U2-A Diary

In Dave Fanning’s new book, The Thing Is…, he mentions doing an interview with Robert Plant on RTE radio in “late 1983.” But there’s no exact date. (sigh)

The reason this matters is that, according to Fanning, Bono came to the studio to meet Plant and listen to the interview in person.

Would love to find an exact date on this. Otherwise, I’ll have to add it to the current list of unsolved mysteries.

Thanks in advance for any help!

With great thanks to both Merrin and Raul, the previous post asking when and where Bono sang an acoustic version of “The First Time” has been solved: October 1992 while U2 was performing at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. (I was at the October 30 concert!)

As you can read in the comments of that post, Bono sang the song for Spanish music critic/radio host Julian Ruiz in the halls of Dodger Stadium. I’ve already updated my text with this information.

U2 fans are the best! Thanks to Merrin and Raul for being so helpful!

Many months ago, a U2 fan named Tim sent me a clip of Bono singing “The First Time” on an acoustic guitar. Well, I assume it’s him playing (and not Edge) because he says, right in the middle of the clip, something about having a hard time singing when he’s playing guitar.

Tim thinks this clip is from a Mexican radio station appearance when the band made its first visit to Mexico City in November, 1992. But I can’t find any evidence to support that.

Here’s the audio. If you know anything about this, please leave a comment below. Thanks!

Update: I understand some people are unable to listen to the audio clip. I’ll try to figure out why. It may be a problem with the upload/hosting service.

In addition to three years of new material (2008-2010), the second edition of U2 – A Diary will have an appendix in the back with new information that was missed in the original book.

That appendix will also include corrections of what was published in the first book. And I’m hoping to find some U2 fans to help make sure any and all mistakes are corrected.

My idea: a group reading project!

I don’t think I’ll have time between now and the end of January to re-read all 336 pages of the first book. But if there’s a group of us re-reading the book, it’s a more doable project.

What I Need

- about 10-20 people who will volunteer to re-read a portion of the first book

- you’ll be looking for mistakes, misspellings, typos, and anything else that needs to be corrected

- you’ll make a list of what you find and send me that list via email when you’re done

- your deadline will be December 31, 2010

What You Need

- a copy of the first edition of U2 – A Diary — the primary, English-language version

- a good grasp of the English language

- a good/deep knowledge of U2 facts and information

How to Help

- to volunteer, use the Contact Page to send me your name and email address (so I can reply)

- if there’s a specific section of the book you want to help with, like “1980 and 1981″, let me know when you send the email and I’ll do my best to assign you that section (but no promises)

After That…

- I’ll collect emails for a couple days and then send you an email with your assignment (if I somehow get a TON of replies on this, I might send you a “thanks, but I have enough volunteers” message)

- I’ll add the corrections to the book update, be eternally grateful, and list your name in the new “Acknowledgments” section

———

Sound good? If you have any questions, leave a comment below. But don’t leave a comment to volunteer for the group reading — I need you to contact me via email if you want to help. Thanks in advance!

One of my big regrets from the first book is that I have no mention of this in it:

I’m sure most (if not all( of you are familiar with that video of the Dalton Brothers accepting three awards on behalf of U2. But I have no idea what date it happened, what awards show it’s from, nor where U2 are.

On the last question, there’s a poster on the wall behind them that references U2′s Lovetown shows in Melbourne in early October, 1989. And if they’re accepting awards for “Song of the Decade,” “Album of the Decade,” etc., then that timing would make sense. I’m willing to bet they’re in Melbourne at this time.

But what awards show is it? It looks like the “trophy” in front of Dan Lanois is a pair of copper boots. And I can’t quite read the graphic on-screen in the lower left; it seems to say “New Music …” something. ??

Anyone have more details on this?