More Details On U2’s Northside Stories
By: Larry Lootsteen
Hot Press is an Irish music publication (edited since inception by Niall Stokes) that has been around since 1977 and, as such, are the de facto place to go for early career U2 information. They were commissioned by U2 to come up with a guide of the early years of U2 from 1978 to 1983.
Northside Stories is that collection of stories and is this year’s u2.com subscription gift: “Running to 274 pages, this heavyweight book of rare photos, original interviews, diaries, letters and profiles comes with ‘North & South Of The River, Wandering In U2’s Dublin’, a poster-size map charting U2’s Dublin”.
‘Originality is the keyword. In terms of presentation, on stage, I try to catch people’s attention; like an actor, I try to get across the atmosphere of the words and the setting. Sometimes I fail, sometimes people don’t want to know, sometimes I don’t even know myself.
‘In the end it’s up to you, the audience, to decide for yourselves, is it relevant or irrelevant, can you see the potential in U2 or not? So far you have decided yes and put our first record U23 in the charts. Thank you.’
Taken from an article by Bono, in 1980, about ‘being in a band on the threshold’.
‘Up too early with everyone looking wrecked. Arrive in Denver and Edge discovers a ski resort 50 miles up country.The four of us head off. It had to be hushed up – a broken leg at this stage of the tour would not be welcome. Stories were fabricated so that no one had any idea where we were. It was a lovely drive through the Rockies resort. Once there, Edge organises the activities, as he is the experienced amateur. We get our skis on and Bono falls over immediately. We potter about on the nursery slopes under Edge’s instruction. I eventually feel confident enough to try my luck on the mountain. I wish I hadn’t. I’ve never been so frightened in all my life. To reach the top of the mountain we have to hang on to a chair lift, hundreds of feet above the ground with no safety bar. I was so hysterical I would gladly have thrown myself off had Edge not kept me talking…’
From Adam’s 1982 diary of life on the road in America.
Read more details here.
