Mike Vaney ([email protected])
Sun, 4 Oct 1998 23:58:46 +1300
Here are details about my new U2 web site. I hope there is something of
interest at my site for every U2 fan.
*ONE TREE HILL ESSAY*
The main feature of This Burning Desire is an essay on the history of One
Tree Hill in Auckland, New Zealand. Of course, One Tree Hill is the title
of a track from U2's much acclaimed album, The Joshua Tree, which was
released in 1987.
The essay includes an history of the actual hill dating back to the early
1800's, a brief biography on New Zealander; Greg Carroll, his connection
with U2, and their subsequent interest in Auckland's famous landmark.
The essay was the driving force behind the creation of my own U2 website.
I wanted to have it accessible to U2 fans around the world, so that it
could be used as a reference for new fans who may not be familiar with the
background to the song. It may also be of use to those fans who have
followed the band for some time. There are a number of misconceptions
about the One Tree Hill story, and I hope my essay can help to clear some
of them up.
*MY U2 COLLECTION*
I've been a fan of U2's music since about 1989, but, regretfully, it was
1993 before I picked up an interest in collecting U2 memorabilia. Since
then, however, I've built up an extensive collection, which includes CDs,
vinyl, books, clothing, posters, and some of the more unusual U2
merchandising. I'm particularly interested in obtaining promotional
material and other rarities, since those are the items that appreciate in
value the most and are highly sought after by other collectors.
The growth of the Internet and its popularity with U2 fans has opened up
new opportunities for U2 collectors around the world. By publishing My U2
Collection on this site, I hope to make it easier to trade with other
collectors online. My collection might also provide a reference for U2
fans and collectors who may be trying to locate specific items. For each
item listed here, I've given the corresponding catalogue number, country
of release, and other relevant information.
*U2NewZ*
U2NewZ is a New Zealand based Internet mailing list for U2 fans. Launched
by Sean Hannah and myself in June 1997, it provides a means of
communication between New Zealand U2 fans on the Internet.
Our U2NewZ page includes information on how to subscribe, guidelines for
submitting posts, and contact details for further information.
*U2 ONLINE*
With two Usenet newsgroups, an international mailing list with over 4,000
subscribers, and an estimated 65,000 dedicated Web sites from fans around
the world, U2 have a greater presence on the Internet than any other rock
band. U2 Online is a links page where I've listed some of the best U2
places to surf to on the Internet.
Rather than being just a page full of nondescript, one-line hyperlinks to
typically "dead" sites, I've given a brief description of what to expect
on the other side of each link, and I plan to update (or remove) their
links if and when necessary.
*ROCK'S HOTTEST TICKET*
One of my favourite quotes on the subject of U2 came from another fan, who
wrote, "Whoever says money cannot buy happiness has never purchased a U2
concert ticket." Time magazine summed it up nicely, too, on the cover of
the historic April 27, 1987 issue, which featured the four Irish rockers;
"U2 - Rock's Hottest Ticket".
I purchased my first U2 concert ticket in 1989, at a time when I barely
knew who U2 were. I decided to go to the Love Town concert at Athletic
Park in Wellington mostly because everyone else was going and it seemed
like a good idea at the time. It turned out to be an experience I'll
never forget - the concert completely overwhelmed me. It was a major
factor in starting the U2 ball rolling for me, and I've never been the
same since!
I've now experienced seven U2 concerts in four countries, taking in the
Love Town, Zoo TV and PopMart tours. Rock's Hottest Ticket is my U2
concert "journal", where I've written about those concerts I've been to.
I'm not sure how much of interest this will be to other fans, but I'd
previously written short reviews of some of the concerts I've been to, and
I've decided to expand on them a little and include them as part of This
Burning Desire.
*A MUSICAL JOURNEY*
Dublin is a city that's some 18,000 kilometres from New Zealand, but,
nonetheless, it's a city that I've adopted as my home away from home
(well, dreams are free). I made a short visit there in August 1996,
specifically for a "U2 tour". I guess I was always going to be biased
with my expectations towards U2's home town but, even so, I was surprised
at just how much I would take a liking to it.
A Musical Journey is a Web site dedicated to the city of Dublin, the U2
fans who share an appreciation for the famous Irish city, and those who
make the journey there to experience its U2 history.
This page includes a short article on my adventures in Dublin, and
photographs of some of those places that are major parts of U2's early
history. Eventually, I hope to expand this part of my site to become a
valuable resource for others planning to travel to Dublin in the future.
For the moment, I've included links to other Web sites which offer
information on places of interest for U2 fans in Dublin.
*IT'S ALL ABOUT DRUMS*
According to a typically comical Larry Mullen Jr., "The lyrics don't mean
shit...", and being a drummer myself, I have to agree - it is all about
drums. ;-)
It's All About Drums is a U2 page for drummers. Included here are
articles from Modern Drummer magazine and other publications which have
featured Larry's work. In addition, there's information on the hardware
that Larry prefers to use, including brand names, drum and cymbal sizes,
and kit configuration.
Hopefully, this page will eventually accommodate drumming transcripts from
a selection of U2 songs, specifically those in which the drumming is a
distinctive and significant part of the recording's structure. I've
already transcribed Sunday Bloody Sunday and segments of a few other U2
tracks, and I plan to transcribe more as time permits. I'll include these
as part of this site once I learn how to publish musical notation on a Web
page (i.e., software requirements, etc). At the moment, I'm not even
sure if such a thing is possible, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I've also written about my (all too brief) meeting with Larry in Sydney a
few days after the PopMart concert in February, and included the
once-in-a-lifetime photograph that proves it really did happen.
*POP MUZIK*
I've found that U2 fans often like to share their thoughts and opinions on
other favourite artists, and their tastes are often very similar. I've
saved some space on This Burning Desire to illustrate where my other
musical interests lie. U2 is my main interest in music, of course, but I
also appreciate a diverse range of music from many other artists. Talk
about Pop Muzik.
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~mvaney/this_burning_desire/
Mike Vaney
[email protected]
ICQ# 6096753
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