|
U2 Connections
by Angela Pancella
U2 Connections is a guide to the larger musical/literary/artistic
world via U2's interactions with it. Every artist fits into
a circle of like-minded artists, and these circles link in many
different directions, but U2 makes a very good jumping-off point.
U2 has an appeal that spans far wider than many of the artists
I'll mention here, and yet they do not separate themselves from
the larger world of art and culture. They tread fearlessly into
both "high art" and "low art." They've connected
with people as diverse as Bob Dylan and B.B. King, Guns 'n'
Roses and Public Enemy, Salman Rushdie and Brendan Kennelly
and Wim Wenders, which in turn has encouraged their fans to
sample what else is out there, beyond (but still somehow touched
by) U2. U2 is gateway; it is part of their very soul and function.
It is their name -- "you too" -- join in, become a
part of this.
So in this feature I will investigate what paths move out from
U2 and to what directions. Feedback is welcome; let me know
where other roads lead.
Note: With Angela's departure from
@U2 at the end of 2005, various @U2 staffers will continue
the "Connections" articles.
|
