U2-A Diary

You may know me as a U2 fan, but I’m also a marketer at heart, and have spent the past 11 years of my life helping businesses market themselves online. The release of U2 – A Diary is fun for me because I get to combine my main personal hobby with my career. Sure, Omnibus Press has been (and will be) doing some marketing of the book, too, but I’m taking it upon myself to spread the word as far and wide as possible.

That’s where you come in. :) I can’t spread the word about U2 – A Diary without your help, so here’s what I’m proposing we do together:

You send me five questions you have about the book, about U2, about me, etc., and I’ll send you back five answers that you can publish on your blog, your web site, your MySpace page, or anywhere people can read it without having to register or pay. If you don’t like the answers I send you, you don’t have to post the interview.

If you DO post the interview somewhere, you’ll be eligible to win a free copy of the book (I’ll sign it if you want) when I get my copies, and a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com or iTunes (U.S. store only). Here’s how it’ll work:

1. After you post the interview, send me an email with a direct link to it. You have until next Sunday, October 5, to post the interview and email me a link to it. Send the link to matt@atu2.com.
2. On Monday, October 6, I’ll write a post here on U2diary.com that links to all the interviews and set up a survey for readers to vote for their favorite interview.
3. The winner of the Best Interview as chosen by other U2 fans will win a copy of the book and a $50 Amazon.com or iTunes (U.S.) gift certificate.

What’s in it for you? Hopefully some good content and new visitors for your blog or web site, a chance to learn a little more about the book, and a chance to win a free copy and a $50 credit at Amazon.com or iTunes. What’s in it for me? A chance to spread the word about U2 – A Diary on your blog or web site, and hopefully sell a few more copies to people who otherwise might not have known about the book.

So, if you’re ready, email me your questions now! I’ll send answers ASAP, and your deadline to post the interview is next Sunday, October 5.

What if you don’t have a blog or web site?

Don’t worry. I’ll do another contest soon for those of you who aren’t bloggers/web site owners. You’ll still be able to win a copy of the book (but not the extra $50 gift certificate). Stay tuned for more….

(Thanks to Rohit Bhargava for the inspiration behind this idea.)

I’ve just update the Where to Buy U2 – A Diary post with a bunch of new online stores selling the book. The list jumped from 11 countries to 18, and I’m always looking for more. If you know of an online store selling the book but not on my list, please leave a comment to let me know!

Time to share another book sample, don’t you think? I was just browsing through the Book Sample category to see what I’ve previously shared, and realized that almost all of my earlier samples are from the 1980s. So, here’s a look at the diary entries for three days in February, 2002 — an important trio of days for U2 and Bono.

February 1
Still at the World Economic Forum, Bono meets with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who promises that Africa will be the main topic of discussion at the upcoming G8 Summit in Canada. Later, Bono offers comments to delegates gathered for an evening concert. There are reports that Bono also sings during the concert, but these reports are never confirmed.

Meanwhile, U2 lose some of its musical gear when a pipe bursts, causing an eight-foot tidal wave to rage through the Crosbie Business Centre in Dublin. U2 and the Corrs both use the facility for storage. Fortunately, much of U2′s most important equipment is with them in New Orleans.

Edge Counts His Blessings After the Dublin Flood

“We lost an awful lot of instruments…. The storage area where we had all our equipment was completely flooded. But luckily my main guitars were with us in New Orleans … the Gibson Explorer that I’ve had since I was 17-years-old, and the amplifier I’ve used on every album for every show since we got a record deal.”

February 2
On day three of the World Economic Forum in New York, Bono sits on a panel and debates foreign aid with US Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill. Many summit participants crowd the stage afterward to get Bono’s autograph.

Later in the day he joins Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to announce the creation of a new organization, DATA, whose purpose will be on eliminating extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa. The name is an acronym for “Debt AIDS Trade Africa.” Gates announces that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will pledge $50 million to support the DATA agenda. The formation of DATA shifts the burden of scheduling and promoting Bono’s humanitarian activities away from Principle Management.

Meanwhile, the rest of the band attend a Super Bowl party at the House of Blues in New Orleans.

February 3
- Superdome, New Orleans. U2 performs at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI. Bono walks through the crowd to take the stage as ‘Beautiful Day’ begins. A larger version of the Elevation Tour’s heart is used for the stage, surrounded by people on the field and in the heart. As ‘MLK’ starts, a screen rises from the back of the stage, which scrolls the names of the people who lost their lives on 9/11. The scrolling continues through most of ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, before dropping to the ground. As the band’s performance comes to an end, Bono reveals the US flag-like lining of his jacket. Unconfirmed reports later say that only Bono and Edge perform live and Adam and Larry are pre-recorded.

An Almost-Super Disaster

Bono explains how U2′s Super Bowl performance almost ended before it began.

“Our idea was to have a music crowd on the pitch and then walk through that crowd to get up on the stage. I had on these earphones that were wireless. The band are walking through the crowd [sic; only Bono walked through the crowd] and there’s a camera right in front of me, and the punters start slapping me on the back. I realise that the tiny wires of my earplugs are vulnerable. All one person has to do is pull the wire, and I’m off air. I would hear nothing. Off the air in front of a billion people! And this is going out live, and there’s nothing you could do. So because this wire had been left exposed, I just started to quietly panic. But if you look at the film of that, you’ll see me swaggering with the most annoying smirk ever seen. You just think: That guy is such a prat!”

U2′s performance is well received by both football fans and the media, as well as by other musicians who performed prior to the game including Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey. Many call it the best Super Bowl halftime performance ever. All That You Can’t Leave Behind reaches number 25 on the charts after the Super Bowl. As for the game, the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 on a field goal on the game’s last play.

After the game, U2 and friends enjoy a celebratory dinner in the French Quarter. Though he’s allergic to red wine, Bono has a glass and later passes out on the floor in the restaurant’s bathroom.

The Italian music site, RockOL, has published a short news article announcing the upcoming publication of U2-A Diary – sweet!

I don’t read Italian, but the Google translation tells me that the article mentions the name and scope of the book — a day-by-day history of U2 — and tells readers to ignore the October 1st publishing date listed on most online bookstores; October 13 is the target date.

I know there are a lot of U2 fans on Facebook every day, so I’m thinking some of you would prefer to get your news and updates about the book right there on Facebook and not have to remember to visit U2diary.com every day. Am I right?

If that describes you, feel free to join the “U2 – A Diary” Facebook group.

I’ll do my best to remember to post the same updates that appear here over on Facebook, too. And I’d appreciate it if you’d tell your Facebook friends about the new group and (if they like U2) invite them to join, too!