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"To some people the church is their ticket to respectability, a certain bourgeois point of view, a safety net for when they go to bed. My idea of Christianity is no safety net, a scathing attack on bourgeois values, and a risk to respectability." -- Bono, 2002 |
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Column: off the record..., vol. 3-90
@U2,
August 17, 2003
 From the "Overheard-on-a-mailing-list" file: some of U2's security crew is working on the Rolling Stones' current tour, and they spent some time speaking with a U2 fan at a recent show in Europe. The word from the security crew is that U2 is planning to tour North America "maybe" in April/May of next year with Europe to follow from September to November. (Sorry, nothing reported by this fan about other parts of the world.) They also said it would be indoors, and it the tour is a success (if?) they'll play outdoor shows in 2005. It's nothing to get worked into a frenzy about just yet, but always interesting to hear what's being said by the various people who make the tours happen. Thanks RVD for the news. If you were at U2's concert June 9, 2001, in Boston, and were in the heart at the start of the show, and if you think you see yourself in the "BonoCam" footage on the Elevation home video, but you're just not sure, get yourself over to U2exit.com posthaste. (How's that for a long sentence?) Our friend Kevin has added a section he's calling the Bono Cam Archives -- 101 images taken from the BonoCam footage which is on the Boston DVD release. Apparently in Ireland there is (or was?) a "celebrity" called Dustin the Turkey, and Dustin is a puppet of sorts who hosts a children's TV show on RTE television. I'd never heard of Dustin until U2 fan Brian L. emailed me a while back about this character, whom Brian describes as "sort of a loudmouthed, Dublin working class rascal." Brian wrote to share with me a "U2 medley" that Dustin sings on a 1997 novelty album called "Faith of Our Feathers," which I've since posted as a downloadable file (Mp3) on our [atu2] news mailing list. (Yes, you need to be a member to access the file.) To set the scene, Dustin's character is part of a band performing at a wedding and he's speaking before they since the big show closing number. As Brian says, "You might need some understanding of strong Dublin accents (and humour) to get some of the jokes, but once the music starts, it is a scarily accurate parody of how bad U2's music can sound in the hands of amateurs, particularly dire 'Weddings, parties, anything'-type bands." It reminds me a bit of the opening wedding scene in The Commitments, and anything reminiscent of that classic is worth a listen.... Last week I mentioned Better Than Ezra's Friction Baby as one of the all-time underrated albums. Add Billy Idol's Rebel Yell to that list. Listened to that in the car this weekend on the way to Seattle to watch the Mariners beat the Red Sox today. See ya next time! © @U2/McGee, 2003.
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