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trin's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a fantastic rock bio. Flanagan's writing is incredibly engaging, and he does a great job of exploring the thornier issues from every angle. He really captures the zany wonder of a rock tour, with fabulous descriptions of the cities the band visits (I love the section on Tokyo) and tons of great quotes. The members of U2 are wonderful and worthy subjects, and Flanagan more than rises to the task of telling their story. I wish he'd write a sequel with some of their more modern adventures!
I recommend this to anyone who's interested in rock & roll or band dynamics, whether they're U2 fans or not. I really can't convey how hilarious and vibrant and awesome and inspiring this book is. It's possibly my favorite non-fiction book of all time.
I recommend this to anyone who's interested in rock & roll or band dynamics, whether they're U2 fans or not. I really can't convey how hilarious and vibrant and awesome and inspiring this book is. It's possibly my favorite non-fiction book of all time.
neilrcoulter's review against another edition
5.0
Journalist Bill Flanagan traveled with U2 in the first half of the 1990s, from the recording sessions for Achtung Baby through the end of the two-year-long Zoo TV tour. The band members and other crew on tour trusted him and were very open with him during the years they spent on the road and in the studio. This book that was the product of that time together is one of the best glimpses into the life of one of the greatest bands in the world. It’s also like a time capsule of the 1990s. And by the end of the book, Flanagan has shown what it feels like to be on a long, long international tour and in the studio with a band that’s at the very top of the pantheon of music fame.
By the end of this exhaustive and exhausting book, I felt nearly as tired as the band themselves. Zoo TV came to an end in Japan, and the chapters near the conclusion of the book—describing the last bit of frenetic energy in sleepless days and nights going from one Tokyo club to another (places that are, to put it mildly, not on the general tourist itinerary)—convey the world-weariness that everyone on the tour was feeling by that point. I closed the book and felt glad once again that I am just an ordinary guy with a good life. I have no wish to be famous. Reading this book, I felt that the life of a world-famous celebrity is both expansive (jetsetting around the world in incredible luxury) and claustrophobic (running from elite location to elite location, always running into the same celebrities who also—coincidence?—end up at the same places, no matter what the city). In many ways, celebrity status limits the world rather than making it bigger. I believe that we need some people to pursue this art life and then bring back to us what wisdom they discover; but it’s not a life that should be glamorized, nor should very many people choose that path. U2 is just barely able to keep hold of themselves through the “Nighttown” they ventured into during the Zoo era, but even that was a close thing by the end of the tour.
For many reasons, the 1990s are my least favorite decade of U2. U2 at the End of the World shows some of those reasons with extraordinary clarity. But it also shows the deeper wisdom of the members of U2, the commitment to one another and to the world around them that enabled them, eventually, to rise above challenges that would destroy most other bands. It would have been a hard book for me to read when it was originally published, but now, comforted by knowing how U2 continued to grow after the 90s, I believe it’s one of the most essential books about the band.
By the end of this exhaustive and exhausting book, I felt nearly as tired as the band themselves. Zoo TV came to an end in Japan, and the chapters near the conclusion of the book—describing the last bit of frenetic energy in sleepless days and nights going from one Tokyo club to another (places that are, to put it mildly, not on the general tourist itinerary)—convey the world-weariness that everyone on the tour was feeling by that point. I closed the book and felt glad once again that I am just an ordinary guy with a good life. I have no wish to be famous. Reading this book, I felt that the life of a world-famous celebrity is both expansive (jetsetting around the world in incredible luxury) and claustrophobic (running from elite location to elite location, always running into the same celebrities who also—coincidence?—end up at the same places, no matter what the city). In many ways, celebrity status limits the world rather than making it bigger. I believe that we need some people to pursue this art life and then bring back to us what wisdom they discover; but it’s not a life that should be glamorized, nor should very many people choose that path. U2 is just barely able to keep hold of themselves through the “Nighttown” they ventured into during the Zoo era, but even that was a close thing by the end of the tour.
For many reasons, the 1990s are my least favorite decade of U2. U2 at the End of the World shows some of those reasons with extraordinary clarity. But it also shows the deeper wisdom of the members of U2, the commitment to one another and to the world around them that enabled them, eventually, to rise above challenges that would destroy most other bands. It would have been a hard book for me to read when it was originally published, but now, comforted by knowing how U2 continued to grow after the 90s, I believe it’s one of the most essential books about the band.
heatherbermingham's review against another edition
5.0
I read this many years ago but recently came across it while (finally) unpacking boxes of books and found myself reading it again. Bill Flanagan followed U2 pretty closely for a 2-3 year span starting with the recording of Achtung Baby and through the Zoo TV tour and recording of Zooropa. Definitely one of the best singer/band books I've read. Flanagan was fortunate to capture a really interesting time in the band's career, he got incredible access to them and the people around them, and all 4 members of U2 were incredibly open and honest with him about themselves and each other. I especially enjoyed, both on my first read and again now, hearing more from Larry and Adam who generally stay out of the spotlight a lot more than Bono and Edge. Reading this now, almost 30 years after its publication, knowing that U2 is still together is pretty fun and honestly, kind of sweet. Whatever you may think of their recent music, that alone is some kind of achievement.
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
4.0
U2 at the End of the World covers the history of the band in the early 1990s. My favorite material in this book is about the bro-mance between Bono and Frank Sinatra. (Yeah, you read that right!) Sinatra is a major character in the second half of the book.
Flanagan also provides an up close view of the making of two albums "Achtung Baby" and "Zooropa." I enjoyed the descriptions of how songs were built up in the studio with the creative nurturing of Brian Eno.
Embedded with the band throughout the two years of their Zoo TV tour around the world, Flanagan details the strange change in perspective experienced by a band on tour for months at a time--in particular how difficult it is to acclimate to being home when it's all over.
The book provides some suggestion of how the Christian faith of three of the members affect their art, life on the road, and their big decisions. However, their faith is not front and center during this era of their career. I was struck most by how Bono interacted with strangers, in particular women who either suggested or explicitly offered to have sex with him. Bono stuck to conversation every time. The author observes this is Bono's way of maintaining fidelity to his wife: if he sees a woman whom he finds attractive, he talks her up until he finds out why it would never work out. Bono comes across as a person who works hard to do the right thing and to maintain morality even when there are risks or costs. Still the band is a rock band touring out in the secular world, so they recognize that they are sometimes distant from God and pushing the boundaries of what Christians and perhaps even Christ himself might consider holy.
The book really deals best with the group dynamics of U2--how they function as collaborative artists and equal business partners. There was much discussion about how they financially divide all earnings equally, even though the Edge and Bono are the primary song writers. Flanagan explores the tensions caused by the arrangement and speculates on the outcome of future renegotiations.
Flanagan also provides an up close view of the making of two albums "Achtung Baby" and "Zooropa." I enjoyed the descriptions of how songs were built up in the studio with the creative nurturing of Brian Eno.
Embedded with the band throughout the two years of their Zoo TV tour around the world, Flanagan details the strange change in perspective experienced by a band on tour for months at a time--in particular how difficult it is to acclimate to being home when it's all over.
The book provides some suggestion of how the Christian faith of three of the members affect their art, life on the road, and their big decisions. However, their faith is not front and center during this era of their career. I was struck most by how Bono interacted with strangers, in particular women who either suggested or explicitly offered to have sex with him. Bono stuck to conversation every time. The author observes this is Bono's way of maintaining fidelity to his wife: if he sees a woman whom he finds attractive, he talks her up until he finds out why it would never work out. Bono comes across as a person who works hard to do the right thing and to maintain morality even when there are risks or costs. Still the band is a rock band touring out in the secular world, so they recognize that they are sometimes distant from God and pushing the boundaries of what Christians and perhaps even Christ himself might consider holy.
The book really deals best with the group dynamics of U2--how they function as collaborative artists and equal business partners. There was much discussion about how they financially divide all earnings equally, even though the Edge and Bono are the primary song writers. Flanagan explores the tensions caused by the arrangement and speculates on the outcome of future renegotiations.
timhoiland's review against another edition
5.0
As the story unfolds, we find U2 on the last flight into East Berlin before the wall comes down. Five years and 500 pages later, the book ends near the midway point in U2's weirdest, most polarizing decade. What happens in the early '90s is nothing less than a full-scale reinvention: the earnest rock band that gave us Joshua Tree morphs into the (supposedly) shallow, image-conscious, electro-infused group of performance artists who brought us MacPhisto. Endlessly entertaining and surprisingly astute, Flanagan's insider account of that time is a joyride 25 years later. It's crazy to think of everything that has happened with U2 in the years since – the further reinvention of Pop, the post-9/11 halftime show, the activism of DATA and ONE, ubiquitous iPod ads. For all the reinventions, it occurs to me, U2 has remained surprisingly steady in its ambitions, its values, and its craft. The world needs a sequel, Bill Flanagan; just make sure it doesn't automatically "download" to our bookshelves.
ericschlipf's review against another edition
5.0
In telling the story of 1990-1994, Flanagan also dives into all of U2’s past, putting appropriate time in all eras of the band. I’ve read U2 by U2, and Bono’s “in conversation” biography, and I prefer this one to both of those. Flanagan provides a generally positively-focused portrait of the band that is honest about their flaws without being too gushy about their more admirable parts.
Flanagan describes scenes that, if the band were to describe, would come across as too arrogant or self-aggrandizing. Hearing an outsiders perspective gives the book a bit of arms-reach honesty that is compelling and refreshing.
I’ve never read a rock biography that captures what the day to day is like for the subject so well, in this case in the context of the Zoo TV tour.
Flanagan describes scenes that, if the band were to describe, would come across as too arrogant or self-aggrandizing. Hearing an outsiders perspective gives the book a bit of arms-reach honesty that is compelling and refreshing.
I’ve never read a rock biography that captures what the day to day is like for the subject so well, in this case in the context of the Zoo TV tour.
dieslaughing's review against another edition
4.0
Easily one of those most compulsively readable rock bios ever penned. Love 'em or hate 'em, the juxtaposition of their individual personalities, their history together, and the craziness of being (arguably) the biggest rock band in the world, is never less than fascinating.
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