tour. :yes: )

THANKS FOR COMING BACK, EDGE! :hug:
 
gotta love interruptions lol!

hey Jamila...i'm assuming it's in the Bang and Clatter forum? I've got some Clash requests of my own! PJ awesomely covered "Know Your Rights" last year on tour...so much Joe in Eddie....it was unfookinbelievable. :drool:

I'm feeling quite interrupted as of late (lol)....saw 2 Pearl Jam Boston shows at the Fleet Center. A week has passed and I still haven't recovered. Their shows are mindblowing. I'm really digging the midshow acoustic break. Very U2-ey if you ask me. :up:

My latest endeavour is trying to subscribe to the Documentary channel here in Canada....i just heard that they will be airing the Vote for Change Tour Finale LIVE on Monday! :hyper:

What could be better than Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Bruuuuce on the same stage?

*ahem*

That would BE Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Bruuuuce AND U2 on the same stage!! I would surely have a coronary. :combust:

Edge...any chance of you and the boys doing a quickie dual citizenship of the US...and getting yer arses over in D.C. for the finale show? :hyper:

Did I already mention that I'm interrupted? :lol:

About tv, internet, media and the like...

The idea is very simple. You have the CHOICE to turn it OFF.

That's what I do. Turn it all off. All that blarney. Turn it all off and live life.

I already feel like I've been sitting too long in front of this computer already just to respond to this thread. :lol:

i'm off to find the Clash thread :)
 
U2 Dork :up:

I think the song is more relevant than ever now. For all types of media.

I think Franti should re-visit the song, update the lyrics to '04 a little to reflect the times, the 'net etc.

I don't know how U2 could revisit the idea. With this song in mind though I do have this nice image....

As a one off, not as part of the regular tour, maybe as their part in something like an MTV Awards (I think the Grammy's would be too shy for it) I like the idea of Franti backed by U2 performing an updated version of Television.

Go listen to the song again, but replace the smooth hip hop electronic drums and bass with a hard hitting U2 drum and bass, and replace the sampled guitar with and angry, hard, free flowing Edge guitar. Go a bit Zoo TV-esque with a hundred Plasma screens flashing between cable news channels and clicking between websites displaying the 'unreality' of the past few years. Loud mouth commentators screaming down their guests, the over the top graphics making war look like entertainment, flashing headlines etc etc.

The song gets darker and darker and angrier and angrier.... and merges into Bullet The Blue Sky as Bono takes Franti's place. The screens switch to 'reality' displaying real images of war, Africa, Sudan etc.....

There's quite a message there.
 
leave it to yours truly....

to not see a thread (Clash) that is about 2 or 3 threads below this one. :coocoo:
but i found a PJ thread in Bang and Clatter so it's all good. ;)

i think my "off" switch is ticking....there's only so much i can take of the internet...then it's adios amigo.

it's all about control.
 
The lyrics are extremely relevant in television today - possible more so that in the early 90’s with the advent of reality TV. “The Littlest Groom” or shows like the “Swan” have no substance with the only message prevalent is that everyone feels they deserve their 15 minutes of fame. Substance has left most networks and has been replaced by the biggest laugh, biggest embarrassment, biggest err. body parts. A generation is learning how to successfully backstab, lie, cheat and claw their way to the top without really earning anything of actual value.
On the subject of the internet - I see where it can become a mindless pursuit if left unchecked. Children that have grown up with the internet as a constant in their lives often have less of a desire to reach for a book or use their imagination. Why should they?- everything they need is surely just a click away.
In my profession I have seen the internet save lives. Our medical team can - and does - interface with teams from around the world consulting on various cases (on of my favorite things to do). Where healthcare professionals once only had research books that were out of date the moment they were published , I now can find out the latest therapies, drugs, and best plan of care for my patients.

On another note - Edge anywhere on the internet you go for those really cool t-shirts?:wink:
 
I was a young teenager when I first heard that song from the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy (thanks to U2) and wrote out the lyrics on a piece of paper which I then inadvertently left on the kitchen table. My father saw it the next morning and thought *I* had written them!! For about a whole 2 hours, my father thought he had a lyrical genius on his hands! (until I informed him otherwise!)
 
Re: Re: Interference Interuption:

hippy said:

Originally posted by The Edge


T.V., is it the reflector or the director ?
Does it imitate us
or do we imitate it



Thinking about this question scares me a bit. :uhoh:

This is an interesting question.... I was just wondering something similiar the other night after watching the LONG Vice Presidental debate. After the debate they were all talking about who won and who lost etc and it made me wonder how many people sit around waiting to hear what commentators, newspeople and columinst say about subjects BEFORE they make up their mind. Are we being force fed what we should believe, be it political or social? It makes me really wonder how many people make up their own mind about issues or candidates?
 
Thanks, ladywiththespinninghead, for letting us know who wrote this. Someone from another thread said it wasn't U2, but didn't say who...

:dance:
 
For me, I can only think of the NYT article published a month or so ago about declining rates of readin gin the US as a leisure activity. It said that according to current rends, virtually nobody in the US will read for pleasure within the next 50 yrs. And this doesn't mean big meaty novels, they mean ANYTHING...you could read a Harlequin Romance and that would be "leisure" reading.

Stop and think about that for a moment. The part that really scared me though is that the study drew a clear dicotomy between people who read being more likely to participate in community events, go to concerts, ball games, volunteer, etc. They were the "Active" culture. Those whose recreation did not include reading at all were the "passive electronic culture" whose community particiaption was almost nil.

As more and more leisure time is spent in sedentary, non-actively mind-engaging culture (electronic games vs books) people will become more mentally lazy. You can see where this is going, where this may have already gone...

ValleyGirl: You post made me cry. So true, so true....:(


StarsGoBlue:

YES!!! I am going with it. The image of the band playing amidst a sea of broken TV screens is pure genius. You should start a thread with "Stage Ideas for the Next Tour." Of course, we wouldn't expect Edge to give an open reply as to which one of those he supports would we??? But you never know, he could drop hints:)

I am thinking a very kind of surrealist Bosch look, or even Picasso would do (though he is overused to the point of cliche.) (or Frank Lloyd Wright?!?!--wouldn't thast be the irony of all...)Guernica, all over again. Except we've a lot of replacements to Guernica. We have had Bhopal. Sarajevo. Srebrenica. Kinshasa. Grozny...Kikwit...Fallujah...Abu Gharib. . The list goes on, to the point of obscenity. And it will continue, I am afraid.

But unlike Guernica, so far those cities have not had their resident painter or poet. Something to capture the horror, or attempt to make sense of it. Painting and poetry now being effectively dead as active hot spots of culture in the US, (and we can thank a varity of factors for that), electronic poetry will have to do.

As minimalism seems to be a good point to make now, a huge mockup of the ZooTV stage seems an impossibilty, and a bit unweildy, since we are not going back to the era of the 80's when concerts had no video screens. It would also be too literal. The stage should not be easy to "figure out." Not right away. And the statement would get too repiditive the longer the tour went on. You need something more simpler and seductive. A few broken TV's, maybe 4 or 5, total, and next to each of the band members might be good. Scattered around the stage, in artfully reclining, cubist positions. It would really be killer if the band had them sitting on giant cushions. (How we worship it like an emperor--but also a funny yet sad commentary by the band--"it needs comfort in its 2 hrs on the stage, and we don't." It is increasingly becoming the ever-changing, "active' thing in our lives, while we stay the same. Giving it a cushion would turn it into a living thing, and if the screens were to be facing each band memember, it would be like the Big Brother watching us of the Homeland Security etc. 12 yrs ago it was an impassive monster passing judgement on us from afar.

This time the scutiny is much more personal and up close. A TV on a cushion would be funny for the audience. But it really isn't funny.)In keeping with your idea, it might be nice if one were also stood up to form a podium, so we could be treated to the delicious spectacle of Bono standing on one, preaching at a particularily grand moment. While overhead, the customary bigger screen (of modest Elevation size) would of course be broadcasting him. If the band has any resident sense of irony left this would be an illustration of it--Bono trying to look like he has "destroyed" the God of the Cathode Ray to which he was slave this past decade--while overhead the Big Screen is still there. This would send the double message that we need to be made aware of: how we can succeed in overcoming or addiction to the "Word", on the clutte rof the small screen, but at the same time, there's the bigger screen above. But also, it could be an illustration of our need for clarity of things.

Soft green or blue lighting--soothing cathode ray blue--and little red or yellow lights bathing each little TV in pretty light. Oh boy, now I'm spinning with this...
 
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caroltheone said:
Thanks, ladywiththespinninghead, for letting us know who wrote this. Someone from another thread said it wasn't U2, but didn't say who...

:dance:

Check the second post in THIS thread. It was stated pages ago, by me, and then subsequently by others.
 
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