Is This It?

[Nick66]

They've always tried to be "relevant", but Bono certainly wouldn't be saying anything like "Fuck the pop kids, we don't need 'em" post-2000.

Bono was basically being an ass throughout the whole AB era. I almost think a big part of it was an act...thinking back now to when he pretty cruelly mocked Phil Collins when they accepted the Billboard Music Award from a pub in Dublin. I cringed when I watched that clip and wanted to punch Bono in the face.

In sort of a counter intuitive way, I think by saying "fuck the pop kids" Bono was still going for relevance....perhaps just a different kind.

 

[womanfish]

The only problem with this argument is that you're basically saying that now they're not making the music they want to...

Like i said, the whole thing is kinda tricky. I mean, yes, they have final say of what we get in the end. But i don't think we can truly think that they take 4 to 5 years for an album, starting and scrapping multiple sessions with various producers, and then think the final product isn't some hybrid of what they set out to do and some glossing, crafting and scrubbing done by dozens of hands.

The other view is - that everything they do is exactly what they want, and we just aren't as happy with what they want as we used to be. I loved SOI. My fave since POP, but when you are a fan that follows every move, its difficult not to think - what if they had done this, or just gone with this producer, etc...

They obviously can do whatever they want and i will be first in line to listen. But their current "process" will always leave me with nagging questions.

 

[Nick66]

BVS beat me w/both the above above comments/replies, which duly I associate myself with.

 

[BVS]

Like i said, the whole thing is kinda tricky. I mean, yes, they have final say of what we get in the end. But i don't think we can truly think that they take 4 to 5 years for an album, starting and scrapping multiple sessions with various producers, and then think the final product isn't some hybrid of what they set out to do and some glossing, crafting and scrubbing done by dozens of hands.

The other view is - that everything they do is exactly what they want, and we just aren't as happy with what they want as we used to be. I loved SOI. My fave since POP, but when you are a fan that follows every move, its difficult not to think - what if they had done this, or just gone with this producer, etc...

They obviously can do whatever they want and i will be first in line to listen. But their current "process" will always leave me with nagging questions.

Then we have an album that didn't change producers, used long time producers, started off promising, but then took a turn after leaving Fez when Eno made some comment(just my theory) about sounding like world music.

U2's biggest problem is that they are too much of a democracy. After Pop Larry was quoted as saying, "next time let's actually make a pop album, not just call it pop". That coupled with Bono saying he and Edge are the more experimental side and that the other 2 reign them in, makes me believe that the only reason we get SUCs is that they are devoted to that everyone gets an equal say model.

 

[womanfish]

Then we have an album that didn't change producers, used long time producers, started off promising, but then took a turn after leaving Fez when Eno made some comment(just my theory) about sounding like world music.

U2's biggest problem is that they are too much of a democracy. After Pop Larry was quoted as saying, "next time let's actually make a pop album, not just call it pop". That coupled with Bono saying he and Edge are the more experimental side and that the other 2 reign them in, makes me believe that the only reason we get SUCs is that they are devoted to that everyone gets an equal say model.

great points here. No Line remains my favorite of the 2000-2010 material. But I think you make a great point about it getting scattered or disjointed by committee rule...

 

[Nick66]

U2's biggest problem is that they are too much of a democracy.

Same with America ! (Though I understand something is being done about that)

 

[DaveC]

Bono was basically being an ass throughout the whole AB era. I almost think a big part of it was an act...thinking back now to when he pretty cruelly mocked Phil Collins when they accepted the Billboard Music Award from a pub in Dublin. I cringed when I watched that clip and wanted to punch Bono in the face.

In sort of a counter intuitive way, I think by saying "fuck the pop kids" Bono was still going for relevance....perhaps just a different kind.

i was curious how bad it could be so i watched that clip...it's about as far from "cruel mockery" as it gets. they jokingly call him old and say it gets weird when drummers start to sing as a sarcastic jokey way to explain why larry wasn't there with them.



if that's really being "pretty cruelly mocked" then at least one of you/phil collins has an excessively thin skin. it's a very light sarcastic roasting banter to make the audience chuckle, not a string of mean put-downs meant to hurt phil collins (despite the hyperbolic way the video is titled). although i think more likely it's just that you remembered it as being far worse than it actually was.

 

[BVS]

Same with America ! (Though I understand something is being done about that)

True! Can you imagine how a simple test could have saved us all?

No Trump and we would have had SOE

 

[LemonMelon]

if that's really being "pretty cruelly mocked" then at least one of you/phil collins has an excessively thin skin.

 

[Nick66]

i was curious how bad it could be so i watched that clip...it's about as far from "cruel mockery" as it gets. they jokingly call him old and say it gets weird when drummers start to sing as a sarcastic jokey way to explain why larry wasn't there with them.


if that's really being "pretty cruelly mocked" then at least one of you/phil collins has an excessively thin skin. it's a very light sarcastic roasting banter to make the audience chuckle, not a string of mean put-downs meant to hurt phil collins (despite the hyperbolic way the video is titled). although i think more likely it's just that you remembered it as being far worse than it actually was.

Don't get me wrong, I have zero use for Phil Collins or his music, but while it's not as bad as I remember (you're right, cruel mockery was probably too strong), I still think Bono was being a major dick (IMO)...the other members of the band slightly less so. The whole thing just seemed cringe worthy and uncomfortable to me. Collins just had a job to do, tried to good natured joking with them and they just did this whole "we can't be bothered, and you're an idiot Phil" routine that rubbed me the wrong way. They put on this pose quite a bit during that era. Might just be my sensibilities, but I don't think they play the drunk/arrogant rock star who doesn't give a shite thing well.

Glad Larry wasn't on board for this interview.

 

[david]

Never trust a guy who wears sunglasses indoors.

 

[corianderstem]

Not enough is spoken about how brilliant the final 5 tracks on SOE are.

No one's spoken about it because we haven't heard SOE yet.

...and more debating semantics...

Welcome to Interference. Meet BVS. For better or worse, he's the poster who loves to debate E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

 

[bono2017]

U2 is a band that truly takes a fan to sign onto a journey. If you ever get stuck in one period, or hop off the train for too long, it's nearly impossible to genuinely enjoy the next stage they hit.

Interesting perspective. But I think a lot of people got back on the train in the year 2000 and 2004 with ATYCLB and HTDAAB.

 

[bono2017]

Respectfully disagree.

In the 80s, the politics was a motivational, driving force for the band. it fueled them and made them connect with their audience in ways that distinguished them from the sugar pop hair band nonsense of that era.

No one was questioning their identity as a band in the 80s - their worldview and musical sensibilities defined them in a positive sense and was a key element to their ascendancy as one of the biggest bands in the world.

There were a lot of people like you today that stopped following the band in the early 90s for some of the same reasons you listed in your first post. So there is a long history of fans that stopped following the band for similar reasons for the past quarter century.

Problem for the band now is that they are not really gaining new fans and the older fans that drop off the train now are unlikely to be replaced. The band may have to start playing smaller venues in the future because of this.

 

[kabigon]

Problem for the band now is that they are not really gaining new fans and the older fans that drop off the train now are unlikely to be replaced. The band may have to start playing smaller venues in the future because of this.

Maybe there'll be a slight drop off if they're still around in a decade or two. I don't think the fanbase are as close to death as some think..

 

[BVS]

No one's spoken about it because we haven't heard SOE yet.




Welcome to Interference. Meet BVS. For better or worse, he's the poster who loves to debate E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

I disagree there are definitely issues that I don't...

Oh, now I'm just sad [emoji24]

 

[corianderstem]

 

[MrPryck2U]

That Phil Collins/U2 clip was awesome! If there's anyone who has a great sense of humor, it's Phil Collins. He was just playing the straight man for Bono, Edge, and Adam. A very lighthearted segment.

 

[gvox]

i was curious how bad it could be so i watched that clip...it's about as far from "cruel mockery" as it gets. they jokingly call him old and say it gets weird when drummers start to sing as a sarcastic jokey way to explain why larry wasn't there with them.



if that's really being "pretty cruelly mocked" then at least one of you/phil collins has an excessively thin skin. it's a very light sarcastic roasting banter to make the audience chuckle, not a string of mean put-downs meant to hurt phil collins (despite the hyperbolic way the video is titled). although i think more likely it's just that you remembered it as being far worse than it actually was.

There is no way Phil took any of that personally.

 

[gvox]

That Phil Collins/U2 clip was awesome! If there's anyone who has a great sense of humor, it's Phil Collins.

This! Phil is great. I pshaw on anyone who says any differently.

I'll leave this gem here:

 

[LemonMelon]

I know Zoots must have something to add to this Phil Collins discussion.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Unpopular musical opinions.. or something.

 

[BVS]

 

[DaveC]

of course, as we all know, the phil collins we've been discussing is really just an impostor:

 

[bono2017]

Maybe there'll be a slight drop off if they're still around in a decade or two. I don't think the fanbase are as close to death as some think..

LOL. When I say dropping of the train, I don't mean literal death. LOL I just mean losing interest and no longer buying the new album or going to see the band on tour. I'm starting to see that with a lot of my friends, but I guarantee you, they are all very much alive. The core fanbase today is between age 40 and 55, younger than the band. There are many older artist who use to fill arenas but now only play clubs, but its NOT because their fans are dead. The overwhelming majority are very much alive but are no longer interested in paying to see the artist live.

 

[lazarus]

The core fanbase today is between age 40 and 55

This is painful to read.

 

[U2girl]

Maybe there'll be a slight drop off if they're still around in a decade or two.

This.

They got some younger fans with BD and Vertigo too.

 

[kabigon]

I dunno, I'm in my 20s and I didn't have a specific song or album that helped make me a fan. I just found them somehow. If a band is good enough, they'll continue to get new fans, especially when music is so easily shareable.

 

[womanfish]

LOL. When I say dropping of the train, I don't mean literal death. LOL I just mean losing interest and no longer buying the new album or going to see the band on tour. I'm starting to see that with a lot of my friends, but I guarantee you, they are all very much alive. The core fanbase today is between age 40 and 55, younger than the band. There are many older artist who use to fill arenas but now only play clubs, but its NOT because their fans are dead. The overwhelming majority are very much alive but are no longer interested in paying to see the artist live.

Gotta say this is true, because I am one of those people. I have tons of bands i like a lot, and a few i love. But I really don't have much interest in seeing them live anymore. The exception is U2, and even them, I'd rather just get a new album. I have bought tickets to a few shows over the last couple years and ended up giving them away or selling them before show day.

 

[bono2017]

This is painful to read.

Well, the bands key fanbase building years from 1985 to 1993 are now a quarter century in the past. Not sure how many new fans came on board during the 2000-2006 time frame but there is a lot to indicate that it was simply older fans returning to the bandwagon after getting off in the 1990s. Its a challenge to keep newer generations coming in and keeping older fans from leaving.

This.

They got some younger fans with BD and Vertigo too.

Maybe, but its hard to say how significant it was, or if it was just older fans who had left in the 90s getting back on the train in the 00s.

I dunno, I'm in my 20s and I didn't have a specific song or album that helped make me a fan. I just found them somehow. If a band is good enough, they'll continue to get new fans, especially when music is so easily shareable.

Sure, music today is practically free through the internet, but what catches people ear and makes them spend time listening to certain types of new music is difficult to determine. As Bono says, there is a lot of noise out there today. It some ways its more difficult to make yourself heard these days. You have to some how, catch on, go viral etc, in order to come to mass numbers of peoples attention.

Even then, the question becomes what makes a person who has never purchased anything by a particular artist go out and buy a $100 dollar ticket to see them in concert? Many years ago, a person had already spent a good bit of money buying several albums and singles before they purchased that concert ticket. It was easier to gauge that demand was there to see this particular artist in concert.

I think most 18 year olds are influenced by what they come into contact with on their various internet feeds, facebook, twitter, what is going viral on youtube, etc. Some how a piece of music or video attracts mass attention and becomes known to a very wide audience of people. Unfortunately for U2, the songs from the last album were never able to generate anywhere near that level of interest.