From Me 2 U

I don't have the most flashy U2 blog around. There are many, many amazing blogs and websites dedicated to U2, but right now, at this moment, you are here and I want to thank you for stopping by. Whether you follow AllU2, or came here by accident, I hope you have fun while you are here. I created this blog to share my passion for U2 with others like you, and it has been wonderful getting to meet other U2 fans who share the same passion as I do. I remember sitting in my studio with a former co-worker who helped me come up with a cool name to call people who tweet U2 and follow the AllU2 twitter page: U2ters.

Image by FromTheNorth via Flickr

Using personal sources I have, stemming from friends within radio and the music industry, combined with internet sources and sites, I've been able to post about the band like I never thought I'd have been able to. The goal is to create a one-stop shop of a blog.

It's a work in progress, and writing the blog is sometimes a careful balancing act in which my personal life sits on the other side of the teeter-totter.

That said, I am hoping to find a new template and design for AllU2, and am excited about future posts in 2010.

It's one thing to build a bond with a band, it's another when U2 fans can share that bond in this evolving world of social media. It's been a ton of fun and I hope you enjoy yourself here.

Image by Carlos-Martínez via Flickr

Follow AllU2 on twitter: www.twitter.com/AllU2 and bookmark All U2, All The Time. Your comments are always welcome and I look forward to the future of this blog and continuing to meet U2ters like you.

Thank you.

Chris

Bono: "I'm overpaid, so shoot me"

Read this on its original site, The Telegraph, here.

 -------

Bono: 'I'm overpaid, so shoot me'

Bono, the multi-millionaire rock star and frontman of U2, has admitted that he is overpaid but dismissed claims of hypocrisy for preaching about poverty in developing countries.

Published: 11:30AM GMT 02 Dec 2009

Bono has dismissed hypocrisy claims for preaching about poverty Photo: AP
 

The U2 frontman made the comments after launching a campaign supported by Nike and Apple, urging people to buy clothes and electronics to help fund aid project in Africa.

When asked if he thought people were sympathetic to a campaign fronted by someone with his wealth, he told the Daily Mail: “You can still contribute even if you are not as fortunate as I am.

“I've been blessed and I've been over-rewarded for what I do and I'm trying to give my time and my resources but you know, I'm a rich rock star, so shoot me.
“I'm having a great life and even though I can be a pain in the a*** going on about all this stuff, the band feel strongly about it too.”

On Monday Bono launched the Lace Up Save Lives campaign – a partnership between Nike and the (RED) brand, which he co-founded.

Gap, Apple and Dell are among others to sign up to the initiative, with money spent on certain products going to the campaign.

Bono said he was not asking people to put their hands in their own pockets, but the pockets of big corporations.

Earlier this year, leading charities including Oxfam attacked U2 for moving their business to the Netherlands where there is virtually no tax on royalties. It deprived Ireland of revenue and the government then cut its overseas aid budget.

The move came in 2006 after the Irish government introduced a cap of €250,000 (£230,000) on tax-free incomes for artists. It meant the band would have faced a multi-million pound tax bill because of their huge album sales, tour receipts and royalties. It is believed to have saved them around £15m.
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, said he did not mind criticism from people “doing their bit”.

“I think it's OK to criticise me as long as the ones who are doing so are doing their bit,” he said.

“With this campaign, I'm not asking people to put their hands in their pockets. I'm asking them to put the hands in the pockets of the companies like Apple and I'm not sure people really get that.

“I'm surprised that people are interested in talking to me any more. They must just think, ‘God, he's back again’.”

Lunch with Paul McGuinness

You may enjoy the following post on its original website here. (FT.com)

Lunch with the FT: Paul McGuinness

By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson

Published: December 4 2009 15:28 | Last updated: December 4 2009 15:28

“I figured out bad wine costs the same as good wine, so why not learn about it,” says Paul McGuinness as he orders a $69 bottle of Oregon pinot noir. “I probably imposed that on the young U2. We had a practice when we were first touring. We’d economise on hotels but go to good restaurants.”
More than three decades and 140m records after McGuinness, now 58, started managing four Dublin teenagers, the world’s most successful band stay in rather better hotels and he has been able to put his money where his mouth is, as an early investor in the Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant where we now sit.
It has taken us three hours to get to our corner table in the Spotted Pig, which feels more of a village inn than the London gastropubs it is supposed to resemble. McGuinness had suggested we meet first at Madison Square Garden to watch U2 rehearse for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary show.
In an almost empty arena, I have been granted a private concert and a glimpse of why McGuinness is one of the few people in the miserable modern music industry to be noted for their business acumen.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

More from Lunch with the FT - Jun-12

Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager since 1974, approaches as we watch U2 warm up. “The thing I dislike about Paul is, before he came along, I liked to think I was the best manager in the world,” he jokes. “Now Bruce likes to say, ‘I call my manager the American Paul McGuinness.’”
Elvis had Colonel Tom Parker, and John, Paul, George and Ringo had Brian Epstein. McGuinness is U2’s fifth Beatle. He claims no creative role but can take credit for a series of eye-catching deals that have led to U2-branded iPods, 3D concert films, a 12-year touring deal with Live Nation, sponsorship from BlackBerry and, just before we meet, the first concert streamed live on YouTube, which was seen by 10m people around the world. Most importantly, Landau adds, McGuinness locked down the band’s master recordings and lucrative publishing rights.
On stage, I have watched Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen run through a lengthy set with guests including Springsteen and Patti Smith. Mick Jagger, the only man who competes with U2’s stadium-filling ability, has prowled about the stage with Fergie, the lead singer with the Black Eyed Peas. She has floored everybody with a scorching assault on the opening bars of “Gimme Shelter”.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE

U23D is back!

Taken from the U23D Live site:

U23D at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

By

Nikki Lowry

on December 4, 2009 2:48 PM

 

And what better place to see the film many fans and critics are calling "better than the real thing?!" Admission to the film is free with your Hall of Fame Museum admission, and it is being screened in the HOF's magnificent new Foster Theater.

Go to: http://www.rockhall.com/u23d for details on screening times.


Better, cheaper, more comfortable seats, and Bono up close and personal...you gotta see this film!