partygirl
The Fly
My favorite passage about Naomi Campbell was that she was the person voted most likely to have a suitcase fall on her head.
U2 - At The End of The World ...what do you guys think??????
- Thread starter Acrobat54321
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
foray
Rock n' Roll Doggie
hello, I saw Flanagan's book at the store only a few weeks ago. Boy, is it big. Boy, would it burn my pocket.
I just wanted to ask, who exactly is Bill Flanagan to U2? And was he actually designated by them to write the biography?
foray
I just wanted to ask, who exactly is Bill Flanagan to U2? And was he actually designated by them to write the biography?
foray
AM
Refugee
I just tried to buy the book, but it seems to be out of print. So if you see a copy, BUY IT!!!
Achtung_Bebe
New Yorker
There are quite a few copies left here in Louisiana at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore--Just travel south for it
foray, Flannagan works for VH1 for something or another... It's my guess that he's a fan of the music--I'm not sure if there's any other connection. I'm pretty sure U2 didn't designate him to write the book, rather they allowed him to follow them around on tour so he could get the book written.
foray, Flannagan works for VH1 for something or another... It's my guess that he's a fan of the music--I'm not sure if there's any other connection. I'm pretty sure U2 didn't designate him to write the book, rather they allowed him to follow them around on tour so he could get the book written.
foray
Rock n' Roll Doggie
ah, thanks for the info.
foray
foray
MrBTH
War Child
In my opinion there are three books in "The U2 Bible"!!
1) Carter Allen's "Wide Awake In America", reprinted in 1998 as "U2, The Road To Pop".
This book, by Boston DJ Allen (who was the first DJ in America to play a U2 record on air and who subsequently became a great friend and ally to U2 in their quest to break America) is the story of U2 in the USA, from their earliest days touring tiny clubs to the stadium straddling ZooTV and Pop tours. It is particularly good for descriptions of live shows and Bono's hair raising antics during them, for an insight into the Band's spirituality and attitudes in the 80's, for how they coped with their growing popularity and their sometimes overly enthusiastic fans (great description of a near riot at a Radio City gig during the War tour) and also just as a very good story of how a little band from Dublin came to take over the world. It falters in the 90's after Allen fell out of favour with the band after publishing the book without their prior approval (the story of this is covered in #2 in the bible)- and as a result the descriptions of the ZooTV era ar much less insightful and pretty perfunctory. However, you don't need any other description of the ZooTV era if you have...
2: Bill Flanagan, "U2 At The End Of The World".
Everything about this book is amazing. It is one of the most readable books I have ever known of, sweeping you up in the excitement of the Zoo era, introducing you, personally, not only to the band but to their many back up personnell, their parents, Gavin Friday, Sinead O'Conner... just a whole world of U2 which you end up feeling a part of by the last few lines. My favourite bit is in one of the last few chapters when Bono's Dad is talking about his son as a child, his hopes and fears back then and how things have panned out. You could not wish for a better insight into U2. I have read it at least 10 times and I have never tired of it. I can open the book at any page and what I read will be either funny, moving, insightful or all three at once. That is how good this book is! Go and get it now!!
3: John Waters, "Race Of Angels".
This is an odd one... a look at U2 and the Irish national Psyche, drawing links and paralells with all aspects. It's a lyrical and beautifully written book, filled with incredible insights into U2's place in the scheme of Irish culture, with links back to literature and Ireland's political coming of age. It's also a wonderful general biography of U2 which goes into great detail on their backgrounds and the places that they are from. I personally love this book though some may find it a little pretentious and pre-emptive in placing U2 on such a pedestal as to analyse their music and phenomenon almost as a fine art. I find that it has opened my mind to a much deeper understanding of U2's music and attitudes.
These are the three that I think any true U2 fan should read. There are others which I have read which don't really come close to tis "Holy Trinity"
Eamonn Dunphy's "The Unforgettable Fire" is a straight biography written around the time of Rattle and Hum. It's not bad but it is filled with minor inaccuracies and some dodgy opinions. Niall Stokes' "Into The Heart" is OK, but I find it to be too personal to the author at times and the breaking up into a song by song analysis lacks depth and coherency. B.P. Fallon's "Faraway So Close" is good in it's own way, but it is so hard to read because of all of the crazy graphics and photos. It's basically random entries from B.P.s personal diary of his time with U2 scattered throughout a collection of brilliant photos and images from the tour. The end result is almost like a hallucinogenic experience because your mind ends up being so mixed up. And that is why, I think, it works... because it is expressing the total madness of the ZooTV tour! I quite like this book actually but I think it falls well outside the top three.
OK folks, that's my book review for the night! Happy reading!
1) Carter Allen's "Wide Awake In America", reprinted in 1998 as "U2, The Road To Pop".
This book, by Boston DJ Allen (who was the first DJ in America to play a U2 record on air and who subsequently became a great friend and ally to U2 in their quest to break America) is the story of U2 in the USA, from their earliest days touring tiny clubs to the stadium straddling ZooTV and Pop tours. It is particularly good for descriptions of live shows and Bono's hair raising antics during them, for an insight into the Band's spirituality and attitudes in the 80's, for how they coped with their growing popularity and their sometimes overly enthusiastic fans (great description of a near riot at a Radio City gig during the War tour) and also just as a very good story of how a little band from Dublin came to take over the world. It falters in the 90's after Allen fell out of favour with the band after publishing the book without their prior approval (the story of this is covered in #2 in the bible)- and as a result the descriptions of the ZooTV era ar much less insightful and pretty perfunctory. However, you don't need any other description of the ZooTV era if you have...
2: Bill Flanagan, "U2 At The End Of The World".
Everything about this book is amazing. It is one of the most readable books I have ever known of, sweeping you up in the excitement of the Zoo era, introducing you, personally, not only to the band but to their many back up personnell, their parents, Gavin Friday, Sinead O'Conner... just a whole world of U2 which you end up feeling a part of by the last few lines. My favourite bit is in one of the last few chapters when Bono's Dad is talking about his son as a child, his hopes and fears back then and how things have panned out. You could not wish for a better insight into U2. I have read it at least 10 times and I have never tired of it. I can open the book at any page and what I read will be either funny, moving, insightful or all three at once. That is how good this book is! Go and get it now!!
3: John Waters, "Race Of Angels".
This is an odd one... a look at U2 and the Irish national Psyche, drawing links and paralells with all aspects. It's a lyrical and beautifully written book, filled with incredible insights into U2's place in the scheme of Irish culture, with links back to literature and Ireland's political coming of age. It's also a wonderful general biography of U2 which goes into great detail on their backgrounds and the places that they are from. I personally love this book though some may find it a little pretentious and pre-emptive in placing U2 on such a pedestal as to analyse their music and phenomenon almost as a fine art. I find that it has opened my mind to a much deeper understanding of U2's music and attitudes.
These are the three that I think any true U2 fan should read. There are others which I have read which don't really come close to tis "Holy Trinity"
Eamonn Dunphy's "The Unforgettable Fire" is a straight biography written around the time of Rattle and Hum. It's not bad but it is filled with minor inaccuracies and some dodgy opinions. Niall Stokes' "Into The Heart" is OK, but I find it to be too personal to the author at times and the breaking up into a song by song analysis lacks depth and coherency. B.P. Fallon's "Faraway So Close" is good in it's own way, but it is so hard to read because of all of the crazy graphics and photos. It's basically random entries from B.P.s personal diary of his time with U2 scattered throughout a collection of brilliant photos and images from the tour. The end result is almost like a hallucinogenic experience because your mind ends up being so mixed up. And that is why, I think, it works... because it is expressing the total madness of the ZooTV tour! I quite like this book actually but I think it falls well outside the top three.
OK folks, that's my book review for the night! Happy reading!
thingie
Babyface
Hey follower--I don't know if you ever got an answer about Race of Angels--I got my copy on eBay (that's where I buy all my U2 stuff). If anybody wants avery cheap copy of At the End of the World, they're on there all the time! (So is every other U2 book in the world)
whirlygirl
Babyface
Just my 2 cents (coming from a newbie
)
At The End Of The World is a must have. It gets down and dirty and into the nitty gritty of life on the road with the band. It delves into some personal aspects of the lives of the band, but it doesn't get too personal. It is a no holds barred behind the scenes documentary that offers insight not only into U2, but into what it is like for a band to be wrapped up with being on the road and in the studio. Compared to all the other U2 books I have, this one is by far the best because it does not cut corners and it makes no apologies. Lastly, the book makes U2 out to be human beings rather than focus on the 'larger than life' rock star mentality that so many other band biographies do.
My husband reads everything he can get his hands on. Although he is not a big U2 fan (the only record he enjoyed front to back was Achtung Baby) he enjoyed that book so much he read it twice in one week. You can bet he walked away from that book with a deeper appreciation for U2 as a whole, rather than base his feelings on U2 from what he's seen on MTV.
Peace,
w
At The End Of The World is a must have. It gets down and dirty and into the nitty gritty of life on the road with the band. It delves into some personal aspects of the lives of the band, but it doesn't get too personal. It is a no holds barred behind the scenes documentary that offers insight not only into U2, but into what it is like for a band to be wrapped up with being on the road and in the studio. Compared to all the other U2 books I have, this one is by far the best because it does not cut corners and it makes no apologies. Lastly, the book makes U2 out to be human beings rather than focus on the 'larger than life' rock star mentality that so many other band biographies do.
My husband reads everything he can get his hands on. Although he is not a big U2 fan (the only record he enjoyed front to back was Achtung Baby) he enjoyed that book so much he read it twice in one week. You can bet he walked away from that book with a deeper appreciation for U2 as a whole, rather than base his feelings on U2 from what he's seen on MTV.
Peace,
w
Acrobat54321
Babyface
Cheers guys, I'm reading it as I write this...funny book!!!!!
Crzy4Bono
Refugee
What a great book.
Also, Bill Flanagan wrote a fiction book called A&R, which is also a great book (tho not about U2).
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I Believe in the Kingdom Come, where all the colors, will bleed into one...
Also, Bill Flanagan wrote a fiction book called A&R, which is also a great book (tho not about U2).
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I Believe in the Kingdom Come, where all the colors, will bleed into one...
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