A day-by-day history of U2, now in its second edition.

The Things You Learn

Some of the amazing things you learn about U2 while researching a book like U2 Diary.

This Would’ve Been Cool to Know…

By on December 9, 2007 in Researching, The Things You Learn with 0 Comments

Do you all know the super-old U2 song called “Be There”? It’s appeared on a couple bootlegs, I think. Good song. 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 […]

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Bono & Farm Aid II

By on October 25, 2007 in The Things You Learn with 4 Comments

Who knew? Scott Cleaver, a U2 fan in New Zealand, sent me an article about Greg Carroll that appeared in a Maori magazine. The article is recounting Carroll’s story, which I thought I knew pretty well, until it says this: Bono was in Texas to appear in concert with American country star Willie Nelson when […]

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Edge’s first rock concert…

By on October 3, 2007 in The Things You Learn with 0 Comments

… was a Horslips gig in the town of Skerries somewhere around 1975 or 1976. Little did I know that Edge (and Bono) appear in a Horslips documentary DVD called Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts, which you can read about on the Horslips web site. Maurice Linnane, ex-Dreamchaser guy, did the documentary. You can download […]

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Remember The Blades?

By on September 23, 2007 in The Things You Learn with 1 Comment
Remember The Blades?

Do you remember that photo of a big sign advertising U2 and The Blades at the Baggot Inn on August 21, 1979? You probably saw it in the U2 LIVE book. Well, the things you stumble on while researching a book on U2’s history: The Blades have a MySpace page. If you’ve ever wondered what […]

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WOWY’s Original Inspiration

By on August 1, 2007 in The Things You Learn with 1 Comment

I won’t be able to use this in the book, but it’s kinda interesting nonetheless: I’m re-reading some old articles, looking for dates/events for the book, and there’s a mention in a Rolling Stone article that the original inspiration for “With or Without You” was a 1977 punk/electronica song called “Cheree” by a duo called […]

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