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[SIMG]http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/11265u2irish-sml.jpg[/SIMG]
By Kimberly Egolf
2006.10
In "U2: An Irish Phenomenon" author Visnja Cogan probes into what she calls U2's "genome"—those special, significant factors that make U2 unlike any other band. She has pinpointed eight building blocks of the U2 phenomenon that she analyzes in a uniquely scientific way, carefully integrating new data and stories with the traditional stories of U2 legend. The result is a well-researched and informative look at what makes U2 a phenomenon.
Recently, Cogan spoke to Interference.com about her book, her own U2 fandom, and how she came up with the idea of U2's "genome."
In your book, you briefly talk about your first encounter with U2's music through the song "New Year's Day." Can you elaborate on this experience? What made you a U2 fan back in 1983?
I think what made me a U2 fan was the melodic quality in the song, the words, simple and straightforward, and Bono's voice, which truly moved me. I still have that special feeling when I listen to the song. I see myself sitting at home and hearing it for the first time and then trying to find out everything about the band in music magazines. It was love at first hearing! I didn't have a clue how many musicians played in the band or what they looked like. It was the music that conveyed all this emotion and it still does. I then quickly met some people who were also fans and we started hanging out together, sharing everything we could about the band, going to gigs together and becoming close friends in the process.
I understand that this book started out as your dissertation for university. Can you tell us about the genesis of the book and how it evolved into its final form?
Yes, it started out as a PhD in Irish Studies and when I completed it, I decided that I would have to do what my supervisor had suggested many years before that: turn it into a book. He was really the catalyst of its creation and made the idea for it possible. He unfortunately passed away shortly before my exam, which was a terrible blow for everyone who knew him and the book is dedicated to him. The PhD gestation period took far longer than I'd anticipated but the book itself is of course very different from the dissertation, in that I wanted to turn it into something approachable for the fans and the general public, while keeping the original ideas. So I worked within that framework, found a publisher and here we are. All the staff at The Collins Press was fabulous and also made the existence of the book possible.
There's such a wealth of material about U2 out there. Where did you begin with your research?
I had started collecting every article that I could get my hands on around the time I discovered the band. Yet, I'm not a collector at all! So it was a strange thing to do, as if I knew that one day that material would come in handy. But I also needed to build a theoretical framework so I read many books on sociology, philosophy, the sociology of music and other related topics as well as all the U2 books out there. As for articles, I must have read hundreds of them. I then selected those that I found the most relevant to what I had in mind. Let's face it: many of the articles on U2 repeat themselves or tell the same story in a different way. That's how I was able to eventually choose all the relevant bits and pieces, the more serious stuff, the articles by the best journalists and writers from Rolling Stone, Q, New Musical Express, Hot Press, The Irish Times or The Los Angeles Times. The Irish DJ Dave Fanning, who wrote the foreword to the book, also provided me back in the early 1990s with early articles about the band. I also interviewed some people in the music business in Ireland to try and understand the Irish music industry.
So, you can see that it was a long and arduous task and it was at times very difficult. Some people even asked me if I was fed up with U2 because it was taking so long to complete the PhD. But that's one thing that never happened. I would just put on a record and forget about everything. And let's face it: spending hours watching U2 videos to try and understand a particular aspect of their image wasn't really that bad.
How did you determine the eight building blocks you name as the basis for your study (community, "Irishness," independence, spirituality, creative drive, ambition, social conscience, and the fans)?
That was actually the conclusion I had come to at the end of my dissertation that U2's ongoing success is due to those permanent features. So, as the book was intended for the general public, I decided to turn the whole thing on its head and start with those building blocks, ideas that U2 fans could relate to, because they knew about them.
You call these building blocks the "genome" of U2, consciously putting yourself in the place of a scientist. In the book, you sometimes use this critical, scientific viewpoint to point out issues that make it difficult for U2 to be a successful band (for example, Bono's work with DATA interfering with making records). Being an avowed "uberfan" of the band, did you find it difficult to take a critical view? How did you set aside your personal feelings about the band?
It was a hell of a challenge, probably the biggest challenge of this whole work. I'm not sure that I succeeded. I probably haven't. But I tried to be, if not objective, then intellectually honest in my approach. Dealing with such a phenomenon is always a difficult task and as much as I love U2, I started seeing them as human beings, living and breathing the same air as you and me, making mistakes and I accepted that fact. But writing the book was different from writing the PhD because in the book I could actually give my real opinion on the band. That was a liberating experience. And when you deal with human beings, objectivity goes out the window anyway.
Were there subjects you found more difficult to write about than others?
Absolutely. Take for instance "Irishness." What is it? What does it mean? How do the Irish and particularly U2 relate to it? Does it really exist? It is a very difficult concept.
Or spirituality. How do you define it? What do you say about it when people have so many differing opinions about U2's spiritual side and so many things have already been written about it? Also, the conclusion about the different generations that U2 have touched and the influence they have had on their fans wasn't a piece of cake either. I think these three subjects were probably the most difficult, the others being easier to approach, easier to grasp and to turn into coherent chapters. And the most fun to write was the epilogue, where the fans talk about their passion.
How has the book changed from when you first began? What, if anything, did you have to modify in light of U2's recent activities (i.e. the new album, the Vertigo Tour, Live 8, etc.)? Did any of these things significantly change the outcome of your thesis?
My PhD was completed in 2003, but the outcome of the book did not change that much because I truly believe that the building blocks you talk about earlier are the foundation of the band and although things may change and U2 may do certain things and evolve, those features still remain present. They are the foundation of the band and the fact that U2 moved their operation from Ireland to Holland for tax reasons for instance is in keeping with what they've been doing in their business strategy. Business is business even for U2. Of course, they've been vilified for that, especially in Ireland. But what else is new?
You spend the last portion of your book letting the fans speak for themselves. Where did you find these fans and how did you get them to talk? (Not that it's generally hard to get a U2 fan to talk about the band!)
I found them through a French website called u2achtung.com and through Interference.com. As for getting them to talk, you are absolutely right, they were very willing to expand on every aspect of U2. I interviewed some French fans face to face (being based in Paris) and sent questionnaires via e-mail to others around the world. They were all so keen to take part that I was delighted, of course, to have so much material for such a short epilogue. Thanks again to all of them.
You ask the question in the introduction, "why no book has ever attempted to find an explanation for the phenomenon [of U2]"? Why do you think this is? And why did you decide to fill this gap?
I think it's quite a slippery topic, to say the least. Studying any type of social phenomenon takes time and patience and I suppose only academics are equipped for such a slow and arduous process. U2 are an icon and bringing them down from their pedestal may also be a sacrilege in many ways. We all need and want myths, heroes but downsizing them brings them back to their human condition and may take away from us in the end. I didn't do it in that perspective. I didn't consciously set out to destroy the myth which U2 themselves trampled underfoot a long time before I finished the book. I need heroes too and I admire the band tremendously. But they are such a unique band in the world of popular music in their success and longevity that a study was fundamental to understand how they've succeeded in the cruel world of popular music, and how and why they've stayed on top despite all the difficulties they've had to face throughout the years.
And, finally, what's next for you? Do you have any further U2-related plans?
I do, actually. I recently attended a conference in the French university where I completed my PhD (Université de Caen) and where I delivered a paper about the social bond created between U2 fans through the band's music. I am also due to talk about U2 fans and identity at another conference in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, in December. So, I have started expanding the research I undertook in the conclusion and epilogue of my book and I might need your help again because I will need some more fans to answer my questions. And who knows where this will lead me?
Many thanks to Visnja Cogan and everyone with Collins Press for their help with this article!
By Kimberly Egolf
2006.10
In "U2: An Irish Phenomenon" author Visnja Cogan probes into what she calls U2's "genome"—those special, significant factors that make U2 unlike any other band. She has pinpointed eight building blocks of the U2 phenomenon that she analyzes in a uniquely scientific way, carefully integrating new data and stories with the traditional stories of U2 legend. The result is a well-researched and informative look at what makes U2 a phenomenon.
Recently, Cogan spoke to Interference.com about her book, her own U2 fandom, and how she came up with the idea of U2's "genome."
In your book, you briefly talk about your first encounter with U2's music through the song "New Year's Day." Can you elaborate on this experience? What made you a U2 fan back in 1983?
I think what made me a U2 fan was the melodic quality in the song, the words, simple and straightforward, and Bono's voice, which truly moved me. I still have that special feeling when I listen to the song. I see myself sitting at home and hearing it for the first time and then trying to find out everything about the band in music magazines. It was love at first hearing! I didn't have a clue how many musicians played in the band or what they looked like. It was the music that conveyed all this emotion and it still does. I then quickly met some people who were also fans and we started hanging out together, sharing everything we could about the band, going to gigs together and becoming close friends in the process.
I understand that this book started out as your dissertation for university. Can you tell us about the genesis of the book and how it evolved into its final form?
Yes, it started out as a PhD in Irish Studies and when I completed it, I decided that I would have to do what my supervisor had suggested many years before that: turn it into a book. He was really the catalyst of its creation and made the idea for it possible. He unfortunately passed away shortly before my exam, which was a terrible blow for everyone who knew him and the book is dedicated to him. The PhD gestation period took far longer than I'd anticipated but the book itself is of course very different from the dissertation, in that I wanted to turn it into something approachable for the fans and the general public, while keeping the original ideas. So I worked within that framework, found a publisher and here we are. All the staff at The Collins Press was fabulous and also made the existence of the book possible.
There's such a wealth of material about U2 out there. Where did you begin with your research?
I had started collecting every article that I could get my hands on around the time I discovered the band. Yet, I'm not a collector at all! So it was a strange thing to do, as if I knew that one day that material would come in handy. But I also needed to build a theoretical framework so I read many books on sociology, philosophy, the sociology of music and other related topics as well as all the U2 books out there. As for articles, I must have read hundreds of them. I then selected those that I found the most relevant to what I had in mind. Let's face it: many of the articles on U2 repeat themselves or tell the same story in a different way. That's how I was able to eventually choose all the relevant bits and pieces, the more serious stuff, the articles by the best journalists and writers from Rolling Stone, Q, New Musical Express, Hot Press, The Irish Times or The Los Angeles Times. The Irish DJ Dave Fanning, who wrote the foreword to the book, also provided me back in the early 1990s with early articles about the band. I also interviewed some people in the music business in Ireland to try and understand the Irish music industry.
So, you can see that it was a long and arduous task and it was at times very difficult. Some people even asked me if I was fed up with U2 because it was taking so long to complete the PhD. But that's one thing that never happened. I would just put on a record and forget about everything. And let's face it: spending hours watching U2 videos to try and understand a particular aspect of their image wasn't really that bad.
How did you determine the eight building blocks you name as the basis for your study (community, "Irishness," independence, spirituality, creative drive, ambition, social conscience, and the fans)?
That was actually the conclusion I had come to at the end of my dissertation that U2's ongoing success is due to those permanent features. So, as the book was intended for the general public, I decided to turn the whole thing on its head and start with those building blocks, ideas that U2 fans could relate to, because they knew about them.
You call these building blocks the "genome" of U2, consciously putting yourself in the place of a scientist. In the book, you sometimes use this critical, scientific viewpoint to point out issues that make it difficult for U2 to be a successful band (for example, Bono's work with DATA interfering with making records). Being an avowed "uberfan" of the band, did you find it difficult to take a critical view? How did you set aside your personal feelings about the band?
It was a hell of a challenge, probably the biggest challenge of this whole work. I'm not sure that I succeeded. I probably haven't. But I tried to be, if not objective, then intellectually honest in my approach. Dealing with such a phenomenon is always a difficult task and as much as I love U2, I started seeing them as human beings, living and breathing the same air as you and me, making mistakes and I accepted that fact. But writing the book was different from writing the PhD because in the book I could actually give my real opinion on the band. That was a liberating experience. And when you deal with human beings, objectivity goes out the window anyway.
Were there subjects you found more difficult to write about than others?
Absolutely. Take for instance "Irishness." What is it? What does it mean? How do the Irish and particularly U2 relate to it? Does it really exist? It is a very difficult concept.
Or spirituality. How do you define it? What do you say about it when people have so many differing opinions about U2's spiritual side and so many things have already been written about it? Also, the conclusion about the different generations that U2 have touched and the influence they have had on their fans wasn't a piece of cake either. I think these three subjects were probably the most difficult, the others being easier to approach, easier to grasp and to turn into coherent chapters. And the most fun to write was the epilogue, where the fans talk about their passion.
How has the book changed from when you first began? What, if anything, did you have to modify in light of U2's recent activities (i.e. the new album, the Vertigo Tour, Live 8, etc.)? Did any of these things significantly change the outcome of your thesis?
My PhD was completed in 2003, but the outcome of the book did not change that much because I truly believe that the building blocks you talk about earlier are the foundation of the band and although things may change and U2 may do certain things and evolve, those features still remain present. They are the foundation of the band and the fact that U2 moved their operation from Ireland to Holland for tax reasons for instance is in keeping with what they've been doing in their business strategy. Business is business even for U2. Of course, they've been vilified for that, especially in Ireland. But what else is new?
You spend the last portion of your book letting the fans speak for themselves. Where did you find these fans and how did you get them to talk? (Not that it's generally hard to get a U2 fan to talk about the band!)
I found them through a French website called u2achtung.com and through Interference.com. As for getting them to talk, you are absolutely right, they were very willing to expand on every aspect of U2. I interviewed some French fans face to face (being based in Paris) and sent questionnaires via e-mail to others around the world. They were all so keen to take part that I was delighted, of course, to have so much material for such a short epilogue. Thanks again to all of them.
You ask the question in the introduction, "why no book has ever attempted to find an explanation for the phenomenon [of U2]"? Why do you think this is? And why did you decide to fill this gap?
I think it's quite a slippery topic, to say the least. Studying any type of social phenomenon takes time and patience and I suppose only academics are equipped for such a slow and arduous process. U2 are an icon and bringing them down from their pedestal may also be a sacrilege in many ways. We all need and want myths, heroes but downsizing them brings them back to their human condition and may take away from us in the end. I didn't do it in that perspective. I didn't consciously set out to destroy the myth which U2 themselves trampled underfoot a long time before I finished the book. I need heroes too and I admire the band tremendously. But they are such a unique band in the world of popular music in their success and longevity that a study was fundamental to understand how they've succeeded in the cruel world of popular music, and how and why they've stayed on top despite all the difficulties they've had to face throughout the years.
And, finally, what's next for you? Do you have any further U2-related plans?
I do, actually. I recently attended a conference in the French university where I completed my PhD (Université de Caen) and where I delivered a paper about the social bond created between U2 fans through the band's music. I am also due to talk about U2 fans and identity at another conference in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, in December. So, I have started expanding the research I undertook in the conclusion and epilogue of my book and I might need your help again because I will need some more fans to answer my questions. And who knows where this will lead me?
Many thanks to Visnja Cogan and everyone with Collins Press for their help with this article!
