I assume you know that U2 Diary is going to be a series of date-based entries describing the history of U2, all the important dates and events that tell the band’s story. It’s not a running narrative like the official book, U2 by U2; in format, it much more closely resembles U2 Live – A Concert Documentary, which is also a series of date-based entries.
So, with that in mind, I’m kinda curious about your answers to this question:
What do you think will be the first date listed in U2 DIARY?
Leave guesses/answers in the comments, please. And feel free to explain why you chose the date you give.
Comments
26 responses to “A Quick Survey for U2 Diary Readers”
Maybe the first time that they played together as a band or as U2 formerly….
The very first date listed in the book should be either Adam’s birthday since he’s the oldest member of the band, if not, then it should be the date when Larry hung up the note at his school asking for members to start a band.
The day Larry put a note on the school notice board?
I suggest the latest date the book should start with, should be the oldest band members birthday, which looks like Adam.
But Plan B, might be to start with the birth date of Paul Mc Guinness as he is and was such an important figure in the bands rise to fame.
A lot of important things happened way before the note went up on the school noticeboard, so it’s important to give it at least some coverage.
Of course, it’ll be the date regarding the band’s official name:
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed Dragon Lady, is a single-engine, high-altitude aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 ft, 21,000 m plus), all-weather surveillance. The aircraft is also used for electronic sensor research and development, satellite calibration, and satellite data validation. The maiden flight was:
August 1st, 1955
I second Sascha on this
It would be kind of boring to open with the birthdates of the bandmembers, but probably necessary. A better opening would be something about their first few shows as The Feedback or The Hype or something like that.
But Sascha’s opening is the best suggested yet.
Erika
To me, the date that Larry put his note on the school notice board is the date that U2 started – prior to that date, the members of U2 were ‘just’ people and the Lockheed U-2 was not part of the history of the band at that time; it could even be argued that the band was not named after the plane but as in “You too”, i.e. they wanted us (the fans/audience) to share in their music and beliefs.
Dec. 25, year 1 AD. Maybe when a band parent was born, 1920 or 30.
The day of Larry’s famous bulletin board note;-)
Sascha’s is very clever, but I have to applaud Dec. 25, year 1 AD 😉
Nov. 21, 1920: Bloody Sunday.
(But yes, you could go for Dec. 25, year 1 AD, exploring the religious side of the band… – or even before, because Bono knows a lot about the Old Testament. Now that I’m thinking about it, you could open with the Book of the Genesis: ADAM and EVE).
I vote for the band notice, although it would be hard to understand early U2 songs without reference to earlier events such as Larry and Bono losing their respective mothers.
You could ‘officially’ start it with Larry’s note, and ‘prelude’ it with the Lockheed U-2, birthdays and so on.
I’m going with September 25, 1976 – the day the band was technically formed in Larry’s kitchen.
I agree with Tassoula (and several others). The history of U2 begins the moment Larry places his notice on the bulletin board, or more precisely, it begins the moment Adam, Bono, or Edge reads that notice. What came before is merely the history of Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton, or Larry Mullen. If we’re going to go back to the birth of Christ, then why not go back to the moment the earth cooled and life crawled from the seas onto dry land, or to the big bang? Matt is asking about U2 (the band, not the spy plane) history, not Christian or human history. Obviously Paul McGuinness and all four band members, (not to mention Steve Lillywhite, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno) were born before 1976, but U2 (the band, not the spy plane) was not.
I definitley think it should be the date that Larry left the note on the bulletin board. I actually picture that moment1 Oh, how cool it would be if that note existed today!
The first day the band formally were known as U2 – not feedback, not hype, but U2.
I second Tassoula’s suggestion. I was going to say the note, but this one is better!
As others have already stated, I would agree with the a photo (albeit none exist) of Larry posting the notice on the bulletin board. One can consider him writing that notice, but posting it is when Paul, David and Adam responded.
I’m backing Tassoula’s suggestion too…that was the birth of U2 as we know them today…and what better way to start off the Diary???? Cheers from NZ
Scott
U2 Diary (tentative title) is that book. It’s a work-in-progress which will present the complete history of U2 — from 1950s Dublin when Bono’s parents were married, to the birth of the band, and all the way to the present — told as it happened in an easy-to-use diary format.
So it should be before Bono was born…
The date Larry left the note on the notice board at school
I’m gonna put in my vote for the notice date first. =c) It’s mindblowing to realize that a little slip of paper pinned to a bulletin board was the genesis of U2, no matter how simple. It’s the ripple in the water effect. ;))
I think it should be the day U2 was officially comprised of just the 4 lads we know. There was a point when “Dick was really in the band” (to paraphrase Larry) – so perhaps the day Dick Evans left and U2 became a 4-musician machine was their first true day as U2.
I think 25 September 1976, first rehearsal in Larry’s kitchen… or 13 March 1960 for Adam’s birthday 😉
regards from Italy and best wishes!
Loris Cantarelli, Milan