Interference Plebiscite: Abdicate or Mediate

[Salome]

as I've stated a couple of times before
I don't think it's all that important we get to see exact evidence
as has been pointed out the truth will be revealed at some point whether this is or isn't The Edge
when a person gets a status as official band member it won't just be because he sent an email stating "hi, I really am The Edge, thought you might like to know this"
as beli stated

"For me, the dominant issue is how the policies of this site can permit management to afford a person official legitimate status without the necessary background checks, as appears to be the case. "

there must be some evidence somewhere
why no one has been able to even admit to this is worrying
it would mean no one has a clue and we were lead to believe (and the only reason we would believe this is because Interference itself worked along with all of this
as has been pointed out we wouldn't really believe that if Adam164 registered tomorrow that this really is Adam Clayton even if he/she would spend 97 hours claiming this) that this is really The Edge while no serious action to confirm this has been taken

as I've also stated before I don't blame any of the mods, admins, staff for not giving any answers in this thread since they know as much about this as any of us do
Sicy is an admin and has stated she knows nothing
Angela Harlem was an admin and it is sort of obvious that her interest in this topic wasn't met with a great deal of joy

so far we've learned in this thread is that apparently finally some action is being taken to sort this out
perhaps if this was some low profile forum with 49 members that would suffice, but for a site that aims to be the biggest and best U2 site around it is disappointing IMO

 

[U2girl]

Starsgoblue: the staff here continuously says they've got connections to the U2 organisation. Therefore, it should not be too hard emailing/writing/phoning (whatever form of contact was used later on - see next paragraph) them to confirm whether any/all band members have accounts on this site and whether any of the members is indeed posting - as has been claimed.
U2 organisation was very likely contacted to conduct the interview and verify The Edge's identity, and to set up the Ask Edge thing.

Salome: I thought the mods said they did all the checking.

 

[starsgoblue]

Ok...if that's so then how would they present the confirmation here in a manner that would be acceptable to all who question? You know what I mean? If the site here posted a letter purporting the authenticity of the interview, would you believe it? So how would that be done?

 

[Angela Harlem]

U2g, we did. Well some of us did. Actually, I dont know what others did. I came to a different conclusion to certain others on here, hence my new fangled status.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Salome

The truth is, it's damn hard to prove (short of a picture of The Edge holding a sign that says "Dear Interference, I am The Edge").

If it's not true, this site is promoting 2 false interviews, and someone taking however many thousand people for a ride claiming to be The Edge. This site IS the largest U2 fan community in the world. They (U2 and their people) DO know all about this site. You can bet a slapdown would occur pretty quickly once they are aware of any fraud going on here.

I can't believe that Elvis (or any other long term person involved here) would do such a thing. It puts the whole credibility and maybe even existence of this site on the line, and to even think that it would work for very long is absolutely crazy, all for no clear advantage.

The arguments for and against The Edge's legitimacy are pretty even, if only because neither side seems to know anything. I mean, U2 have always been fantastic to their fans, given loads of time, so it's not at all unbelievable that a band member would one day take 5 minutes to answer a few questions for such a large fan community. I mean, plenty here know how much time they give in person outside their studio etc.

And plenty of members of plenty of bands do post in similar fan forums, both official and unofficial. U2 members never have before, but that of course doesn't mean that they never would. Zootopia would have been the obvious choice, but it's gone (maybe for good), and Interference is a hundred times it's size anyway. The build up to an album release is also the obvious timing. An album which the band seem to be genuinely over the moon about. I mean, for which other albums did Bono take fans for a private listening drive in his car?

The case that has been made against - the spelling, the similarities to someone else's posts, the timing of his posts, content etc, is all pretty uncertain. My concern is in the checking and double checking when it comes to the authenticity. Like I said, I just can't see any logic that would explain why Elvis etc would pull such a stunt, so I can only believe that if it's fraud, Elvis has been taken for the same ride that we all have.

I'm in the 50/50 camp but I personally don't need to see The Edge holding up a sign declaring that he is The Edge. I'm happy to put my faith in the site, in the knowledge that if it's a fraud they'll get their arses kicked. Not only would the site lose many, many, many members, but there's a legal issue there as well. How long has 'The Edge' been on here? 2 weeks? Long enough for the posts/interviews to get attention from someone in the U2 camp for sure. I guess it's just a matter of time.

So that's where I stand. I've been posting on here for over 4 years (previously as TylerDurden) and I believe that this site is well above such a stunt. Like I said, time will tell. If there is continued interaction from U2 on this site with no negative reaction from official places then I believe. If it's fraud, Elvis at best will have a very large egg on his face, at worst it would destroy the site.

I'm happy to just give it a bit of time and see how it plays out without demanding anything.

 

[Renne]

But if you or others truly believe that the administration has deliberatley done something like this then why do you or the other doubters still post here?

Honestly? There are other parts of this site that I enjoy - it's just unfortunate that they happen to be on a site run by admin that might choose to do something like this.

Plus I'm insanely curious. I want to know who and why. And not in the least I want to know what this matter is that Joel is "working to resolve".


And I'm a sucker for (non-literal) train wrecks.

 

[Angela Harlem]

good post earnie. what are your thoughts on PM stating that Edge from the band has not been posting on any message boards? could they be mistaken?

 

[Angela Harlem]

tyler????????

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Hi! Yes, I spent a month up a mountain in Sri Lanka and found a new spiritual self. I could only manifest this new self through the name Earnie.

I didn't know about a statement from PM. When/where did that come from?

 

[U2girl]

Ok...if that's so then how would they present the confirmation here in a manner that would be acceptable to all who question? You know what I mean? If the site here posted a letter purporting the authenticity of the interview, would you believe it? So how would that be done?

Email letter from Principle Management would do, stating what I said before in this thread and in my last post. Posted here, or better yet, on U2.com. What else could possibly do?

Angela: is that why you quit as a mod, then?
What? PM said Edge is not posting on any site? Where?

 

[ramblin rose]

good post earnie. what are your thoughts on PM stating that Edge from the band has not been posting on any message boards? could they be mistaken?

It would be a compelling and damning piece of evidence, except you haven't given any specifics on this either.

Is this the vague reference made by atu2? or is it something concrete that you have seen/received yourself?

 

[Angela Harlem]

did you fall in love with sri lankan tea? it has to be the nicest brew on the planet, i swear. i had a sri lankan friend who's drown me in that stuff. best tea ever!
it sounds spiritually enlightening though


as far as I know, PM were sent various requests asking for verification one way or the other and as of 2 days ago an email had been returned to a couple of different people stating a brief message that Edge was not posting on any online fan communities and the matter is being looked into further.
i dont know any more than that at this stage.

 

[Angela Harlem]

i didnt see your reply rose, sorry.

the first time i heard of this, i'd heard a few people had emailed them. i heard through 3rd party on the first confirmation when an email was returned to one of the requestees. i swore to secrecy so would rather not say who it was. the next 2 times i heard the same thing, one of the messages was then posted on atu2, but the people i heard it off didnt say whether they'd prefer to remain anonymous, so i dont know if i can repeat it. which doesnt help you guys. i dont know PM's email and never asked myself. with these 3 people, i am really unsure if they all know each other or how valid the claims are. 3 statements came from 3 different people though.

 

[Angela Harlem]

im postwhoring lol..
when i quit, it wasnt really about this, though it was part of it. i was just sick of the endless problems we had to deal with, many other things, no one in particular, not the fellow mods, not the members specifically. i spoke to elvis and we sorted it all out, i thought. but then a week later it seemed irrelevant as the choice was taken away from me and here we all are.

 

[oliveu2cm]

Salome

If it's not true, this site is promoting 2 false interviews, and someone taking however many thousand people for a ride claiming to be The Edge. This site IS the largest U2 fan community in the world. They (U2 and their people) DO know all about this site. You can bet a slapdown would occur pretty quickly once they are aware of any fraud going on here.

I can't believe that Elvis (or any other long term person involved here) would do such a thing. It puts the whole credibility and maybe even existence of this site on the line, and to even think that it would work for very long is absolutely crazy, all for no clear advantage.

You have to remember a hoax similar to this happened in the past and was brushed under the rug. Intf is still thriving, so maybe it wasn't seen as a big risk credibility-wise? (Keep in mind non-members can't even see this page you're seeing right now. So the questions of the site's credibility are limited to only members as of now. Right there it shows you how these questions won't reach a lot of people and thus "credibility" could still go on.) Also- having "the edge" posting at a fan site really attracts a lot of attention, and new fans mean possibly new memberships, which mean more $$$. The advantages to this is pretty obvious.

As far as a "slapdown" occurring- no one really has the power to do that beside the site owner. Other people cannot come in here and make the site owner shut this down. I'm guessing legally it'd be pretty hard to prove who knew and who didn't, plus internet legalities are still in baby stages in the legal system since internet problems are fairly new.

All I know for sure is, if I declared at my site that The Edge was posting, I would damn well make sure it was the real Edge before I let myself and my visitors be duped.

 

[U2Kitten]

As far as a "slapdown" occurring- no one really has the power to do that beside the site owner. Other people cannot come in here and make the site owner shut this down. I'm guessing legally it'd be pretty hard to prove who knew and who didn't, plus internet legalities are still in baby stages in the legal system since internet problems are fairly new.

The question of why hasn't someone shut it down has been raised by many as a reason to beLIEve. I don't think it is. First, as long as nothing libelous, untrue or damaging to the band is posted under the name of Edge, it isn't likely they'd act upon the largest U2 online community on the eve of a new album release and major tour. Other than the infamous "J" post, "The Edge" did not post anything of the sort. Second, I have seen from some sources that PM has asked this site to stop on 2 occasions. Third, the owner of another U2 site, atu2.com, has posted that his sources in the PM office first said they were going to print a disclaimer denying the autheticity of Edge on U2.com when it was finished, then decided not to because they 'didn't want the issue to recieve any more publicity than it already has.' That makes sense. As many people as we have here, the official site is probably visited overall by more, and there may be thousands of fans who don't know about this (though I hear it's now all over the world on various forums in several languages) and they don't want to fan any flames. They may be laughing it off, they may be more seriously trying to stop it, I don't know. But don't let the fact that they haven't issued a public statement make you believe our Edge is the real thing. One of atu2's news correspondants, Rashas Weber, posted on wire that he had confirmation from PM that no member of U2 was openly posting on any fan sites.

All I know for sure is, if I declared at my site that The Edge was posting, I would damn well make sure it was the real Edge before I let myself and my visitors be duped.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
as a mod i have spent the last 3 years watching how everyone writes on here, and you know the quickest way to spot an alter is first through the writing style? it's like a fingerprint.

and you don't have to be a mod, any long time poster here who spends waaaay too much time on this site notices things like that too That is why I came to the conclusion I did in my theory. It is interesting that two of the most ardent 'believers' in this thread are girls who only just came here or became active in recent months. No offense girls but you simply have not seen, read and experienced the things most of us veterans have, and I think your hanging onto your faith in Edge is more wishful thinking and not wanting to let go of the dream than reality. Also, maybe you haven't been lied to, shit on, and betrayed as much in your personal lives as I have until you can smell a rat a mile away. Of course, the persons who perpetrated this stunt counted on the innocence and trust of most of the members, and that, more than anything else, is the saddest part. Some people are feeling hurt by that, and it's the toying of people's hopes, dreams and emotions that bothers me most about all this

 

[laurent24]

I can't believe I have just been reading 21 pages of nonsense. Let's call Sherlock Holmes to find out if The Edge is "The Edge". Instead of being grateful that a member of the biggest band in the world is taking the time to answer some of our questions we are discussing if he's really The Edge. What a joke. I hope the members of U2 are very busy with the rehearsels and have no time to read this nonsense because we all look extremely ridiculous. The moderators are doing a good job so let's get back to business.

 

[U2Kitten]

Could you please PM or email me privately about your suspicion and what evidence you have - not assumptions. There is NO ONE on this forum EVER that has used IPs matching those in question. I've gotta go to bed now. Night!

Joel

Elvis, I don't think there is anything I can send you other than what I have already said. A lot of things don't make sense, look really suspicious, and yes, I do believe that a staff member is involved in this, aka, 'inside job.' Of course, I have no proof but I never will. NO ONE will EVER have proof but you, because you run the site, only you ultimately know certain things, and you also have the power to change certain things. Not openly accusing you of anything specific, but I would say either there was good reason to award the status of "officially the real thing" or it was a game all along. As others have said, ultimately it all comes down to you, because you hold all the cards on all of us.

Yes, I think "The Edge" writes a lot like Katey, and even uses her favorite smilie But even if Katey is not posting as The Edge, I still see her as being guilty in a major way here, because she has stated from the beginning that she had the contact with Edge, she was handling this, and yes, even that her credibility was on the line and that she was the one responsible for it. She made most of the posts concerning Edge being here, Ask the Edge, and she stated several times that Edge was real. So I can't see how she isn't responsible in some way.

IPs I'm not even considering in this. IPs really don't mean much to me for two reasons. One, WE can't see them, only you guys, and we would have to believe what you say, and there is no way for us to prove if the information is really accurate. Two, they can be bounced. My sister posts with alters on a political message board all the time. She is on dialup and gets a service number from a far away state, posts, then quickly pulls the phone plug before she can be pinged.She's never been busted yet. Unlike emails which contain return path headers, most message boards only give you a number which can usually only show you the service provider used and the location of the number (I don't know about this site) Also, some people post from other people's houses, internet cafes, and work. But back to Edge here.

Do I expect anyone to ever admit to this? No. Do I expect the real truth to ever be laid on the table? Not entirely. No matter what is said, it will be doubted and can never be proven. My prediction is that what several people have said, that this will be blamed on staff being tricked by someone will be used, or that it will just go away. If it were me, and I was in the situation the site was in, I would, as I said in one of my earlier posts, rewind the tape recorder of WUDM fame one more time to before this stuff started, when we all felt good and were excited over Vertigo, delete all The Edge stuff, reinstate AH and Salome, and go on from there. I know for a lot of members, that's not going to be good enough. Some are hurt, some are angry, many want answers. I understand their feelings completely. But me, I'd be just happy to move on. I'd rather have no response at all than a bullshit one. I don't want to leave this site, it rocks! Am I going to renew for premium membership next year, yes I am. Some have said, how could you stay if you feel that way? Well, I ask them, some of you hate Bush because you think he lied, but you haven't left America, have you? Why? Because all your stuff is here, and so are the people you love. Well that's how I feel about this site. Is Bush a liar? Yes. Do I trust him? Nope. Am I leaving America? Nope. Is Kerry a liar? Yes. Do I trust him? Nope. Am I moving out of the country if he's elected? Nope. Same can apply I'm sure to politicians in other countries too. What I'm trying to say is, yes, I think we have been tricked, and I want it to stop because people's minds and feelings are being messed with and that's very wrong. But I don't think this site wil fall because Edge is fake, (and I am certain that he is) or that most of us will leave, and I think posting that has made the people responsible less likely to come forward with the truth. So I'm saying no matter what, I still want to be here, but the games need to be stopped for everyone's sake and the honor and integrity of the site.

Okay, analogy time. I have, like most of the other members in this thread I'm sure, talked at length in private with many other members who are feeling the same things and asking the same questions. One very good interferencer I know said something that really has rung a bell with me. This person said that Elvis was like the Wizard of Oz. Ah, that works well in this case. Elvis is the man behind the curtain, and Edge, and maybe the entire site itself is the magnificient image projected onto the screen. So it looks right now as if Toto is tugging on the curtain, and Dorothy is saying 'you're a very bad man' but you know what? Maybe he's not a very bad man, but this time he wasn't quite good enough of a wizard But he still has a lot of good things left in his black bag for us, and even if this is exposed to be a facade like that firey talking head, we can still get treasures here, and maybe we've had that power all along. Interference is Elvis, and the staff and the mods, but it's all of us too. And it's too good to let loose of the sand bags and let fly away from us now.

 

[Katey]

But even if Katey is not posting as The Edge, I still see her as being guilty in a major way here, because she has stated from the beginning that she had the contact with Edge, she was handling this, and yes, even that her credibility was on the line and that she was the one responsible for it. She made most of the posts concerning Edge being here, Ask the Edge, and she stated several times that Edge was real. So I can't see how she isn't responsible in some way.

I've always admitted this yes, and am fine with taking the heat for
MY part in this, I had hoped by doing that and being a bit transparent about my part I could take some of the fire off the team and let them get back to doing their job..Now if I was faking all this and this is my conspiracy why would I state all this out in the open for some time. Yes I had contact with the Edge, yes my credibility is on the line and if you know anything about PR that is a major thing in fact thats all you have in this profession really would I have risked that if I didnt believe in this team and what they were doing ..NOT A hope in hell. I put my neck out there because thats what I do now U2Kitten you cant state whatever you like and I can understand your questions and should you have a direct one to me I will answer. However I will say this singling out ANY one person of this team is unfair at this time.. I am sorry it concerns you that I am newer then you but how that is relevant, I suppose I just came along to make all this up right!!

Also If supposedly PM sent requests to us twice according to your source, I'd like to see them as far as I am aware none of the staff here recieved any such thing from Principle Management unless I am missing something.

 

[beli]

Im too tired too read all this stuff. I do have The Edges IP address though via the emails he sent me. I think U2Kitten just asked for that. It comes up as Champaign, Illinois on 4 of the addresses. Thats not new information though, the mods said that before. I think I only have 4 different email addresses. I will check again tomorrow, my inbox is full. Its late. Going to bed now.

 

[martha]

This thread has gotten even more ridiculous.


The dead horse is now a bloody pile of mush.

I'm going to prretend the thread is in another dimension.

 

[salomeU2000]

... However I will say this singling out ANY one person of this team is unfair at this time.. I am sorry it concerns you that I am newer then you but how that is relevant, I suppose I just came along to make all this up right!!

As Katey stated and I agree it is extremely UNFAIR!!! There are many things here that are unfair to many people on many levels including owner, mods, members and visitors; and perpetuating such a thing only makes it go around and around and never stopping. (and no this comment is not made to sublimally try to make anyone stop this thread- I am only making a statement.)

As part of a team I will not sit and watch a fellow team member be torn down. That too would be unfair.

 

[U2dork]

The amount of posts of any importance to this thread boils down to less than a page, yet here we are at what ridiculous number of pages? It is useless and hurtful to go on bickering amongst ourselves. Our concerns have been presented (thoroughly), and it is simply a matter of waiting until the person with the answers decides to address them, whether it be Elvis or whomever Elvis has contacts with. Can I suggest that we leave this alone until sometime mid-week or so? (like that's gonna happen ) It's just that the arguements and accusations are repeating themselves and I don't think anything else really needs to be said until the currently presented issues are addressed.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Maybe it would be wise to close this thread, let the flames fan out a bit and tempers cool down, then reopen the discussion later like U2dork suggested?

Leaving it open like this is only making things worse.

 

[lost poet]

This really is very strange.
Some people are saying it definitely is The Edge.
Others are saying it definitely isn't.
Both parties seem reasonably credible, and whoever is wrong is going to end up looking rather silly.

I did believe for a while, but now I just don't know. Some of "The Edge" posts (I haven't seen them all) do sound to me like the same person you get in published interviews, but some of them, particularly the more recent ones, don't.

I guess it matters to me because if it isn't real, I'd like to see the impersonator(s) go down! It isn't right to put words in someone's mouth, no matter how famous they are. And either way it would be nice to see this site calm down a bit. It's really cool to hang out with 22,000 others who also love U2's music, but not if you can't hear the music over all the shouting.

lost poet
Poems at http://www.arach.net.au/~huxtable/janet/proximity

 

[ThatGuy]

I do wish that Elvis would stop hiding behind the skirts of his staff and make a few declarative statements in this thread. But since he would rather pretend that his vacation time is more important that defending his and his site's credibility (and answering accusations of fraud from people who have given him money in exchange for services) perhaps this thread should be closed until his return.

Serious issues have been raised, and unltimately only one person can provide any satisfactory answers. And that doesn't mean passing the buck or painting yourself as a martyr, either. I think that the customers, supporters, mods, admins and staff of Interference deserve to be treated with respect by the site owner, and so far, in this thread and on this issue, that has not happened.

 

[Salome]

As part of a team I will not sit and watch a fellow team member be torn down. That too would be unfair.

being torn down?
you are a funny individual

personally I have sort of given up hope that we'll ever get an answer
when you consider that one of the main questions is whether Elvis (the rest doesn't seem to have an idea) has indeed sufficient proof that would lead the avarage person to believe that this is The Edge
- which would warrant giving him an official band status -
is a question that could be answered with either "yes" or "no" and not even this has been answered (which would have taken less time than the blank statements Joel posted now during his holiday) then I don't know why I should expect anything anymore

if you want to consider that beating a dead horse then that's fine
I just have a hard time coming to terms that the willingness to answer some valid questions (and if you don't think it's valid wanting to know whether Interference's co-operation in claiming this is indeed The Edge is based on any proof then I wonder what on earth would be a valid question) seems to be non existing over here

this thread could be locked until Elvis feels he has something to share with us but I don't see what that would solve
my personal experience is that the feeling that no one gives a shit about your questions and instead just refuse to go into any kind of discussion or even having the decency to acknowledge you tends to not solve anything
really

 

[ThatGuy]

this thread could be locked until Elvis feels he has something to share with us but I don't see what that would solve
my personal experience is that the feeling that no one gives a shit about your questions and instead just refuse to go into any kind of discussion or even having the decency to acknowledge you tends to not solve anything
really

I agree, but the infighting in this thread only serves as a distraction from the real issue at hand. I'll let the readers decide whose purpose that would serve.

Eye on the prize, people.

 

[FullonEdge2]

How can this not be the Edge? He told us FMJ was on the album as a child to two other songs. He told us that before Adam told the magazine that Vertigo came from FMJ and Native Son. The Edge knows what he's talking about. Plus, he didn't post for a while, which is the period when he was in Chernobyl. I believe he sincerely cares about the fans and enjoys discussion about the band.

Also, both The Edge and Dalkey Beach mentioned an instrumental being on the LP. When we get the album, we will know for sure if they are real.

As for me though, I have no doubt that this is the Edge. officially the real thing.

 

[biff]

Yes I had contact with the Edge, yes my credibility is on the line .

Yes it is, so the question is, what proofs did you require, and what proofs did you receive? It's as simple as that.



(And FullonEdge2, Edge wasn't in Chernobyl, but I believe he attended a showing of a movie about Chernobyl, Atomic Heart.)