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.

WOW!

This is an interview from when Bono was appearing on Dave Fanning’s radio show to play the band’s first three songs, and Fanning’s listeners were being asked to vote which one of the songs should be the A-side to U2-3, which was released a month later.

There are lots of clues in the interview that have me thinking it happened late night (after midnight) on August 20, 1979, but I’ll have to listen again to make sure. The whole interview is pure gold and I’m stoked to write this up for a possible future update of U2 – A Diary.

From what I’ve been able to find, U2 finished that song in March, 1982, during a studio session with Blondie producer Jimmie Destri. I’d never heard anything about how/when the song first came to life, until just now as I’m reading this Spin magazine article. Here’s what Bono says:”

“…there was one song, written in Holland, that came like that. This roadie handed the Edge a guitar that was supposed to be in tune, but was actually in a different tuning than usual even though it was still harmonious. Edge struck the guitar. Once. I just immediately stopped the band and asked Larry to play a beat, and we just went into it. The tape recorder was rolling, and five minutes later there was a song with verse, chorus, lyrics, theme — everything. It was called ‘Be There.’ Our manager just freaked.”

Unfortunately, “written in Holland” isn’t enough to go on. By the time the song was finished in March, 1982, they’d already played Holland countless times.

Oh, well…life goes on. As does the research!

1.) Open your copy of U2 SHOW to pg. 19, where Paul McGuinness is being interviewed. Here’s the quote to note:

When I saw them in the Project I agreed to be their manager on the spot.

2.) Put that aside, please, and open up your copy of U2 by U2 to page 56. They’re talking about that first meeting — Paul and the band, May 25, 1978. Check the left column, this quote from Paul:

I thought, well, this could be the band, but we spent a few weeks, maybe months, kind of skirting around each other, inspecting each other and having meetings and just trying to find out whether the other people were smart or committed or on the same wavelength.

So I ask again: How’s a guy supposed to get the story right if it keeps changing?!? :)

For the record, I’m going with the second version (from U2 by U2) in my book.

No, it’s going well and I feel like I’m on schedule.

I’m still going through Aaron’s discography on U2Wanderer to make sure U2 Diary matches up and has all the important release dates. Did all the albums first, and I’m quite pleased with the structure I’m using for each album entry — well, 1-2 differ slightly, but most of the album release date entries follow a common structure. I think I’ll post one of them here on the blog as a sample one of these days. (Anyone have a preferred album to see in advance?)

Now I’m going through all the single releases and since it’s 1:11 a.m., I’m taking a break for the night. I’m up to “Numb” in 1993, so about halfway through the singles.

After I’m done with the discography stuff, I get to dig through a big box of goodies that a friend just sent — old magazines, clippings, photos, etc. Can’t wait to tackle that stuff.

Oh, here’s a picture of me from a couple weeks ago while writing the book. Those are a couple issues of Hot Press open on the desk in front of me.

Aaron, whom I trust implicitly, says October was released on October 20, 1981.

U2.com says it was released in September, 1981 (see red text at top), then says “summer of 1981″ further down the page.

In my manuscript, I have October being released on October 12, 1981 — but I have no notes about where that date came from.

Sigh.

Have I mentioned how frustrating this research can be sometimes?

Update!

I figured out why I have October 12 in the manuscript already. Have a look at this scan from the clippings book U2 did covering 1979-1983:

Whew! Nice save….

But I think it’s wrong. I’m going to say that the contract was signed in the summer of 1979.

On the surface, think about it: If U2 signed in March, 1979, with CBS Ireland, what on earth would’ve taken them a full six months to put together U2-3 and release it? They didn’t even go into the studio to record those songs until August, so why would they have waited?

Then there are some relevant facts:

• A March 19, 1979, article in Hot Press doesn’t say anything about a CBS Ireland contract. It’s a lengthy interview by Bill Graham with the whole band and Paul McGuinness, so you have to assume they’d say something if a contract was signed or about to be signed.
• The CBS Ireland contract is mentioned in a lengthy Hot Press interview dated October 26, 1979.
• Here’s the key evidence — this Record Collector article on @U2 has Chas de Whalley explaining that the contract was signed after he saw U2 play at McGonagle’s in June, 1979.

So that’s all the proof I need. I’ll be going against the grain with this and many other facts/events, and someone will probably accuse me of getting it wrong in U2 Diary. But I think I have enough evidence, at least in this case.

U2′s Unforgettable Fire (Part 1)

Specifically, scroll down to the April 12, 1985, entry.

I looked it up, and Christy Turlington would’ve been 16; Naomi Campbell would’ve been 14. There’s just no way. I’m gonna assume that’s a typo or some such thing.

Plus, in U2 by U2, Bono says the first time he met Turlington was the Vogue magazine cover shoot in 1992. As a male, I have to believe you’d have no trouble remembering the first time you met Christy Turlington. :)

I force myself to limit those wild goose chases by focusing on the “big picture” of this book, and making decisions about how I want to present the most important dates and events of U2′s career. You won’t notice if I’m unable to find the exact date Bono recorded “Dreaming With Tears in My Eyes,” but you will notice if I do a poor job of presenting U2′s appearance at Live Aid.

Do you agree? I’m curious about your expectations for U2 Diary.

Here are some decisions I’ve made about what matters most:

• Every album release has to be presented fully, with as much detail as I can find. Single releases will be included, of course, but won’t be presented as the “big deal” that an album release is. (I’m purposely not telling what I mean by “big deal” because you need to be surprised to some degree if/when you buy the book!)
• The opening night of each tour, if possible, should be presented in great detail, because these shows often represent our first look (as fans) at U2′s latest incarnation.
• U2 at Live Aid deserves a significant entry.
• September 25, 1976 — the very first day together in Larry’s kitchen — deserves a significant entry.
• U2′s sessions at Hansa Studios for Achtung Baby should get significant explanation.
• etc.

I’d like to hear from you about your expectations: What are the events and dates that you think require a lot of attention? What are the events that, if I don’t write enough detail, you’ll say … Matt, you really missed the boat on that one. … ?

I’m in the midst of reading all the old Propaganda magazine articles that we have in the @U2 news archive, and I just got done with this:

Eno’s Dear Diary

It has a lot more detail on the phone calls and visit from Luciano Pavarotti, and how that collaboration happened. If only he’d published a diary from 1984, 1986, and 1990, too…..