(04-22-2008) 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About U2 - Gibson.com*

[hippy]

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About U2

By Aidin Vaziri

“We’re not Irish,” The Edge once announced on national television. “Honestly, we’re not. We’re from Duluth, but we saw this Irish Spring commercial one day and we just went, ‘That’s it, we’ll be Irish.’” Naturally, the guitarist’s faux confession was for a comedy bit called “U2 Secrets” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Since forming in 1976, U2 have been mostly drama-free, with their original lineup still cranking out the massive hits over 30 years later. But that doesn’t mean you know everything about them.

1. That’s Sir Bono to you. Even though he’s not technically qualified for the royal title, in 2007 the Irish-born U2 frontman received an Honorary Knighthood from the Queen of England. At the ceremony, the singer, born Paul Hewson, joked that his son, “thought I was becoming a Jedi.”

2. The same year, U2 ranked No. 22 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list. The band’s robust bank account may have had to do with manager Paul McGuinness encouraging the band to move their songwriting catalog from Ireland to a tax shelter in Amsterdam.

3. Bono is the only person who has been nominated for an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and a Nobel Prize. He was nominated three times for the latter. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice, and made him Person of the Year in 2005 along with Bill and Melinda Gates. “He was every bit the geek that we are,” Gates Foundation chief Patty Stonesifer told the magazine. “He just happens to be a geek who is a fantastic musician.”

4. Before deciding on the name U2, the band tried out the Larry Mullen Band, Feedback, and the Hype. They settled on U2 after browsing a list of suggestions from a family friend, punk musician Steve Averill. It was the name they hated the least.

5. Even though it is now universally reviled as a half-formed collection of songs and blight on U2’s otherwise pristine discography, the group’s techno-heavy ninth studio album Pop debuted in the No. 1 position in 32 countries when it was originally released in March 1997. Rolling Stone issued it four stars out of five, declaring they’ve “made some of the greatest music of their lives.”

6. Following in the footsteps of the Beatles, the Band, and the Who, U2 were the fourth rock band ever to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. The April 29, 1987 cover featured the band’s name in flames with the headline, “Rock’s Hottest Ticket.”

7. Many fans believe 1987’s The Joshua Tree was originally intended to be a double album, a theory backed by the fact that singles such as “With Or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” came with a bounty of quality b-sides that would put most other bands’ main output to shame. Bono further fanned the flames when he admitted, “The album is almost incomplete. ‘With or Without You’ doesn't really make sense without ‘Walk to the Water’ or ‘Luminous Times.’ And ‘Trip Through Your Wires’ doesn’t make that much sense without ‘Sweetest Thing.’”

8. The band’s fourth album, 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, was named after a series of paintings created by survivors of the atomic bomb attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Because of the band’s strong Christian roots, many people believe it has to do with Bono’s strong affinity for the Bible. But 1981’s October remains the only album with overtly religious lyrics.

9. The sunglasses aren’t just there to make Bono look like a rock star. The U2 singer says he has an allergy to salicyclates: “That means I lose my voice or I fall asleep in the strangest places, like once on the lighting board for Sonic Youth, one of the loudest concerts in the world. And I get red eyes, which is one of the reasons I wear glasses.”

10. Larry Mullen Jr. gets regular injections of bull’s blood. Bill Flanagan’s book, U2 at the End of the World, claims the drummer uses the holistic treatment for dealing with a bad back: “Bono says Larry tried different doctors without success until he went to a German who brought in a holistic healer who started giving Larry shots of bull’s blood. That did the trick! Larry’s Irish doctor refuses to accept it―he looks at X rays of Larry’s crooked spine and says it’s impossible, but Larry feels fine. He flies to Germany for shots of bull’s blood regularly.”


http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...blydid%281%29/

[Carek1230]

Interesting.

[last unicorn]

Actually, I knew all of these 10 things about U2.

[Carek1230]

I knew 8 so I learned something new today.

[RavenBlue]

I didn't know about the bulls blood thing

[Carek1230]

I remember reading about that. Not so sure I really believe it is something Larry would do or not tho

[forbonou2]

Wow!! I learned some new things today!! Guess we are bound to learn more as time goes on.....

[Shuey]

I know what larry Means , I played the drums since i was 4
and Because your hands are always extended outwards on drums
It Puts alot of pressure on the Lower back

What helps i found was if you can bring the Drumset Closer
to you , But sometime that restricts how you play

Another is to have a Chair Like seat that supports the back
But another idea i had would be to slope the floor so that either
the drum set tilts in towards you or you tilt towards the drum
set .

Even another way , would be to Make sure that the Drum
Skins are more elastic and theirfore rebound faster , that would
require less force to play ,

and Even one more would be to make the drumsticks out of rubber , and flex , rather then wood that does not flex.

Could be good for a new sound , But I really Really Like the way
Larry Plays Drums , Larry Creates a Really Cool Sound , and
The thing about the Guy is that he comes up with the most
amazing Beats. All of them Are Very Original , and all of them
MAKE the Bands Music ,

One thing i noticed is that Bono is Never Late on his Timing
with the Drums , his Vocals always Drop in perfectly , and the
Edge Sings with that Guitar Very Well , and Adams Base Playing
Actually Powers Larry Drumming , Its all Very Cool , and
Really Exciting at the Same Time .

That is U2

Sorry for Drinking all of your Booze while i was at the Clarence
But i did pay for it the next Morning , Fuck Me what a Hangover
15 drinks in one night , I met MRS Edge on Drink number 7


By the Way , I gave her a CD from Francie Conway , I also gave
one to the Edge 102,1 here in Toronto , But i havent Heard it yet
I listened to The CD Welcome to America in Ireland , and i thought
it had about 4 Really Good Songs , I had a few Beers with Francie
and My Uncle Maurice in Ireland , Francies a very good guy

I miss Dublin already

Hey , Watch out for www.kirstenmcgarry.com

Shes gonna be the next big thing out of Ireland for sure

[Carek1230]

Great post.

[Rachel D.]

Numer 9 explains that Time article from 2002 that says Bono went to the bathroom at a restaurant and was found sleeping on the floor.

[COBL_04]

Didn't know of 2, 3, 9 or 10.

And Mr. Vaziri is now officially on my hit list after this comment.

Even though it is now universally reviled as a half-formed collection of songs and blight on U2’s otherwise pristine discography

[riderka]

In my opinion Bono has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize more than 3 times, hasn't he?
I think it was not less than 4 times..
anyone can confirm?

[Carek1230]

Originally posted by riderka In my opinion Bono has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize more than 3 times, hasn't he? I think it was not less than 4 times.. anyone can confirm?

I know it's been at least two nominations.

[COBL_04]

Is it true or not that no one knows if you were nominated for Nobel Prizes until 50 years later? I want to know once and for all.

[Nilthoron]

Interesting~thanks for sharing