Who needs bathrooms? ([email protected])
Sun, 23 Aug 1998 09:35:17 -0600
(Prarit's note: The article is on REM...)
As for the upcoming album, Downs said the group is nearly finished
recording, with a few remixes left to be done. Helping out this time
around are Screaming Trees/Tuatara percussionist Barrett Martin, Minus
Five/Tuatara guitarist Scott McCaughey and Joey Waronker, the drummer
in Beck's band. The album is being co-produced by Pat McCarthy, who's
worked with Irish rock superstars U2, as well as pop-rockers Counting
Crows and the Wallflowers.
------------
Two people have emailed me, and one has posted on WIRE about
radio stations reporting that (RUMOUR!!!) U2 will release a "Best
Of" CD by Christmas. (RUMOUR!!!) I find this hard to believe, but
feel that possibly the radio stations were referring to the Entropy movie
project's soundtrack...uh...EXPECTED soundtrack, as that is also
still not confirmed....
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Condensed from The Irish Times:
Hotfoot round history
Added entertainment value in walking tours is bringing even cynical Dubliners
out for a new look at the city. Margaret E. Ward and Elaine Larkin try the fare
for feet.
It may be a reflection on the state of Dublin's traffic, but tourists are increasingly
taking to their feet to view the city, recently rated the fifth most visited in Europe.
Walking tours have surged in popularity this year with six added since the
end of May.
Even Dublin residents are joining the visitors on one of the many diverse tours
on offer - and as the tourist numbers drop off at the end of summer, still more
natives may be tempted to take a new look at the city. History is a well
represented tour subject, but some of the more imaginative guides combine facts
with humour, literature, music, mystery, audience participation or a pint of stout.
The renewed interest in all things Irish, especially history, may be a factor in the
walking tour boom according to Johnny Connolly, founder of the Historical
Walking Tour of Dublin.
"The interest in Irish history is very affected by the history of the conflict in
Ireland, visitors are trying to realise what's been going on here," says Connolly,
whose tour is the oldest walking tour of Dublin.
The surge also reflects the general increase in tourism, he says. "Bus tours
have also bloomed, but with walking tours people are quite comfortable. It's a
way to meet local people and engage with those who live in the city." It seems
there's no substitute for the gift of the gab. "A big part of what we're about is
communicating with visitors, it's a personal touch," Connolly adds.
The following is a selective list from the 15 walking tours approved by Dublin
Tourism, including a few new ones.
In the autumn, most operators scale back their tours so it's essential to call
and book in advance.
(Prarit's note: The following is one of the recommendations from the article)
Rock Trail 01-6708949, 01-679 5077
Meeting place: Rock Trail Shop, 13 Trinity Street. Bookings taken here
only.
Duration: Two hours
Start time and when available: 2.30 p.m.
Tuesday-Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday. Tours will not take place
on Sundays after October 1st.
Cost: �5 (includes a pint of Guinness and a copy of Hot Press)
Suitable for: Rock junkies
Summary of route: Hot Press office, Olympia Theatre, Temple Bar,
Bewley's, Gaiety Theatre, Old Dandelion Market, O'Donoghue's Pub,
Baggot Inn, Windmill Lane Studios, U2 Wall
Highlights: U2 Wall: several walls where thousands declare their
undying love for the band with markers, spray paint, murals and tiny
notes pushed into wall cracks.
Drawbacks: Stories and rock snippets are interesting, but leave you
wanting more detail.
Educational value: For those getting a master's degree in rock'n'roll,
it's A+. For others, it's 3/10
Entertainment value: 7/10
Rating: 5/10
------------
An extremely interesting interview with BBC's Across The Line can be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/tvr-across-the-line-u2-interview.shtml
(Prarit's note: What's *really* funny is that the caption under the
accompanying picture says "Bono and Mike"...)
------------
>From Dotmusic.com:
All-time 100 Artists: Rock on the wane as easy listening takes over
The Who, The Smiths and The Sex Pistols are just three of the shocking
omissions in a new poll of Britain's favourite music artists - while hitherto neglected
artists such Matt Munro (71), Mario Lanza (72) and Harry Secombe (94) have
cruised effortlessly into the top 100.
The poll compiled by the British Marketing Research Bureau for Mojo magazine
asked 5,000 people to name their favourite recording artist of all time.
While modern pop stars such as Spice Girls (58), The Lighthouse Family (51)
and Backstreet Boys (40) have all made the top 100, many of the critic's favourites
such as T. Rex and the Clash have been passed over.
The apparent anomally is explained by the poll including the opinions of over-45s
whose views are normally discounted in such polls.
Oasis (8) was the best performer of the 90s while successful indie acts such as
The Verve (45), Radiohead (51) and The Prodigy (54) fared less well.
The Top 25 are:
1 The Beatles
2 Elvis Presley
3 Frank Sinatra
4 Queen
5 Elton John
6 Celine Dion
7 Cliff Richard
8 Oasis
9 Pavarotti
10 Phil Collins
11 George Michael
12 Nat King Cole
13 Bing Crosby
14 Michael Jackson
15 Shirley Bassey
16 Jim Reeves
17 The Rolling Stones
18 Simply Red
19 Rod Stewart
20 Madonna
21 Abba
22 Neil Diamond
23 Bob Marley
24 U2
25 Diana Ross
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Need a cover for that copy of the U2/Simpsons episode? Check out:
http://207.227.211.106/u2simp.jpg
------------
Condensed from CNN:
(Prarit's note: The article is on the influence of Western culture on Bosnia)
Feature West Dragged into 'Reluctant Colonialism' in Bosnia
Reuters 17-AUG-98
SARAJEVO, Aug 18 (Reuters)- Sarajevo prides itself on having at least three
Chinese restaurants as well as others that serve Mexican, Indian and Lebanese
food.
``Some 90 percent of our guests are foreigners,'' said Amir Bizovic, a co-owner
of Cedar, the Lebanese restaurant which could easily be mistaken for a London
establishment.
``There are no English-speaking waiters in Sarajevo, so we had to choose
between professional waiters who don't speak the language and those who do
but have no waiting experience. We went for the latter.''
Cafes with names like ``The Irish Pub,'' ``Internet'' and ``Bono'' and restaurants
like ``Amerikanac'' (The American) and ``King'' clearly indicate what kind of
customer they want to attract.
Such places typically offer imported beer and a level of service higher than in the
hangouts frequented by Bosnians.
``All this money is giving Sarajevo a phony sense of prosperity,'' said Palmer. ``I
wonder what will happen when we leave?''
------------
>From an EXIT post by Dan Laidlaw:
Coming into work today[Aug 17], I was listening to my daily dose of Howard
Stern's radio show. Today he had Third Eye Blind as guests. Stern was asking
them about their tour with the Rolling Stones. Basically they said, it was
hard to meet them, and they had a huge entourage wit hthem at all times.
Howard said "didn't you meet Bono?" The lead singer said "Bono is the most
beautiful (weird choice of words) man in the world. He is, in fact all four
guys in U2, are the most down to earth, coolest guys on the planet. They've
taught us alot aobut being in a band." Howard usually make some kind of foul
remark about everybody, but he didn't add anything after the U2 comment.
------------
Pleeker put the People magazine pic on his website:
http://users.owt.com/pleeker/U2.html
------------
BONO BONKERS ON BINGO
It's an unlikely pursuit for a rock god, but it turns out Bono's mad on
bingo!
The U2 singer especially likes calling out the numbers to amuse his pals
and even has his own patter.
Pal Robbie Williams says: "You go round to his house and he gets his bingo
set out, with the balls and everything. Then he sits back and starts
calling out numbers. When I was there, there were lots of celebrities and
Bono pulled out the bingo balls. Honestly, it was mad, absolutely
surreal."
Thanks to David Carr for this info.
------------
The 30 minute show was billed as a video art exhibition with
Catherine Owens and U2 in collaboration. It's an exclusive on at
the Edinburgh Festival only and specifically created for the
festival. The show was on at 1700 (times can be checked at
http://www.festivalrevue.com/) on Sunday and today at 1700 (Monday).
The show contained clips from the Mexico show. Songs included -
'Discotheque', 'Mofo', 'Gone', 'Please', 'Last Night On Earth',
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, 'Mysterious Ways, 'Bullet The Blue
Sky' and a full version of 'One'. It gave me a reminder of how
powerful and energetic the show was in Edinburgh last year.
The screens at Festval Revue are big but not huge. They are amazing
though, as is the sound system - crystal clear and loads of boom -
just like a U2 concert.
Thanks to Philip for this information.
------------
The following are excerpts from Q magazine's Top 100 Richest Artists issue.
Thanks, as always, to Sherry for the following:
Page 30-31: story & photo of David Trimble, Bono and John Hume. Quote:
"David Trimble, Bono and John Hume adopt the arms aloft pose for the cameras,
Waterfront Hall, Belfast, May 19, 1998"
Did Rock and Roll Help Save the Northern Ireland Peace Treaty? Campaign
leaders join Bono onstage and revive support for the Yes vote.
According to opinion polls, U2 and Ash had a substantial effect on the outcome
of the Yes campaign when they joined forces for the free concert held in
Belfast in support of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.
Polls taken prior to the May 19 concert, suggested just a 60 per cent vote for
Yes, an amount short of the 70 per cent needed to deliver the kind of sweeping
majority the Agreement required.
With the Yes campaign flagging, SDLP leader John Hume approached U2
singer Bono to discuss ways of "projecting a positive image for the future of
Northern Ireland."
U2 only agreed to take part if Hume and opposition leader David Trimble of the
Ulster Unionists would join him on stage in solidarity for the cause.
"I was very surprised when they both came back and said tehy wanted to do it,"
Bono said later. Ash, whose members were born and brought up in
Downpatrick, County Down, were also asked to play, as says the SDLP
leader, "they grew up in The Troubles and therefore have a vested interest in
seeing the Agreement work."
On May 19, three days before the vote, Ash and U2 took to the stage at the
Waterfront Hall in Belfast. Bono brought on Hume and Trimble, who shook
hands centre-stage, before Bono raised both their arms in the air. Hume
reportedly left the stage in tears.
The arms aloft gesture, repeaded throughout the day, mirrored Bob Marley's
One Love concert in Jamaica on April 22, 1978, when the singer joined the
hands of warring politicians, Prime Minister Michael Manley and Opposition
Leader Edward Seaga, in the middle of the concert.
The Vote Yes concert was deemed a success, giving a huge boost to the
campaign. ON May 22, 71 per cent of the electorate voted in favour of the
Agreement.
"I think that the concert did help sway the outcome," said Ash's Rick
McMurray, "because there were reports that the Yes votes were slipping
away the previous week."
------------------------------------------
page 62: U2 (out of the top 100 richest, U2 were at #7)
� 90m each
Shrewd yet generous, U2 have maintained the five-way partnership--including
manager Paul McGuinness--on which their pre-eminence was built. A brilliant
record deal, enhanced by the Irish law rendering artists' royalties tax free,
is said to give them about �3 on every album sold. Their worldwide aggregate
is nearly 80 million. Add to that tour grosses and the 1989 windfall when
they sold their 10 percent of Island Records for �20m.
Chaotic record label, Mother, has been on an even keel since McGuinness
started runniong it on his own. With their own state-of-the-art rehearsal
studio, Hanover, established in Dublin's docklands since 1995, and a
collective Mediterranean beach retreat at Beaulieu Sur Mer, U2 have business
taken care of.
All live around Dublin. Adam Clayton bought the mansion where The Joshua Tree
album was recorded. In the past, the bassist took care of jetsetting and
going out with supermodels for the whole band. But now he is off the drink
and developing more considered interests such as modern art (a Basquiat was a
recent purchase). Drummer Larry Mullen has dual role as band Harley-Davidson
man and butt for tightwad jibes.
(side note: Q Magazine brought up Mullen's butt, not me).
Although Bono's club, Mr. Pussy's is currently "dormant", he inveigled The
Edge, along with a third party, into buying a share of Dublin's Clarence Hotel
and its nightclub The Kitchen.
Bono will give tramps $200 than a dime, but he is capable of the occasional
display of rampant starry conduct. A few years ago, when he and wife Ali
wanted to move on from their funky, yet single-bedroomed Martello tower, he
hired a helicopter to go housespotting from the air around the Killiney area.
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