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Croatian Interview Now Online

July 20th, 2009

I did an email interview about U2 – A Diary with Terapija, a music wb site in Croatia. (Terapija is the Croatian word for “therapy.”) They’ve just posted it on their web site. If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ll have already heard some of the Q&A about the book, but they also asked some other questions like favorite U2 songs, favorite books/movies, and so forth.

Matt | Promotion | No comments

My Video for Croatia

July 18th, 2009

I mentioned in the previous post that I sent a video to Croatia that was aired during the launch of their translation of U2 – A Diary. My original video ran about 11 minutes, but was edited down (thankfully) to five minutes for airing during the press event. My son, Sean, actually found the edited video on YouTube, and I figured I’d post it here for anyone interested in hearing what I said. (Remember, it’s edited, so some of the context of certain comments may be lost.)

Matt | Promotion | No comments

U2 Dnevnik – My Book in Croatian

July 3rd, 2009

How cool is this? The third translation of U2 – A Diary will be a Croatian version that’s due in stores on July 15 — just a few weeks before U2 brings the 360 World Tour to Zagreb in early August.

I’ll never get used to seeing my book in different languages.

The translation is being published by Menart, which I understand to be a music/record label that has just started translating and publishing books, too. And “U2 Dnevnik” is the first book they chose to translate! What’s really amazing to me is how incredibly enthusiastic Menart is about publishing and promoting this book. Get this:

• Just yesterday, they hosted a U2 Warm-up Party which included a DJ, a U2 tribute band, and “U2 Dnevnik” — all of this on an airplane, it seems! not an airplane, as Marin says in the comments below. Thx for clarifying that, Marin.
• On July 9, Menart is hosting a media event announcing the book. They invited me to attend, but it’s way too expensive to fly to Zagreb (about $3,000 USD) so they’ve asked me to send a 10-minute video answering some questions that the press might want answered. They say the video will air on Croatian TV (I’m not making that up) and during the press event.
• They’ve signed on Vecernji.hr as the media partner for the book launch, and they’re doing a contest where U2 fans will send in questions, they’ll pick the 10 best for me to answer, and when the answers are published, the winning fans get a copy of the book and a CD. (Presumably No Line….)

Is that amazing, or what? And to think that I couldn’t even convince my hometown newspaper to do a writeup on the book….

Matt | The Book | 6 comments

Best. Review. Yet.

April 24th, 2009

I don’t know how I missed this when it was first published, but back in early December Goldmine magazine posted their full review of U2-A Diary, and it’s probably the best review of all. Check this out:

The timeline McGee sets up and the way he strings together quotes from U2 insiders makes for an easy, compelling read, and the book is full of superb black-and-white images — some of them rarely seen before — that only serve to enhance McGee’s exhaustive history of a band that still matters.

How cool is that?!? And the review also includes the short Q&A that we did via email. I wish I’d seen this when it was first published, but I’m glad to have found it at all.

Matt | Reviews & Feedback | No comments

Big in Japan

April 19th, 2009

Look what arrived in the mail this weekend:

It’s the Japanese translation of U2 – A Diary! The book is smaller than the original, but also came out at exactly 336 pages. Oh, and unlike the original, this one is a hardcover. I like it!

Seeing your name on any book is cool beyond words, but to then get to see your name on a book that’s been translated into another language? Are you kidding? Totally cool and surreal.

I hope the U2 fans in Japan, and any Japanese speakers/readers around the world who might order this version, enjoy the book. I’m told that the publisher who bought the rights and did the translation has a very good reputation for quality work. Sure looks like it from what I can tell … then again, I can’t understand a word of what’s inside.

Matt | The Book | 1 comment