i don't care about jay cutler

when i got up this morning it was 17 below zero. yesterday i slammed my head so hard on the slope i now have a lump on my forehead. rad. i kind of am looking forward to leaving colorado and going home to my life.

plus, i am totally behind on important things. all the newscasters talk about here is the denver broncos. jay cutler, rookie quarterback. yep. what about the bono, denver? check out the u2 singing the new song live. does it sound good? i can't tell, i have no speakers on this borrowed computer.

okay, i'm off to try and get one more major bruise before heading home tomorrow.

~ peace

the air is thin

dudes it is snowing like crazy where i am. i am so happy. life is perfect.

on the way from the denver airport to copper mountain yesterday, i got to stop at red rocks. it was awesome. my vocabulary is escaping me. the air is thin here.

i bought these. big spender!

~ later

u2 18: better than the muppets; and other super-educated thoughts

uk album sales charts, last week:
1. westlife, the love album
2. oasis, stop the clocks
3. the beatles, love
4. u2, 18 singles that everyone already owns

what? are you kidding me? the muppets didn't beat u2, as well? how can that be? oh, the muppets didn't put out an album last week? okay, that explains everything. totally.

not that i care, but did you know that u2 18 singles features a grand total of two songs from the 90s? and zero songs from boy and october? are u2 crazy? are they trying to erase baby u2 and 90s u2 from existence? the evil powers of the bono know no end.

still, i bought the u2 18 singles cd/dvd deluxe edition. the bonus dvd is a 10-song set from milan, 2005. it is live. it is u2. it exists. $20 bills totally grow on a tree outside my house. so i bought it. i am a sucker. sue me. (not really, please don't.)

i have no thoughts to share on the cd of singles. none. at all. but believe it or not, i do have some bono-centric thoughts about the too-short bonus dvd.

the milan dvd offers a stadium-sized glimpse of the vertigo tour, and includes several of my favorite things: bono biting edge, bono being a dork, no real pontificating, i will follow, edge on guitar during original of the species (burn the piano!), adam being adam, larry being larry, and bono being too sexy for his jacket.

there is a brilliant moment at the beginning of elevation when a camera angle from behind (yeah, i know) captures bono, acting the fool, this tiny little man engulfed by this giant stadium full of people. he's saying he can't dance, but still he is dancing, and this sea of people is dancing just like him. it's one of those moments when you really want to cringe at bono, but you realize you can't because your jaw is on the floor.

the must-have element of this dvd is miss sarajevo. bono pulling off the opera part of this song on this tour is one of the most amazing things he has ever done. the way it is shot here, bono without the shades, weary eyes, the super close-up when he is hitting the big note, teary eyes, his head almost ready to explode - the whole thing is uniquely this-era of bono. i am glad it is on this dvd. and i am glad i bought it.

alrighty, then....i'm off to colorado for the week. i am going to check out the main vein, and maybe if i'm lucky, meet up with the coolest kid in colorado.

keep an eye on yer man for me, peeps....

make up yer mind. (or not.)

yer man the rugby fan: new zealand / ireland

related (?): world rugby rankings

youtube videos new zealand night 2: bad / one tree hill / still haven't found /walk on

photos and videos via u2-vertigo-tour.com.

~ peace

sounds about right

she noticed he'd just had a haircut and he was very sweaty....hmmmm.....guess who?

also: bono and edge meeting fans in auckland, new zealand yesterday.

do not go shopping

bono sports the logo of the warriors rugby team, don't ya know. new zealand night 1: photos / setlist / review

youtube: one tree hill

well-meaning, no doubt

article: stage gets set for u2 in new zealand
u2 will play on friday and saturday night at mt. smart stadium. u2 were due to play in auckland in march, but had to postpone the concerts after a close family member of the band fell ill. site coordinator toby flemming said he was pleased the band had rescheduled the tour. "bono loves his stage and i'm proud of them honoring their word and coming back. there's a tremendous cost in cancelling concerts. it cost them a lot to cancel and come back. the band is all heart and soul."

article: new zealand musicians talk about u2
chris knox (tall dwarfs), says: "i'm not a u2 fan although i liked a few things i heard on zooropa and pop when they went a little more bent, and there was one track that made me think maybe they'd been listening to tall dwarfs....i also think bono is a self-righteous, smug and uppity little irishman. well-meaning no doubt, but you know."

[mp3] baby it's over - the tall dwarfs
[mp3] meet the beatle - the tall dwarfs


worth a read:
article: the bling philanthropist
with a $320 million fortune, a $70,000 watch on his wrist and beyonce on his arm, the rapper jay-z clearly wants for nothing. now the mc has teamed up with the un to bring clean water to the world's poor.

dear evan dando: thanks for being a dick
remember when rock stars were pompous dicks who punched-out photographers and stormed off stage mid-show because they just didn't care? are you ever nostalgic for those days?


worth a listen:
guitar? bass? drums? check. check. check.

[mp3] archie bronson outfit - dead funny
[mp3] archie bronson outfit - funnel of love
[mp3] robbers on high street - the fatalist

websites:archie bronson outfit / robbers on high street

~ peace

back to our regular programming

bono, photographed in eze, france, 2006. photo by chris milk. (via u2 east link).

char your brain: ¡Forward, Russia!

brain charring is good. isn't it? (yes it is).

¡Forward, Russia! is a guitar-synth-punk band with theatrical, very over the top vocals, ridiculous energy, and a one-named guitarist with a manic, angular style. (we like). hot press magazine (ireland) gave the band's debut album a 9/10, and described it as "a record of brain charring brilliance."

the band is from leeds, england, and the guitarist is nicknamed whiskas (at left in above photo). whiskas runs his own record label. (smart guy). his label is called dance to the radio, a name taken from a lyric in the joy division song transmission. (bonus points).

whiskas was cool enough to answer some silly queries from me. his band is playing the bowery ballroom next tuesday, november 28. you should go.

5 QUESTIONS WITH WHISKAS

How did you capture that over-the-edge, manic-type of sound in the studio? Were you hopped up on something?
WHISKAS: We weren't hopped up on something! I think our live shows were so frantic it was trying to capture something like that on record. We did try and make a bit of an effort in doing things different. We were under pressure to do the best album possible and didn't have loads of time, so I guess maybe that came through.

What are some of the biggest differences between the audiences you are playing in front of in the states versus in Europe?
WHISKAS: Well, Europe's a bit bigger! But I do think, no matter what the size of audience in America they're really really enthusiastic. Which isn't always the case in Europe, though obviously people in Europe tend to know the songs a bit better. I have great hope in American audiences being really good.

What do you think are the best words to use to describe your music?
WHISKAS: Ooh, I don't know. I think we all prefer other people to describe the music themselves and make their own opinions! I like when people appreciate the differences in our music - I can handle it when people compare us to many different bands of different styles, but it frustrates me when we get compared to one band, that usually is just a facet of our sound.

When you were a kid, who was the first band you really loved?
WHISKAS: Hmm, Blur I think. I was that age in the UK - Country House hit number one and my dad was a fan so he had all the old albums, Parklife, Leisure, Modern Life Is Rubbish, so I got to love them. Then I went to see them at an arena with I think the first little band I discovered and loved from their first single which was Super Furry Animals.

Can you tell us a secret?
WHISKAS: No cos then it wouldn't be a secret anymore!!

[mp3]
nine - ¡Forward, Russia!

[mp3]
twelve - ¡Forward, Russia!

[mp3]
psyclone! - super furry animals

side notes: whiskas got his name from beatrix potter's tale of samuel whiskers, and yes, he does actually have whiskers. the band named the songs on its debut album after numbers and they use spanish punctuation symbols in the spelling of their band name. finally, whiskas made me feel damn old by mentioning his DAD (!) was a blur fan.

¡Forward, Russia!: website / itunes / tour dates

article: spin feature on ¡Forward, Russia!

gratuitous monday

photo via hit the lights. the photo is of superman, by the way. as if everyone doesn't recognize superman's ass.

also: the ny post says the fashion icon of the moment is bob dylan. really. check it out.

~ peace

just got back from the tomkat wedding; it was awesome

check out the vip spot i had for the nuptials. do you like the sign i made?

the san francisco chronicle recommends u2, the doors & springsteen books in its holiday gift guide.

hit the lights has some great shots from u2 in melbourne on november 18.

u2 start has australia bootlegs. download the melbourne, november 18 show. it is the best sound-quality recording so far this leg.

a few songs to ponder:

[mp3]
all i want is you - les paul and johnny rzeznik
the goo goo dolls (i know, i know, sorry) lead singer is featured on the 2005 album les paul and friends. rzeznik's vocals on this u2 cover are good, and the whole song is done very well. the full les paul album is available on itunes.

[mp3]
you can't quit me baby - queens of the stone age (live)
from the 2005 live cd/dvd set over the years and through the woods. i kind of don't like josh homme. on the dvd, on a different song, he goes off on a jerk throwing things at him from the crowd, calling him a cocksucker. and then he tells the guy to "eat a bag of dicks." i think he could have picked slightly better insults. but whatever. i kind of do like josh homme because the tone of his guitar is just so sublime. you can buy that dvd here.

[mp3]
gold lion - yeah yeah yeahs (live/acoustic)
stripped down version from the itunes exclusive live ep. i heart karen o. you can buy the whole thing on itunes.

now i've seen it all

melbourne, november 18. photos by matthias muehlbradt. more of his photos can be found at u2-vertigo-tour.com.

diplomatically unreasonable

view: bono on lateline
this interview aired yesterday on australian television. it is an interesting, intelligent conversation, and bono's hair looks fab. bono responds to a question about being a "prophet" by remarking "i make a profit, i'll say that." bono also discusses his little feud with aussie pm john howard, who does not seem to be susceptible to the roguish charm of the bono. at all. bono says he regrets the tone he used earlier this week when making remarks about howard. then he goes on to use said tone throughout the interview. very nice.

the internetz is nice: u2, pearl jam

watch above: last night, edge (on fire) and bono (also hot) joined pearl jam (we like) at a concert held as part of the make poverty history campaign. the show was held in melbourne, to coincide with the g20 summit being held there this week.

the boys played a version of rockin' in the free world, with changed lyrics. methinks bono was totally channeling joe strummer in his delivery. more info and multimedia of this is here.

[mp3]
pearl jam, bono & edge - rocking in the free world

sample lyrics:

vedder: i'm a singer in a band
bono: i'm a father of four
vedder: i do what i can
bono: i wanna do more



some other niceness from the internetz this week:

U2 LIVE: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, NOVEMBER 11, 2006
audience recording:

[mp3] the saints are coming
[mp3] desire
[mp3] kite

finally: enjoy this grin.

loquacious, humble, urgent, fearsome

hysterical decemberists critique and reaction
if you missed the above article (via bv), the at-the-end reader reaction is a must-see. the comments. oh the comments. someone hates your favorite band? cry me a river decemberist fans.

mr. loquacious and his humble sidekick
this article includes some info on the upcoming edge and bono appearance on dave stewart's new hbo show. it will debut on november 24. it involves margaritas.

borat arrives in melbourne for sexy times
borat is in melbourne australia right now promoting his over-rated film. seriously people, i saw it and i laughed a little, but how many poop and dick jokes can you laugh at? oh look, a rapist! damn, how funny is that. i hope he is gone by the time u2 get to melbourne.

u2 makes sexy times in adelaide
this article reports that last night: "the four irishmen ran through a set that showed the old songs to be just as vital and relevant as their latest material. it's a sound that many have tried to replicate or at least used for inspiration in recent years, from the killers to franz ferdinand, but few have managed to successfully capture the urgency of the rhythm section of larry mullen jnr on drums, adam clayton on bass and the edge's fearsome guitar."

bono: not scared of crazy giants

look at the bono making nice with the very giant crazy laughing men.

the bono says: "it's okay that you are gigantic sized men. i can laugh, too, because i am the bono of perfect size."

they were at tuesday's sydney premiere of the movie catch a fire. more photos here.

sweatsedo likes snow patrol

i work in a very big office building. we accept all kinds. in a cubicle universe not far from mine, there are two very noisy young women who tend to discuss such things as "dancing with the stars" or the "britney and kevin" saga. one of the girls loves madonna. she owns a track suit that madonna designed for h&m. one day she even wore it to work. she calls this outfit her sweatsedo.

yesterday, i overheard sweatsedo talking about this "new song" she fell in love with. she listened to it all weekend. she loves it. can't get enough of it! the song, she said, is called "chasing cars." it's by this "new band called snow patrol." sweatsedo likes snow patrol.

the end.

(seriously, that's all. figure out the moral of the story yourself.)

ps ~ look, it's gratuitous adam.

pps ~ if you did not watch the video of the bono making the sexy time dance with kylie minogue the other night, you must watch it. is very nice. and so hysterical. she is wearing a cat suit and bono is twirling a cat collar on a leash. but what is really funny about the video is the fact that bono is playing a role previously played by robbie williams. the fact that this video of bono is equal parts sexy and hysterical is exactly why we love the bono. long time.

youtube: bono and kylie / (sexy time version)

youtube: robbie and kylie

bono's beneficient universe

the new york times has a short article that examines bono's unique empire of do-goodness. the article is not-as-ass-kissy as this graphic suggests.

BONO: "I’ve come to a place where I realize that there is something obnoxious about a spoiled rotten rock star in a photograph with a vulnerable child taken by a dreadful disease. But that’s who I am and that’s who they are. And I’m doing my best."

making seeds

brian eno: let there be light
yes, i'm linking to apple.com.

also:

bono joins kylie minogue on-stage
video, article, etc...bono made a surprise appearance at the second show of minogue's comeback tour. kylie is touring for the first time since recovering from breast cancer.

bono joins u2 on stage: sydney night 3
video, setlist & more...at the start of elevation, bono announced that although he sung last night with kylie minogue....tonight "we're all yours."

finally: is this gratuitous?
rhetorical question....

heard the shuffle of the angel's feet

[mp3]
god's gonna cut you down - johnny cash

this quite-good song can be found on the album johnny cash: american v. the recently released video for the tune includes teeny tiny appearances by patti smith, keith richards, dennis hopper, chris martin, kanye west, flea, sheryl crow, justin timberlake, kate moss, jay-z and lots of other celebs.

view the video: mtv.com / youtube

oh, and that bono guy is in it, too. don't blink or you'll miss him.





also, here are some fab fan-shot photos from u2's 2nd concert in sydney: edge / edge & adam / bono. photos by jayone.

1 to go in sydney. 4 more total in australia before the boys head to new zealand. the next show is monday morning nyc time. we'll shoot for a really perfect butt shot in the aftermath because that's what we do best. gratuitous middle-aged ass shots.

~ huzzah

mom likes it

[listen]
u2 - window in the skies
my mom likes the new u2 song.

the song is streaming on aol, along with live videos of vertigo, i will follow, elevation, still haven't found, all i want is you and city of blinding lights from milan last year. the videos are a preview of the u218 singles bonus dvd.

i think i was going to type a snarky comment, but instead i am just going to not do that.

~ that's all

back by popular demand

wonderful fan's full photo set from brisbane is here.

videos from last night's sydney concert are here / photos from sydney night 1 are here.

man, i am getting sooooo much accomplished at work today. really. i swear.

bono is not purely a sexual creature

article: bono keeps the magic alive

the reporter asked bono if he gets marriage proposals from his female fans....

bono: "they say other things. i am delighted to report they don't consider me marrying material. i keep telling them i am not purely a sexual creature, i'm a person, i have feelings, i am a human person," he minces, feigning hurt that any fan would just want him for his body. "but i am amazed (by that). i think what it is we are not a boy band, we are a man band. we make men's music and girls like that."

tomorrow is today. yeah it is.

in australia, it's already tomorrow today.
oh yeah. that's awesome.

slate: who was the best band of the 80s?
warning: the article is written by an r.e.m. fan. but that's cool.

this is the reality of realities, people: cop bono is back. huzzah!

~ peace

u2 in brisbane: live videos

youtube: the saints are coming, live in brisbane
rough footage, but sans green day, this tune features 50% less suckitude. woot.

video: u2 kick off vertigo tour
this is a short television news segment that includes footage of the brisbane concert, as well as an interview with larry and bono.

photos: flickr

the next u2 concert is on november 10 in sydney.

life in the big nyc is rainy today. i am the girl who walks to work in the rain without an umbrella. i had to hide the ipod away. (not in my pants, i swear. maybe in your pants. it's possible.) anyway, anyway, anyway - even without the earbuds in, with my ipod hiding in someone's pants, i still had that damn window in the skies melody in my head. what the hell? get out of my head! you stupid bono.

~ peace

video: u2 on rove live

youtube: part 1

youtube: part 2

the above videos are from an interview with u2 on the australian show rove live on tuesday.



oh, and many thanks to the criz-azy peeps who mass emailed the new u2 single window in the skies to me today. it is making the rounds in a rough radio rip form. unfortunately, i'm not loving it. and i'm not posting it. if you are here looking for it, i'm sure you know lots of other places to check where you can find it. if not, leave a comment and i'll send you bono's cell phone number and then you can call him and ask him to sing it over the phone for you. really.

~ later

streets of your town

[mp3]
the go-betweens - streets of your town

u2 kicked off the final leg of their vertigo tour in brisbane last night. there's a setlist and some other comments on the night here.

bono sang portions of the go-betweens song streets of your town on a couple of different occasions during the concert, paying tribute to brisbane's grant mclennan, co-founder of the go-betweens, who died earlier this year.

here's a few articles about the show, as reported in australian newspapers: city sees blinding light / u2 blast back / a truly beautiful day.

oh, you creative headline writers, you.

here's larry scowling concentrating in brisbane:

(photo via interference.)

nothing much to say, i guess

bandanna bono: spotted in brisbane

bandanna bono and u2 start up the vertigo tour again in brisbane on tuesday. rehearsal reports are here.

rehearsal videos are on youtube : city of blinding lights / & many more...

woot.

wandering around

article: bono praises madonna

article: pilot high after flight with u2

so, yeah, i missed mew last night. didn't quite make it to bowery. i've had about 10 straight days off and ended up wandering off to never-never-land. last night i was here:



it wasn't so bad.

~ peace

u2 stalking update

youtube video / article / fan photos

itunes survivor update

remember last week when i decided to try to start deleting albums from 2006 that i don't listen to? no? well, anyway, before deleting them, i decided to really listen to them. much to my own dismay, i am here to report that i have really bad taste in music, and i am deleting the album through the windowpane by guillemots.

if you check around, you may find that this album is alternately described as brillliant and/or beautiful. i don't think it is bad, i just don't like it. (there's a difference). i like guitars. sue me.

OBVIOUS KEEPERS:

sam roberts / chemical city
lots of chiming, layered guitars and straight ahead rock vocals. no whining. no emo. yay. do not delete.
[mp3] fall before you finish

albert hammond jr. / yours to keep
i like the strokes guitarist and i like this little solo album of his. a beach boys meets john lennon meets elvis costello vibe. albert can't really sing, but that's okay by me.
[mp3] scared

UNEXPECTEDLY REALLY LIKING THIS ONE:

the decemberists / the crane wife
i am not a super-big fan of lead singer colin meloy's whine. but this album can't be deleted because musically it is just jaw-droppingly good. i actually think i might really like it.
[mp3] the perfect crime

STILL GROWING ON ME:

badly drawn boy / born in the u.k.
combine morrissey with a certain unspecified era of springsteen, drain all emotion and you get this. oddly, i am enjoying it.
[mp3] degrees of separation

scissor sisters / ta-dah
this makes the cut. barely. for when the bee gees just won’t do.
[mp3] the other side

FORGIVE ME MUSIC SNOBBERAZIS:

guillemots / through the windowpane
the vocals are comically overwrought. like an off-key tom chaplin. the band uses every instrument ever found in a high school band room. ooh, a xylophone! natch. delete. music to fly around in hot air balloons to. the first few times i heard it, i admit i liked this song:
[mp3] trains to brazil

dr. bono: working hard in australia

the brisbane courier mail calls this bono's sound check.

i was thinking more along the lines of bono asking the baby "so what are the words to mofo again?" but yeah, the words dirty old man did not enter my mind. at all.

~ peace

u2 arrives in australia

**update** here's some video from australian television: youtube.






more photos are here.

article: sonic boom as u2 lands for vertigo tour.

article: another day in paradise