Unanswered Questions, vol. 2
August 17th, 2007
1) Does anyone remember seeing the advertisement at right? It’s an ad for the Sony Walkman and it appeared in Hot Press and a couple other Irish/UK music magazines/papers. Sony failed to get U2’s permission to use the Joshua Tree in the ad, and U2 was upset that the ad gave the appearance U2 and Sony were business partners, so they got Sony to pull the ad immediately. This is dripping with irony considering U2’s partnership with Apple for the iPod. 
I’ve only been able to narrow the date of the ad to 1987 or 1988. Would love something more specific if possible.
2) In this interview/article on @U2, Bono mentions that Larry had recently attended a Michael Stipe photo exhibit in New York City. Given the date of the interview, the photo exhibit was probably April, 1998. But I can’t locate an exact date anywhere.
3) An old Rolling Stone clipping mentions that Edge and Adam attended the wedding of Mike Scott, singer in the Waterboys, to Irene Keogh. 1986 is about as close as I can get to a date, but it would be great to have the month or exact date.
4) When did U2 shoot the music video for “Two Hearts Beat As One” in Paris? One of my sources says it was March, 1983, but that seems impossible when you see their concert schedule for that month. They only had four days off!
5) In this 1986 article on @U2, Edge talks about going to Paris to see some of the Heroine film. (see the COLLABORATING sub-heading) He also says “Bono and Adam were on their way back from picking up some awards in Italy.” Earlier in the article, he mentions “it wasn’t until September last year” that he was able to start work on this soundtrack. So I’m guessing this meeting in Paris and the awards in Italy were around September, 1985. Except I have no information at all on any Italian awards U2 won at that time. Help???
6) Achtung Baby - the original version with Adam naked on the inner sleeve … was that covered up in all of N. America, or just in the USA?
7) More Achtung Baby — I found an article that says U2 showed up at HMV in Dublin for the midnight launch of album sales. Can anyone confirm that?
8.) Exact date that Bono and Edge (with Harry Crosbie) purchased the Clarence Hotel? I’ve narrowed it down to November, 1992, but would love an exact date.
9) Sometime around the PopMart opening in Las Vegas, Edge appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and did the weather forecast. Was that on the 25th (the day of the opener), or the 26th (the day after)?
And here’s the list of previously mentioned dates/events I’m missing for U2 DIARY:
10) Exact date (or month) that U2 did their studio voicework for The Simpsons. This video on YouTube only says “1997″ at the beginning.
11) Did Bono and Gary Kasparov ever have the chess match that Paul McGuinness won at a 1993 auction? Here’s the post on that question.
12) When was Dick Evans born? Where?
13) What was the exact date that Mt. Temple opened? (I’ve emailed their web site, but no reply.)
13 comments on “Unanswered Questions, vol. 2”
01
About the video for THBAO, having only four days off during the month does not preclude the video being shot that month given U2’s history for cramming video shoots into touring schedules. The non concert days during tours are not always “days off” as there are many other things for the band to be taking care of, like video shoots.
Dana
02
The cover up of Adam’s “naughty bits” I think was only in the U.S., because my copy here in Canada has no X. As I was a university student at the time and therefore had more disposable income and fewer brain cells than I do now, there is the possibility I bought an import, but I’m pretty sure I’d remember that. I was lucky enough to get that CD autographed by Bono, Adam and Paul McGuiness when they were on the Zoo TV tour
03
Matt - the Edge weather feature was broadcasted on April 25, but it appeared to be recorded prior to that as it was dark and the screen was clearly visable as it was broadcasting the weather map. Question is - GMA broadcasts from 7 - 9 a.m. east coast time, so that would have been quite early in the a.m. for a live broadcast. They also featured video visuals of the band in their Popmart garb that never made it out of rehearsals, so it’s my feeling that the feature was pre-taped.
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In regard to the Achtung Baby release in Dublin. I have a copy of the RTE radio coverage from the release date and Bono joined in by phone to speak with Gay Byrne about the album’s release during Gay’s morning show on that Monday. According to Bono’s conversation, his dad phoned him to ask him if he had heard what was going on on Grafton Street.
Bono was asked why he wasn’t at the HMV for the idnight release and he said “Well, I think it would have been unsafe to have gone down there at midnight, but the other reason is that we really are trying not to involve ourselves in promoting the record because we want the music to speak for itself and there has been these very false accusations of
hyping our record, which is the last thing we need to do. So we’re just trying to stay quiet - we’re not doing interviews, we’re not talking to anybody and just want the music - because that is actually, believe it or not, why people queue up and why people are prepared to stand out in the cold; it’s because of the music. Not because - you can’t make somebody buy a record and that’s the point we want to make.”
According to Bono, it was only within the last month (i.e. october/november 1991) when they determined they definitely wanted to tour the record.
Earlier in the radio broadcast, it was mentioned in the radio coverage by Barbara Jordan reporting to Gerry Ryan that people had been lining up since 8 a.m. for the record’s release at midnight at HMV on Grafton Street, and there were lines all around Dublin and in other points throughout Ireland. Barbara mentioned to Gerry about how Dave Fanning was at the HMV to get involved in the album’s sale at HMV in Dublin, and there were several hundred people in line, 4 deep, and the queue was quite orderly until 11:50 p.m., when it grew quite unorderly. Barbara also said that Dave Fanning supposedly said that “They probably will show up” when asked if the band would arrive - and that started the uncontrolled pandemonium where the crowd was pushing from the back of the queue. Many in the crowd felt that the band would show up as well. Barbara stated she felt scared by the crush of the crowd. Gerry said in the coverage that he hadn’t heard any news from anyone that the band were going to show up.
Side note: interestingly enough - it was mentioned in the same RTE radio coverage that Bono had attended the Liza Minelli concert the week prior to AB’s release.
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Hope this helps!
04
PS: the Michael Stipe exhibit was at The Miller Gallery (http://www.observer.com/node/41306) and according to an interview Stipe gave to Lisa Robinson, the exhibit was from May 6 thru June 5.
(http://www.oceanstar.com/patti/crit/mstipelr.htm), but this site states it only went ’til May 30:
(http://www.pattismithlogbook.info/logbook/exhibitions/twotimesintro.htm)
05
06
(6) I saw the AB album in a record store in the Caribbean (either St. Marteen or Puerto Rico) when it was new and boing!, no X on that one. Shoulda seen the look on Dad’s face when I showed it to him (not to mention my little sister!)
07
Matt,
re: Mount Temple, wikipedia has this to say:
Hibernian Marine School amalgamated with Mountjoy School in 1968 and became Mountjoy & Marine School the school later amalgamated with Bertland and Rutland and took the name of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1972.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Temple_Comprehensive_School
Can’t find an exact date, though.
08
12) Dik was born in 1959 (no exact date yet, sorry) and it was definetely in the UK. Looking for more details
09
cheers dave fanning, i was working in hmv the day after, an i was wondering why the hell everyboby was asking if bono was turning up, so feckin annoying
10
6) Achtung Baby - the original version with Adam naked on the inner sleeve … was that covered up in all of N. America, or just in the USA?
Uhm,
I bought my copy in the Netherlands in a regular music store and that one is also X-ed. Backside says Printed in the USA though. No idea why they sold American copies in Europe?
11
U2 toured the UK the whole month of march ending march 31st.
Their next show was the festival of Bourges april 3rd or 4th in the middle of France (app 200 km south of Paris).
I guess they shot the video in Paris in the first three days of april 1983 coming from London and on their way to Bourges.
12
6) Achtung Baby - the original version with Adam naked on the inner sleeve … was that covered up in all of N. America, or just in the USA?
I bought mine in Canada and it does have an X covering Adam
13
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