August 20th, 2010
I love finding little nuggets of information that can be added to U2 – A Diary … if and when we ever publish an update.
Like today, Bono did an interview on 2FM (I wrote about it here on @U2), and near the very end, host Ryan Tubridy asked Bono if he remembered the day he asked Ali to marry him. Bono said he did:
“It was Good Friday on Bull Island down there near Dollymount.”
Now, we know they were married on August 21, 1982. (Happy 28th anniversary!) Good Friday happens in March/April, two days before Easter Sunday. I’m going to assume he proposed either four months before the wedding (April 1982) or 16 months before (April 1981). Because really, how many people get engaged and wait more than two years for the wedding?? No way it could be 1980, I say.
Finding the Date
So I head over to the trusty perpetual calendar that helped me answer so many questions for U2 – A Diary, and I discover that Good Friday in 1981 happened on April 17th. Well, on page 43 of the book, it says that U2 played a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, on that date. No go.
But, Good Friday 1982 was on April 9th. And on page 58, the only thing I have for the entire month of April 1982 is that U2 shot the video for “A Celebration” in Dublin.
Bingo!
So, if and when we ever publish an update, you’ll find that I’ve listed April 9, 1982, as the day Bono and Ali were engaged to be married.
Matt |
Researching, The Things You Learn |
January 18th, 2010
Ages ago, during the writing and researching of U2-A Diary, I put out a call for help on this blog with this post: When Did Adam Stand in Front of Bono during ‘Pride’? Sadly, I never did get enough solid information about that question and had to leave it out of the book.
Now, out of nowhere, the Arizona Republic has published an article that basically asks the same question: When did this happen? But unlike my rushed attempt to get answers, reporter Richard Ruelas did some digging with concert promoters, local law enforcement officials, and even the FBI. The results?
Neither Tempe police nor Arizona State University police could find a report about the incident. The Phoenix office of the FBI also came up empty. Special Agent Manual Johnson, the FBI’s spokesman, said he was at those shows as a fan but could not locate any report of a threat.
Fey, the now-retired concert promoter who lives in Denver, said he did not recall ordering extra security for any of the four Tempe shows as a result of a threat.
Ruelas’ article is a great read, but it assumes, as many do, that the incident happened during the Joshua Tree tour. Heck, Bono even says so in the official book, U2 by U2. But 10 years earlier, in this interview with NME, Bono said it happened during the Unforgettable Fire tour.
And that was always one of the biggest challenges of researching and writing my book: U2’s stories often changed from telling to telling. Sometimes, like in this case, there’s almost no way to reconcile the different stories to find a definitive version of events.
So, for now at least, this one remains an unsolved mystery.
Matt |
Unsolved Mysteries |
November 27th, 2009
The holiday shopping season is officially here, and if you’re looking for a gift for the U2 fan in your life, may I humbly suggest U2 – A Diary?
I’m the author and, in case you’ve never visited here before, this is the blog that I used to both share and receive information with/from U2 fans all over the world during the writing of U2 – A Diary. The book was published a year ago (November 2008) and has received great feedback. You can click the reviews category to see what people have been saying about the book and learn why I think it’s a great gift for U2 fans.
In a nutshell, U2 – A Diary is the history of U2 as told in a timeline-style format with a couple thousand individual diary entries.
Amazon.com
seems to have the best price at just under $20. It’s somewhat more expensive on Barnes & Noble’s web site. But if you prefer Barnes & Noble, you can use coupon B3U9U7U to get 15% off any one item online until December 9th.
If you’re outside the US, you can try Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, or see this old list I made of online stores worldwide that were selling the book. That’s an old post so it may not be perfectly accurate now.
One last note about the online reviews of U2 – A Diary: The poor review on Amazon.com is from a person who was banned from the U2 fan forum I manage, and the mediocre review on Barnes & Noble’s web site is actually for a different book (one that lists and details all of U2’s concert performances specifically).
If you’re new or if you just have questions about the book, feel free to leave a comment. I do reply as often as possible.
Matt |
The Book |
October 6th, 2009
I’m quite proud to report that U2 – A Diary sold out all 12 copies that were available for sale this past weekend at U2: The Hype and The Feedback — the first academic conference dedicated to U2.
There were about 6-8 other books available for sale, and each one seemed to have plenty of copies remaining when the conference was closing down on Sunday afternoon.
Yay me. 
Matt |
The Book |
October 6th, 2009
I should probably be flattered by this, and actually … I think I am. There’s someone on eBay selling this item advertised as a “U2 – A Diary Collectible Flip Top Lighter Promo.” You can see the auction on eBay.
Only thing is … it’s not real. But you knew that.
Right?
I don’t know how the Omnibus legal team feels about it, but like I said … I’m kinda flattered that someone would even think something like this would sell.
Matt |
Miscellaneous |
