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"I find someone like [James] Joyce quite rock 'n' roll, because he was bending and messing with words." -- Bono |
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"I find someone like [James] Joyce quite rock 'n' roll, because he was bending and messing with words." -- Bono |
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Column: off the record..., vol. 3-84
@U2,
June 22, 2003
 Rumors everywhere...tour dates, album names, promotional posters, etc. What can you do? Here's an idea if you're the type who likes to investigate things for yourself before deciding what to believe and what not to: reread this article we wrote almost three years ago. Why? Because if you're looking for clues about album names, for example, the only clues that matter are the ones that come from U2 themselves. That article discusses about two dozen domain names that the band had registered on their behalf some 3-4 months before All That You Can't Leave Behind was released. The album title was obviously not fixed yet, so they registered a lot of domains. Many of those possible album names (and covers) are now part of the public record thanks to Four5One's new book. So that would seem to validate the idea that once the band has an idea on the names they're going to choose from, they grab the appropriate domains. If you believe they'd do that again for the next album (and why wouldn't they?), the latest U2 album name rumor, Solar, doesn't survive. The domain U2solar.com was registered last week, but not by U2. (It was registered by Joel T., who runs Interference.com.) So, if, like me, you think the best clues are the ones the band leaves behind, just run a domain search on any future rumored titles that come out. Until U2 starts grabbing domains, I'd be ultra-skeptical of any titles that hit the rumor mill. Great thanks to all the U2 fans we met last weekend at the U2 Fan Celebration in Cleveland. We had a great time meeting everyone, and there really aren't adequate words to describe what an incredible day it was for this web site. All of the @U2ers who made the trip and took part in the big day were both proud and humbled by the response to the Fan Celebration. Attendance last Saturday at the Rock Hall was 60% higher than attendance the previous Saturday. The Hyatt and Marriott hotels -- the two that offered special rates via @U2 -- sold a combined 60 packages, and both hotels were very pleased with that number. And all of the vendors I spoke with were thrilled with the response they had from fans at their tables. And my Inbox has been flooded with emails from fans recounting what a wonderful day they had. All in all, it was a successful day for everyone involved. Jim Henke confirmed over the weekend that the original September closure date for the U2 exhibit has been changed, and it'll now be open into December. Given the great response to the opening weekend in February, and the Fan Celebration last weekend, I would not be surprised at all if the RRHFM decides to do one more "event"-type day for U2 fans. That's just me speculating, and it's not based on any private conversations or anything like that -- it just seems like smart business. Phil R. found this interesting auction on eBay a few days ago. A tour of Dublin with 31 sites?? That number sounded familiar to me: www.atu2.com/dublin/. Maybe it's different and I'm assuming too much. Or maybe I'm not. Little do they know that I haven't had time to update the Dublin Guide lately and a few of those sites have closed down. We'll see how they relist it after the Guide is updated... I mentioned the Four5One book earlier, and it really needs mentioning again. If you don't own it, get over to their web site pronto and get a copy before it's too late. It's called Stealing Hearts at a Travelling Show, and even though you can read it front-to-back in less than a couple hours, it's worth every penny. We'll have a book review posted here on @U2 shortly... And speaking of books, imagine my surprise this weekend when I brought home The U2 Reader by Hank Bordowitz and saw this "thank you" while reading the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
How cool is that? It's about time Rashas gets some props -- she's probably got one of the largest collections of old magazines and newspaper clippings anywhere, and has been filling in a lot of gaps in our news archive for the better part of 2-3 years now. Way to go, Rashas!
See ya next time! © @U2/McGee, 2003.
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