Neil McCormick and Killing Bono
Many rock pundits are more than happy to write about their successes in life, but few would be prepared to espouse their failures so enthusiastically. And even fewer would be lucky enough to find their efforts the subject of a best-selling book and the basis for a major new feature film.
When self-confessed rock star failure Neil McCormick put pen to paper for his 2003 memoir Killing Bono, little did he realise how his tales of living in the U2 frontman’s shadow would click with fans of the Irish supergroup.
As a former schoolmate of Bono — real name Paul Hewson — McCormick was perhaps better poised to recount the trials and tribulations of the singer than many rock writers.
The pair grew up in a Dublin with a burgeoning late-70s punk scene, but while Bono went on to attain rock god status, McCormick found his efforts in bands such as Frankie Corpse and the Undertakers, and Yeah! Yeah! were to come to naught.
“One reason that Bono made it is he was lucky,” says the chirpy and not-at-all-embittered-sounding Neil.
“There are three things you need to have a good chance of making it. One is an abundance of talent, and Bono certainly has that. He was a charismatic character in school and he’s always been a hero to me.
“The next is luck, in meeting the right people, in being in the right band. The public chooses who it wants, you don’t impose yourself on them, so you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time.
“And there’s persistence — you stick with it until that combination of talent and luck pays off. I don’t know where I went wrong; maybe it was the talent, certainly I didn’t have the luck and 13 years demonstrates I had some persistence, so maybe if I had stuck it out for 14 years the world would finally have recognised my genius!”
Bono’s legendary sense of drive and purpose — so evident in his campaigning work and his musical performances — was also a crucial factor, Neil says.
“It comes from not a very good place,” he adds.
“His mother died when he was 13 and it’s amazing how many of our greatest stars have that kind of maternal or paternal loss in their background; it’s quite shocking. For him, music was a way of filling himself up, and for me maybe it was just something I was doing.”
The title of the book itself may be stark in its message (and one might think the subject of a restraining order) but for Neil it was more about laying old ghosts to rest than hitting out at his more successful childhood friend.
“Bono came up with that title!” he laughs.
“It was called I Was Bono’s Doppelganger, but when the book came out in the US they were perplexed by the word ‘doppelganger’. I had to come up with a new title. That was something Bono had suggested to me quite early on. I called him when I was writing the book. He read it and said “You should call it Killing Bono, like slaying your dragons”. He used to ring me up and leave messages on my phone saying “Neil, it’s Bono, you have to kill me”.
“I was worried that someone might take me seriously, though!”
The singer’s well-intentioned campaigns to save the world, including his very visible appearances in Northern Ireland in support of the peace process, have often made him an easy target for the sneering of others.
Yet Neil contends that the motivation of the man who wrote I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is absolutely genuine and only exacerbated by his big personality.
“He’s not down-to-earth, he’s got a big head, and he’s got a big heart and he’s a big guy who is doing an amazing thing out there,” he says. “I find it quite sickening that people give him stick.
There’s no rock star or celebrity in the world who gives more of himself to help other people, and he has made a profound difference.
“Millions of people are alive in the Third World because of the intervention of him and others who give a hell of a lot of time. We can argue about whether that’s irritating or not, but nobody cares about ‘irritating’ when they’re dying of hunger.”
Neil will be visiting Belfast this week for the first of the annual Northern Bank/Ulster Museum Lectures. Having seen the music industry both from within and without as a rock journalist, Neil’s subject matter for his forthcoming lecture — Is There Too Much Music? — also promises plenty of insight into the industry.
“It’s something I think about a lot,” he says. “Because from being a musician in a series of obscure and failed bands to somehow ending up in that musician’s curse of becoming a rock critic instead, I have basically spent my entire life immersed in the world of music and have seen many changes over the decades.
“I was standing in Austin, Texas at a street intersection during the South By Southwest Festival, and there were gigs going on everywhere — in barber shops and on rooftops, thousands of bands playing in this city. I could hear the rumble of heavy metal from one side and country and western from another and hip-hop from another, all merging into this big mush.
“I thought that is a metaphor for the world we live in now, where there has never been more music available to hear.
“It made me wonder if there is in fact too much music. Humans evolved in a time of musical scarcity. If you wanted to hear music you had to make it yourself. Now you can’t escape music and every 14-year-old will have heard more different types of music than his grandfather will ever have in his entire life.”
The increasing prevalence of manufactured pop shows like the X Factor is also detrimental to appreciation of quality music, Neil says. “I do believe that everybody has music in them, but that doesn’t mean that everybody has a right to be famous,” he says.
“That is what the karaoke culture of Simon Cowell and co have exploited, that idea not that we’re all musical, that we’re all super-talented when we’re not.
“So I don’t really like the X Factor, because I find it exploitative. It feeds into the worst of human obsessions with music and not the best.
“It’s all ego really. The best part of music is when the ego gets put away and releases the music.”
With music such a big part of his life, he wonders now if he has become trapped in what he calls “the obsession of my adolescence”, something which was no doubt given a surreal edge by meeting his ‘younger self’ during the filming of Killing Bono in Belfast just last month.
“I had to shoot a scene where I got a cameo as a rather sad old Irishman in an illegal strip club watching my younger self play on stage,” he recalls.
“The director had stationed a stripper right in front of me, so my screen moments will be me looking at some young girl’s ass while my younger self plays in the background.
“I had a Spock-meets-Spock moment, a Star Trek paradox where I thought, ‘could I go up to my younger self, take him in hand and give him some advice and spare him the pain’?
“It’s complicated because this isn’t a novel, it’s my life.
“When they make a biopic it’s because the subject has done something great, like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela. But nobody knows who I am, or cares, so this is a story about a loser in rock ’n’ roll.
“On one hand I have the great victory of achieving the kind of fame I wanted when I was a kid, but on the other I am achieving it in the guise of a comedy loser played by an actor, so I’m not even going to be myself any more.
“Now I’m about to be subsumed in the shadow of a more handsome actor!”
Said actor is English pin-up Ben Barnes, star of Prince Caspian and Dorian Gray, and for whom Neil is fulsome in his praise.
“However, Neil found himself particularly moved by the portrayal of Bono by rising young west Belfast actor Martin McCann.
“He was amazing, he’s going to be a revelation to people,” says Neil. “I was never as good looking as Ben Barnes, but I would see Martin out of the corner of my eye and think “There’s Bono!”
“He’ll be walking towards you and he does something, a little jut of the chin and a movement of the shoulder and he just turns into Bono.
“It was very strange to see, and I had to stop myself from talking to him as if he was Bono. But he didn’t stay in character.
“When the cameras weren’t rolling he’d approach you like a good Northern Irishman.
“I said to Bono that the actor was doing a spookily good job and he said to me — “Just as long as he’s tall!’.”
Neil McCormick — ‘Is There Too Much Music’, Ulster Museum, this Wednesday 7.30pm. Some tickets still available
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/the-man-who-wants-to-kill-bono-14711158.html#ixzz0hy4Z1pT8
Cashman Snubed as Auction ends
IT WAS a case of the unforgettable buyer for U2 stylist Lola Cashman, who still hasn’t found what she’s looking for.
In fact there was literally no desire for a string of U2 trinkets that Ms Cashman had put up for auction — earning just a quarter of the expected amount.
The unique online auction for some of U2’s personal items from the band’s early days has raised just €10,000 of the expected €40,000.
However, the final figures of the auction show that only six of the sixteen items generated bids, which totalled €7,000 — a far cry from the €40,000 that was originally predicted.
As the auction was coming to an end yesterday, a flurry of interest erupted for the unique items put up for sale — including a set of Bono’s rosary beads which fetched nearly €4,000.
Along with the beads, a Polaroid picture of Bono from 1987 which sold for more than €1,000 and a used set concert list also sold for €945.
As did a signed photograph of the band for €241 and a backstage pass from their Joshua Tree tour for €219.
Another religious object put up was Larry Mullen’s former Bible, given to the stylist in 1988, with the inscription “To Lola, With Real Love, Larry, 15-1-88”.
It was being auctioned off for $4,800 (€3,500) and not one bid was placed.
Larry Mullen’s worn Converse shoes were expected to sell for at least $4,500 (€3,300) which also failed to generate any bids.
The former stylist is no stranger to auctioning off memorabilia belonging to the iconic band.
Cashman was previously involved in a high-profile court case dubbed Stetsongate, for selling items belonging to the rock legends she had collected while joining them on their Joshua Tree tour from 1987 onwards.
After losing her appeal against a judge’s decision that the items were not hers to sell, she instead auctioned off items that were personally inscribed to her.
- Caitlin McBride
U2 Rumor Alert
A couple of different fans sites have suggested that it could be possible. The timing looks good, with U2 playing Philadeliphia on July 12th and Montreal on July 16th and 17th. The leaves a couple days to stop over to LeBreton Flats.
Hola Mexico !
As the Mexican magazine La Revista tells the story, the Zedillo boys attended the 1997 concert—part of the PopMart tour as VIPs, entering with complimentary tickets. Afterwards, they attempted to leave through a restricted area full of expensive equipment. Camera crews confronted the entourage, leading to a dustup. U2 security director Jerry Mele, a Vietnam veteran who was considered one of the best in the business and gained his reputation by maintaining order at death-metal concerts, was then run down by a vehicle carrying the Zedillo crew as they left the Foro Sol. Mele nearly died of his injuries.
The band immediately demanded an apology, threatening to expose the president’s children’s egregious impunity. Zedillo refused. At a concert the following evening, U2 front man Bono told the sellout crowd: “We nearly lost a brother last night.”
Embarrassed publicly and perhaps fearing a public-relations disaster, Zedillo relented, inviting U2 for a meeting at Los Pinos (the president’s residence) the following day.
During the tense affair, Zedillo reportedly told Bono: “(U2 security) put my sons’ lives in danger.” Earlier, the chief of presidential security refused to divulge the names of the officers involved in the scuffle to U2. The president, defending his guards, blamed the promoter.
Bono reportedly pointed out how President Bill Clinton’s daughter attended U2 shows without incident and that the Secret Service knew how to behave itself when accompanying her. He also repeated his demand for an apology in front of the entire country. The meeting ended without satisfaction for U2. President Zedillo would learn shortly thereafter that his boys had lied.
Ernesto Zedillo Jr., long the object of U2 fans’ scorn, angrily rejected culpability. The young man, described by La Revista as “a businessman” and “jet-set figure” (read: a playboy living large with his father’s money), told Milenio, a Mexico City newspaper, that if U2 didn’t come to Mexico, it wasn’t his fault.
Perhaps not entirely. During the U2 hiatus, Kristy MacColl, a British singer, who previously performed a duet with Bono, died after being struck by a powerboat while diving near Cozumel. The boat owner has never faced justice. Bono dedicated a song to his late friend during one of last week’s concerts - and also made a call for action. The following day, the president’s office promised to reopen MacColl’s case. Fans suspected MacColl’s death had further soured U2 on performing in Mexico.
U2 has been back to Mexico, Jerry remains retired and has written a book. Life moves on.
U2 Fans Who is Jerry Mele ?
As we get closer to the start of the tour we begin to think about many things associated with a massive tour. So U2 Fans who is Jerry Mele ? Post your answer on Facebook. Come back later today to read all about Jerry and his adventures
Its a Beautiful Day, Really it is !
What do you know about the song “Beautiful Day”? Here is some info that you may find interesting, if you have other facts share them with us.
“Beautiful Day” is the first song and lead single from U2’s 2000 album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2’s biggest hits to date. It was their fourth #1 single in the UKand their first #1 in the Netherlands, while the single also was #1 for a week in Australia. The song peaked at #21 in the U.S., the band’s highest position since “Discothèque” in 1997. The song won three Grammy Awards in 2001.
The lyrics were inspired by Bono’s experience with Jubilee 2000, a benefit urging politicians to drop the Third World Debt.
This is about a man who loses his material things and feels better because he realizes the value of what he has.
U2 wrote this in stages. It changed drastically when Bono came up with the “Beautiful Day” lyric and the idea for the backing vocals.
This was featured in television coverage of the 2000 Olympics from Australia. It was used in a nightly video recap called “Images Of The Games.” NBC made a donation to The Special Olympics in exchange for the rights to use it.
This was one of the first major releases made available for download. Fans could stream the song from U2.com before it was released.
A live performance was taped for British TV show Top Of The Pops on the rooftop of a hotel in Ireland that Bono and The Edge own. They also taped a performance of “Elevation” that day.
This evolved out of a punk rock song they were working on called “Always,” which was used as the B-side to “Beautiful Day.” “Always” was included on a 2002 album of U2 rarities called U2 7. The album was distributed through Target stores.
The video was first shown at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sep. 7, 2000.
In England, this went to #1 its first week. It beat out a duet by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue which was expected to claim the top spot.
This was the first track and first single on All That You Can’t Leave Behind. The album did much better than their previous one, Pop, released in 1997.
When this went to #1 in the UK, Bono told BBC Radio One: “This tastes very sweet. You think to yourself, you’re a rock band, you don’t need the pop charts, but you do need the pop charts. Singles are what makes rock sharp, and we’ve not been great at singles. I can’t tell you how excited we feel, we’ve been around for a while and to hear this song on the radio, it feels very special.”
This won 2000 Grammys for Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Best Rock Performance By Duo Or Group. The album was released after the 2000 cutoff date and was not eligible for awards, but this was because it was released as a single before the date. The next year, U2 won 4 more Grammys.
When accepting the Grammy awards for this, The Edge wore a jersey with the number 3 as a tribute to Dale Earnhardt, a race car driver who died the weekend earlier in the Daytona 500.
U2 performed this at halftime of the 2002 Super Bowl after it won an online poll, beating out “Desire,” “Pride” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Unlike the year before, when Aerosmith was joined by Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly, U2 had the halftime show to themselves.
Clips of this song are used as the theme music for The Premiership, a weekly TV show in the UK which shows that covers all the English Permier League football (soccer) games.
This song was played at the end of a Smallville episode entitled “Nicodemus,” where Clark takes Lana up on the windmill and shows her the Metropolis horizon line.
Kurt Nilsen from Norway won the 2003 World Idol competition singing this song. World Idol brought together winners for the Idol competitions in various countries to compete against each other. 2003 was the only year it took place, and Nilsen beat 10 other contestants, including Kelly Clarkson, who placed second.
U2 Pasadena DVD ?
Before we get all giddy about the possible release at the end of the month. Lets consider all of the hype rumors for a website company that has started a site with the same name as the show in Pasadena, since its a promotional hype twitter noise we passed on telling you as early as Friday afternoon. The release suspicious: The sites listing these DVDs say they’re available on March 31st. Marketing 101 would say this is not really true. Why ? Well Youtube has a vested interest in this release too, U2’s marketing machine would really be in full swing right about now. So folks before you go line and purchase what could be a bootleg hang on a bit we as well as a couple of your other fav U2 fan sites do their homework.
Jeff Koons said The Edge: ‘It’s Incredible’
By Candace Jackson
- Getty Images
- The Edge attended a Jeff Koons-curated show last night at the New Museum, as part of Armory Arts Week in New York.
Of the dozens of art world events happening as part of Armory Arts Week in New York right now, one of the most buzzed about was last night’s New Museum’s opening of a controversial show that features highlights from the personal collection of Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou, curated by artist Jeff Koons.
At last night’s opening party Koons, wearing a crisp black suit, wandered the galleries with his daughter. Speakeasy caught up with him on the fourth floor of the museum, which featured an eclectic mix of works including brown gouache paintings by Kara Walker and a sparkling sculpture called “Super Sister” by Liza Lou of an oversized bejeweled woman with an afro wearing short-shorts, platform red heels. “Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection” marks the first time Koons has taken on the role of curator.
“I think I ended up dealing mostly with the body, inside and out,” Koons said of his approach. But as for making a career out of putting together art exhibits in the future, Koons says his plan now is to “to focus on my own work.”
Koons and Joannou have been friends since 1985, according to the artist, and Athens-based Joannou has been one of the earliest and most prolific collectors of his work. The exhibition is the first in a series called “the Imaginary Museum,” that will present significant private collections as exhibitions in New Museum.
The exhibition features more than 100 works by Koons and other artists including Kiki Smith, Matthew Barney and Charles Ray. The show is still stirring up debate in the art world since Joannou is also a longtime trustee of the museum. Detractors argue that the show is a conflict of interest for the non-profit institution.
That didn’t stop crowds from turning up for last night’s opening party. The elevators were so packed for much of the evening that many guests decided to walk between the four floors through a narrow stairwell. Downtown hipsters, artists and a random smattering of celebrities, including Cyndi Lauper, Pierce Brosnan and fashion photographer David LaChapelle, wandered the galleries.
U2’s the Edge, in his telltale black beanie and a plaid shirt, seemed to offer the most distraction from the artwork for star-struck onlookers. “He’s still so cute after all these years!” said one young female gallery wanderer, within earshot of the musician. Standing near a tall rock-like sculpture by artist Dan Colen, decorated with graffiti-style writing and wads of chewed gum, the Edge, who’s real name is David Evans, told us that he was impressed by the size of Jaonnou’s collection. “It’s incredible to see it all in one exhibition,” he said. Though he wouldn’t call himself a major collector of art, Evans told us he does own works by Jean Michel Basquiat and Damien Hirst, whom he calls a friend.
On the second floor, a woman wearing all black and a museum-credential badge and facing a wall, broke out into song every few minutes near a white Carrara marble sculpture of several people lying on the ground in body bags, a piece by Maurizio Cattelan. “Thiiis is propagaaaaaanda,” the woman sang melodically before matter-of-factly announcing, in a speaking voice, “This is Propaganda, 2002, by Tino Sehgal,” referring to the title and author of the performance art piece she was putting on. (Sehgal currently has a retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum uptown.) “Yes! I’m a piece!” she answered a few confused onlookers who needed clarification.
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