DevilsShoes
War Child
Just watched the BBC broadcast of FTSD and wanted to share some thoughts. I know there's already a thread about this, but it seems to have gotten a little off-topic and now that people can actually see the film (or at least will be able to very soon), I thought it might be nice to have a serperate thread where people can air their views. However if the mods wish to merge the two, feel free to do so.
Deep breath, here goes.
I really enjoyed the documentary. It takes a peculiar angle in that, rather than focusing directly on the making of AB, it spends most of its 90 minutes running time analysing that difficult and traumatic moment between Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby, between the end of Eighties and the start of the Nineties. It’s far more about the personal relationships between the four members, rather than the music itself and is really the tale of how U2 survived where so many of their precursors imploded.
Each member is allowed to put forward their version of events, but most of the focus is given over to Bono and Edge, who are far more open and honest about things than I ever anticipated. For whatever reason, this material cut closer to home than the details already divulged in U2 by U2, maybe because you could actually hear the guy’s voices, rather than merely read their words.
There’s real insight into the bands mind-set around about the time of JT and the subsequent tour. Commercially and culturally it launched them into the stratosphere, but behind all the success there’s a tangible feeling of doubt, insecurity and inadequacy. Fame appears to hit them like a freight train and none of them know really how to deal with it. There’s some first class archive footage of Bono in touring-mode, by turns playful, restless, edgy and, at times, irate. The confident and flamboyant frontman is revealed to be a far more uncertain and disconcerted figure away from the spotlight. This is the sort of stuff U2 by U2 could only really hint at, being able to actually see Bono talk to his fellow band mates about his anxieties regarding the set-list or the vulnerability and anger he feels at having to step out onto the high-wire on a nightly basis is far more impactful.
As I was watching this stuff, I couldn’t help but think that this is exactly the kind of footage that should have ended up in R&H. The live cuts are of course phenomenal but the off-stage footage is far too anodyne. I understand that the band wanted to present a certain image of themselves, but the movie would have been far more compelling and resonant had some of this material been rescued from the cutting room floor.
At the very least I think the critics would have perhaps cut them a little more slack, it would have been so much more powerful to have been able to directly contrast Bono’s overly earnest stage persona with the uptight and all-too human individual behind the scenes . Some of those accusations of overblown egotism may have been deflected or at least diminished somewhat had they been able to see that. We tend to think of The Fly as being the first proper character Bono created, but this documentary proves he’d been doing it pretty much right from the start.
There’s also a sizeable chunk of excellent Lovetown footage too, with actual audio of both Streets and 40 from the New Years gig, I think. Am I naïve for thinking that if they’ve got the first and last song on tape they must have everything else in between? If so, then the footage for a DVD exists, it’s just a case of getting it out there. I really hope some of this stuff ends up on the R&H remaster.
In Berlin, there’s plenty of insight into just how dark and difficult things were, you really get a sense of just how near they came to complete collapse. We’ve all heard the story of how One appeared to arrive out of thin air, so it’s really interesting to actually hear the tapes that document these unique moments. Just listening to the band and Bono groping for melody and lyrics is absolutely fascinating, there’s a real mix of excitement, eagerness and desperation to cling to this moment and hold onto it for as long as possible.
I think if you’re looking for a ‘making of AB’ documentary then this isn’t it, only MW and One get any real attention, with some brief detail about how Bono hit upon the idea of The Fly, but apart from that, there’s precious little on offer. With that said though, you do get a spine-chilling version of LIB with Edge on acoustic and the animation used to depict the emotion of any given moment is just fantastic. Particularly effective are Bono’s memories of turning his grannies front room into a cathedral whilst playing the piano and the self-imposed prison cells built during the dark days of Hansa.
It’s the strength and fragility of the bond that exists between U2 that this film is really interested in talking about, AB and ZOO TV take second billing to the personal relations. Maybe U2 were just too stubborn to break up, but I think their willingness to negotiate some significant growing pains with sometimes brutal honesty is a key reason why they’ve survived for so long and why they’ve managed to resurrect themselves so successfully time and time again.
Deep breath, here goes.
I really enjoyed the documentary. It takes a peculiar angle in that, rather than focusing directly on the making of AB, it spends most of its 90 minutes running time analysing that difficult and traumatic moment between Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby, between the end of Eighties and the start of the Nineties. It’s far more about the personal relationships between the four members, rather than the music itself and is really the tale of how U2 survived where so many of their precursors imploded.
Each member is allowed to put forward their version of events, but most of the focus is given over to Bono and Edge, who are far more open and honest about things than I ever anticipated. For whatever reason, this material cut closer to home than the details already divulged in U2 by U2, maybe because you could actually hear the guy’s voices, rather than merely read their words.
There’s real insight into the bands mind-set around about the time of JT and the subsequent tour. Commercially and culturally it launched them into the stratosphere, but behind all the success there’s a tangible feeling of doubt, insecurity and inadequacy. Fame appears to hit them like a freight train and none of them know really how to deal with it. There’s some first class archive footage of Bono in touring-mode, by turns playful, restless, edgy and, at times, irate. The confident and flamboyant frontman is revealed to be a far more uncertain and disconcerted figure away from the spotlight. This is the sort of stuff U2 by U2 could only really hint at, being able to actually see Bono talk to his fellow band mates about his anxieties regarding the set-list or the vulnerability and anger he feels at having to step out onto the high-wire on a nightly basis is far more impactful.
As I was watching this stuff, I couldn’t help but think that this is exactly the kind of footage that should have ended up in R&H. The live cuts are of course phenomenal but the off-stage footage is far too anodyne. I understand that the band wanted to present a certain image of themselves, but the movie would have been far more compelling and resonant had some of this material been rescued from the cutting room floor.
At the very least I think the critics would have perhaps cut them a little more slack, it would have been so much more powerful to have been able to directly contrast Bono’s overly earnest stage persona with the uptight and all-too human individual behind the scenes . Some of those accusations of overblown egotism may have been deflected or at least diminished somewhat had they been able to see that. We tend to think of The Fly as being the first proper character Bono created, but this documentary proves he’d been doing it pretty much right from the start.
There’s also a sizeable chunk of excellent Lovetown footage too, with actual audio of both Streets and 40 from the New Years gig, I think. Am I naïve for thinking that if they’ve got the first and last song on tape they must have everything else in between? If so, then the footage for a DVD exists, it’s just a case of getting it out there. I really hope some of this stuff ends up on the R&H remaster.
In Berlin, there’s plenty of insight into just how dark and difficult things were, you really get a sense of just how near they came to complete collapse. We’ve all heard the story of how One appeared to arrive out of thin air, so it’s really interesting to actually hear the tapes that document these unique moments. Just listening to the band and Bono groping for melody and lyrics is absolutely fascinating, there’s a real mix of excitement, eagerness and desperation to cling to this moment and hold onto it for as long as possible.
I think if you’re looking for a ‘making of AB’ documentary then this isn’t it, only MW and One get any real attention, with some brief detail about how Bono hit upon the idea of The Fly, but apart from that, there’s precious little on offer. With that said though, you do get a spine-chilling version of LIB with Edge on acoustic and the animation used to depict the emotion of any given moment is just fantastic. Particularly effective are Bono’s memories of turning his grannies front room into a cathedral whilst playing the piano and the self-imposed prison cells built during the dark days of Hansa.
It’s the strength and fragility of the bond that exists between U2 that this film is really interested in talking about, AB and ZOO TV take second billing to the personal relations. Maybe U2 were just too stubborn to break up, but I think their willingness to negotiate some significant growing pains with sometimes brutal honesty is a key reason why they’ve survived for so long and why they’ve managed to resurrect themselves so successfully time and time again.
... seriously. 
I kind of LOVE the guy a bit.
) Big up to my U2Brothr for hosting last night for round 1!
