Backbeat Books is proud to announce the September 15th release of U2 FAQ, a new 400-plus page book on the revered rock band by award-winning music journalist John D. Luerssen.
Due September 15th in the U.S.
and globally this fall, the latest in Backbeat’s acclaimed FAQ series (Fab Four FAQ, Fab Four FAQ 2.0, Pink Floyd FAQ), U2 FAQ promises Anything You’d Ever Want to Know About the Biggest Band in the World … and More!
Featuring an introduction by Cowboy Mouth’s John Thomas Griffith, the one-time frontman for Red Rockers, who opened for U2 on its Unforgettable Fire trek, U2FAQ also boasts rare artifacts and photos from U2 fans and collectors worldwide.
Active and relevant for nearly thirty-five years, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. have been masters of reinvention, thriving artistically while continuing to sell out concerts across the globe. From their start at Dublin’s Mount Temple School in 1976 up to the 2009 Rose Bowl show that shattered a U.S. concert attendance record (previously set by the group in 1987), U2’s members have experienced some amazing collective highs. But in its ascent, the band has seen its share of personal, artistic, and commercial setbacks, including Bono’s recent debilitating back injury, which prompted the postponement of its U.S. tour until 2011.
These are just some of the topics U2 FAQ explores: How did Bono recover his cherished suitcase of lyrics 23 years after its 1981 disappearance? What movie dialogue is sampled in the middle of Seconds? What effect did bull’s blood have on Larry’s drumming? How did Bono’s visit to Central America inform The Joshua Tree? What are the details of Adam’s 1989 marijuana bust? How did Mick Jagger wind up on “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”? Can Bono really save the world?
“What makes U2 FAQ different from the other books written about the band, is that – aside from all of the information it gathers – is the fact that it explores the band’s vulnerabilities,” Luerssen says. “I think that with U2’s enormous popularity, it’s easy to forget that Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam are human beings like the rest of us. And I explore that in chapters like Broken Nose to the Floor: Public Debacles, Dangers, and Embarrassments, and Don’t Talk Out of Time—True U2 Stories. It’s a must-read book, whether you love or loathe U2.”
Luerssen – a regular AOL Music/Spinner contributor who has also written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, All Music Guide, and American Songwriter and penned 2004’s highly praised Rivers’ Edge: The Weezer Story (ECW Press) goes beyond the essential facts, delving into the legendary fables and unique anecdotes that make
“U2 FAQ” an indispensable read for all U2 disciples.
