Documented herein are enough bad hair, bad skin, bad clothes and other bad ideas to destroy the careers of countless lesser bands.īut it is the text of “U2 by U2” that makes this book vital. Frequently these images are not flattering. Nearly all of the photos are from the band’s personal archives and were not previously published. This is not something you’d want to read on a crowded train or at a busy airport. Like so many of their songs, the tales U2 tell are best encountered in the solitude of one’s personal domain. A band this big couldn’t fit into a conventional sized book anyway. The over-sized format filled with countless images was the perfect setting for this candid story. And, besides, I didn’t own a “coffee table.”īut once again U2 demonstrated their genius. The author juxtaposes the band's existential journey through America with his own journey connecting with his Irish roots by becoming a citizen in the age of Trump and places U2's and The Joshua Tree's relevance in context with the current political climate.I was disappointed to learn that Ireland’s heroic U2 would publish their ‘auto biography’ as a ‘coffee table book.’ I believed U2’s story deserved a heavy (500+ page) sober (no photos) presentation reflecting an intellectual seriousness. This book explores the political, social, and cultural themes rooted in The Joshua Tree when it was originally released in 1987 and how those themes resonated as a response to the election of Donald Trump when U2 toured for the album's 30th anniversary.
Rather than living up to the ideal that the country was an idea that belongs to people who need it most, the band found that America sacrificed equality and justice for populism and fascism. Originally conceived as The Two Americas, The Joshua Tree was U2's critique of America. However, global politics of the 1980s undermined that impression and fostered hypocritical policies that manipulated Americans and devastated people around the world. As Irishmen in the 1970s, the band grew up with the belief that America was a place of freedom and prosperity, a symbol of hope and a refuge for all people. U2 planted the seeds for The Joshua Tree during an existential journey through America.
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