Iconic joshua tree has fallen... many fine photographs centering on the national park and lots of information about the trees are included on this fan site. via [more inside]
posted by hortense on Feb 20, 2008 - 29 comments

U2FU? Paul McGuinness, longtime manager of the band U2, has called on governments to compel ISPs to introduce mandatory French-style service disconnections to stop unauthorized downloading. [more inside]
posted by markkraft on Jan 28, 2008 - 68 comments

You've probably seen the video of Kirk and Spock set to "Closer." You might not be familiar with the wider world of fanvids, however. It might be "Lost" set to Warren Zevon or "Heroes" set to Jonathan Coulton. Some are slashy, others are just hilarious. And some are really awesome.
posted by EarBucket on May 6, 2007 - 48 comments

"Window in the Sky" is a YouTube style video synch mash-up done on a professional budget with the magic of copyright clearances. "It's a triumph of postmodern reconstruction" says the Washington Post.
posted by stbalbach on Jan 29, 2007 - 160 comments

"U2, Kaiser Chiefs, Maximo Park and about 4,000 other bands have taken out a full page newspaper ad calling for the improvement of British copyright law. " wtf
posted by zouhair on Dec 30, 2006 - 81 comments

What do you get when you combine the Jesus and U2? U2-charist, of course!
posted by blaneyphoto on Nov 26, 2006 - 34 comments

Bonofilter: Yesterday, May 16, U2 front-man Bono was a guest "editor" for the UK newspaper The Independent. Called the "RED Edition," half of this issue's proceeds went "to help fight HIV and AIDS among women and children in Africa." Highlights included US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice offering her take on "The Ten Best Musical Works" and an interview with Eddie Izzard on immigration in Europe. Is there a downside to celebrity editing, or is it a win-win-win for Bono, The Independent, and some people in need?
posted by bardic on May 17, 2006 - 33 comments

Newsfilter: Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Paul Hewson named by Time Magazine as their persons of the year in recognition of their efforts against HIV-1, malaria and debt in Africa. "For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year." said the mag's editor-in-chief.
posted by docgonzo on Dec 18, 2005 - 123 comments

U2, the Pope, Bush, Blair and Oprah together -- doing head and shoulders! Yet more Flash Friday fun.
posted by Hot Like Your 12V Wire on Oct 28, 2005 - 23 comments

Sometimes You Can't Fix You On Your Own. (Quicktime and Windows Media.) If there has ever been doubt about Coldplay's burning ambition to be U2, let it be put to rest.
posted by Saellys on Aug 5, 2005 - 85 comments

Built at Lockheed's secret Skunk Works facility for use by the Central Intelligence Agency, and in service since 1950s, the U2 spy plane has seen service all over the world (or, at the very least, 70,000 feet above it). It has shown us what both our friends and enemies were doing, helping us avert wars, and in at least one occasion, almost causing one itself. Today, just over 45 years since Francis Gary Powers fell from the sky into the Soviet Union, the United States Air Force has announced from Baghdad that yet another Dragon Lady has fallen from the sky in an undisclosed location in Southwestern Asia.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow on Jun 22, 2005 - 37 comments

"A number of people I talked to there felt like the Red Rocks show was a religious experience. Nobody was prepared for what the band did. It stunned everybody." 22 years ago today, U2 filmed their "Under a Blood Red Sky" concert at Red Rocks amphitheatre outside Denver, Colorado.
posted by scody on Jun 5, 2005 - 47 comments

U2 Can B A Rock Star Prez. The president of the World Bank is traditionally an American. But in a recent editorial the L.A. Times nominated third-world debt relief activitist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee and--oh yeah--U2 frontman for the soon-to-be-vacant position. With economic tutoring from "probably the most important economist in the world", the singer/activist (and self-confessed egomaniac) has spent the last 5 years lobbying the World Bank and IMF to help African nations break the decades' old cycle of debt by combining debt relief with improved trade and AIDS assistance. After a stint as celebrity spokesmodel for Jubilee2000, then founding a similar DATA Agenda funded by Bill Gates, he's developed cred as "a serious player on Third World debt". "It's about the right to begin again," Bono says. "The right to be free of your past..." President Bono: a chance to reform the World Bank from the inside, or celebrity poser? Readers' response... [BugMeNot for the reg-only sites]
posted by nakedcodemonkey on Mar 1, 2005 - 32 comments

U2 vs. Negativland IPod "special edition". Totally Unauthorized, but your purchase will help Downhill Battle , and thus, will end the major label monopoly and build a better, fairer music industry. If you are not the high-bidder, you can always make your own by stopping here and here .
posted by JBennett on Dec 1, 2004 - 25 comments

U2-style Friday Flash Fun. They join the ranks of Flash game marketeers in the promotion of their new single, Vertigo, and upcoming album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. And by the way, someone found the contents of that briefcase that got stolen in Portland 23 years ago.
posted by udeups on Oct 22, 2004 - 5 comments

President Bush - Sunday Bloody Sunday (mp3)
posted by bob sarabia on Sep 8, 2004 - 27 comments

Bono's commencement address to U.Penn. "The world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape.... That's what this degree of yours is, a blunt instrument. So go forth and build something with it." [via Ed]
posted by rory on Jun 2, 2004 - 46 comments

When Bad Singers Happen To Good Songs: The Songicides! In today's Spectator Markus Berkmann amusingly raises the deadly spectre of the worst covers ever recorded. We're talking assassins here. I nominate Phil Collins's massacre of Holland/Dozier/Holland's "You Can't Hurry Love", as originally sung by Diana Ross and the Supremes; U2's goring of Cole Porter's "Night and Day", best sung by Sinatra or Ella and, worst of all, though he's my favourite artist, Leonard Cohen's mangling of Irving Berlin's classic "Always". What's the worst cover version you'd like to report to Musical Homicide?
posted by MiguelCardoso on Sep 4, 2003 - 137 comments

"It's a beautiful day..." So i hear U2's singer, the great and charismatic Bono, has just been nominated for nobel peace prize. Of course, we the french, find it very amusing to find Chirac nominated. (Oh, the hysteria if ever he won). Also in the race is ex Gov. George H Ryan, who amongst other achievements declared a moratorium in 2000, before leaving his job a few months ago... with class. Or maybe they'll just choose Bono & Chirac for knowing how to work together on the 'drop the debt' issue? So, what do you say? (i'd have to go with Bono, i'm afraid. Rock n roll but effective and passionate...)
posted by Sijeka on Feb 19, 2003 - 39 comments

U2 sells out (again?). I just got this email, which calls for a boycott of Best Buy because of an exclusive distribution deal with U2. Apparently, their upcoming concert DVD will be available at Best Buy two weeks before we can buy it anywhere else. Personally, I hoping for another interview with the Edge in which he claims to know nothing about this. I've always been a fan, but it is difficult to decide if these guys are genuine humanitarians or corporate pawns. In this day in age, I'm sure you can be both and get away with it.
posted by jeffvc on Nov 14, 2001 - 57 comments

U2 still providing rockingly spiritual balm for the masses
"...the need for great art, meaningful art has deepened considerably..." --concert review

U2 rocked through all our favorites last night at a sold-out show at Chicago's United Center. Fans were jammin' as well as they could in the steeply vertical arena seating. Then came the encore, which began with a defiant "New York," and continued with "One" as the names of 9/11 victims scrolled slowly on a huge projection screen. The crowd stilled, and I looked around at tearful faces & couples holding each other & sobbing. Probably the first real, shared catharsis for many of us.

Sincere thanks, U2, for helping us let it all out.

I wish *everyone* could have been there. Have you had a good cry yet?
posted by Tubes on Oct 16, 2001 - 31 comments

Bono, Fred Durst and P Diddy cover Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". More Music From Hell news, even if the proceeds are for World AIDS Day and AIDs research."I just thought, you know, we're the usual suspects. Don't come to us. We're too right on," Bono said backstage at the VMAs. "Go raid the pop charts. Go ask Britney Spears. Go ask Jennifer Lopez. Go ask 'NSYNC. Go ask the rappers, the hip-hop guys like Ja Rule or Nelly or DMX...The Global AIDS Alliance originally asked Bono and Wyclef Jean to record the song; however, Bono had other ideas.
posted by BarneyFifesBullet on Sep 10, 2001 - 10 comments

Sen. Helms Takes in U2 Concert It seems that Jesse and Bono are pretty good friends. I just didn't imagine that -- I thought Bono liked Strom Thurmond much better. Show's how politically savvy I am. At least Jesse took his grandkids; I'm sure they would have given him hell for a while for leaving them out!
posted by dwivian on Jun 17, 2001 - 6 comments

"The members of U2 kindly request that all fans of the group be physically attractive. In order to have a Beautiful Day, we require Beautiful People. Thank you for your understanding." (BTW, it turns out the article is wrong. HBO had nothing to do with it; it was entirely U2's decision.)
posted by aaron on Jun 14, 2001 - 7 comments

You too can play with U2. With a little forethought and practice, a guy named Glen Goland lived every amateur guitarist's wet dream last night in Boston. Have you done anything to make your wildest dream come true? Or, like me, are you just letting it all ride on dumb luck?
posted by dchase on Jun 8, 2001 - 19 comments

Bono meets at White House
"We have an ongoing discussion here with people in the White House about the AIDS issue and Africa. It's very, very important to this president and the administration." Huh?
posted by Gilbert on Jun 2, 2001 - 18 comments

U2's site gets a redesign, losing the befuddling wireframe "studio" concept for something a little more familiar: a timeline-cum-blog, taking elements of Classic Motown and U2log.
posted by hijinx on Oct 30, 2000 - 13 comments

The 'biggest band in the world' are the last to get their site on line... (Not counting the Popmart site that only lasted as long as the American tour, after which MSN simply took it down, leaving European fans bewildered. It was a money thing.) Obviously still in beta, it is surprising the site has gone live already. Check the source for the company that made it: Good Technology. I would love to hear some expert feedback on the dhtml usage.
posted by prolific on Jul 15, 2000 - 11 comments