U2's lead singer, Bono, has been a famous rock star for over two decades. His social activism dates back almost as long -- to 1984 when he appeared on Band Aid's "Do they know it's Christmas?" -- a charity record to raise money for famine-stricken Ethiopia. The following year, U2 also performed at London's Wembley Stadium at the Live Aid concert for Africa. Throughout the '80s … [Read more...] about Bono: On a Mission
U2
Music: From a Whisper to a Scream
"Sometimes it is a spiritual experience, but most of the time it's not...You have to work very hard to get that. But that's okay. There's no free lunch, y'know?" – Van Morrison Leave it to Van Morrison to lend a bit of welcome perspective at the end of From a Whisper to a Scream, a three-hour history of Irish pop music, originally produced for RTE, now available on video. … [Read more...] about Music: From a Whisper to a Scream
Music: U2 Fans Find What They are Looking For
Throughout the 1980s, U2 would close their live shows with "40, their anti-war reworking of the New Testament's fortieth psalm. Over a loping Edge guitar figure, Bono would sing "How long/To sing this song" over and over and over, until every member of the audience joined in as one. The band would then leave the stage one by one, leaving the audience singing the "how long" … [Read more...] about Music: U2 Fans Find What They are Looking For
Bono’s Bandwagon
U2 frontman Bono could be spotted on the east Coast this fall as he visited both the United Nations and the U.S. Congress with his plea for the G7 nations to drop the third world debt. With 21.1 million signatures, the "Drop the debt" petition is the largest single-issue petition ever gathered and counts the Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Muhammad Ali and Bob Geldof as some … [Read more...] about Bono’s Bandwagon
We’re Here and We’re Irish
By Patsy Murphy July August 1992
There is a creative wave happening in Ireland that is stretching all the way across the Atlantic and washing up on the shores of America. Patsy Murphy examines this phenomenon. Across many a billboard in New York and, I presume, throughout this great land, you can see the poster for Universal's blockbuster movie Far and Away starring Mr. and Mrs. Cruise. It's the story of a … [Read more...] about We’re Here and We’re Irish