MERGED --> MERGED --> I was Bono's Doppelganger + "Killing Bono" discussion - Page 2

greety · 09-10-2004, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by biff
Has anyone else read this book yet? I have just finished it, and I really loved it. It was more than I thought it would be, even though I have for a long time respected McCormick's writing. (He would find that deeply ironic.) It's really moving: sad and funny at the same time.
For Bono fans, there are many (at least to me) unknown events and quotations, including this from Ali:
"I'm so glad I was able to give Bono sons. He's great with the girls but the relationship between father and son is very special and I don't think he really had that in his life."

wow biff, that's cool!
If you don't have anything better to do, don't hesitate to quote some more

biff · 09-10-2004, 08:15 AM

Here's some more: (The "he" in the first sentence is Bono, referred to in the early chapters as Paul.)

He could often be found hanging out in our common room because Paul was engaged in a vigorous, amorous pursuit of Alison Stewart, one of the most beautiful and universally admired girls in our year. Alison had thick, black hair, smooth, olive skin, dark, warm eyes and deliciously curled lips. Being a hormonally charged fifteen-year-old boy, I could not help but notice these things. She was also smart, kind, good-humoured, strong-willed and, frankly, way out of my league. Actually, at that stage in my adolescent development, pretty much any member of the opposite sex seemed out of my league. But with some, at least, you felt you might have half a chance. Alison had a sort of aura of impermiability about her. I never really felt she belonged in the same world as an ungainly youth like me. On principle, I was against older boys going out with girls in our class, since their seniority and bullish air of experience seemed to grant them unfair advantage, but Alison and Paul seemed to fit. He wooed her over the course of a long year, until, when you saw them nestle intimately among the stark arrangement of chairs and lockers in the common room, it bacame apparent that they were an item.

caragriff · 09-16-2004, 07:33 AM

biff
i just finished reading the book as well and i think the passages you quoted were among the ones that struck me the most too, particularly the ali quote about his sons.
this book is so heartfelt and really for a respected journalist, it is amazing how unabashed and open neil is in his admiration for bono.
as i was reading it i was struck by how he framed bono's story and stressed qualities in him that i think most fans will relate to so well. he loves the same things about bono that we love. he respects the same things. he is continually amazed by the same things.
the difference is that he is actually friends with the man.
the details he shares from his front row seat to bono's life story are priceless.

biff · 09-16-2004, 12:06 PM

Caragriff, I agree. It is also very telling that, despite his obvious admiration for Bono, McCormick displays no envy. He writes that he has no desire to be Bono, as he can see how very difficult that actually is. As McCormick said in a recent interview, Bono is the most driven person he has ever met, driven to excel by a "black hole" of emotional insecurity. This is a great portrait of a compelling personality. It's also a fun read.

lady luck · 09-17-2004, 12:37 AM

Can't wait to see that book, but for some reason it hasn't reached Italy yet -- or so I think!

beli · 09-17-2004, 01:12 AM

It hasnt reached Australia yet either. ho hum.

caragriff · 09-17-2004, 12:08 PM

we don't have it here in the u.s. yet either. i imported it through amazon uk, though, because i really just couldn't wait to read it. plus, i am not thrilled with the knowledge that the u.s. title will be "killing bono."
i know it is a joke and was even bono's idea, but that title really bothers me.
anyway, you guys will be psyched when you do get the book to read.
neil's own story is way more interesting than i expected. i really just bought it for the bono details, and they are beyond my expectations, too, by the way. but neil has quite an interesting story of his own to tell

u2grace · 10-10-2004, 08:04 AM

Looks like I'll have both the US and UK versions. I pre-ordered from Amazon - US months ago and they said I'd have it mid-September. It never arrived, so I asked them about it and they said all they knew was it was delayed - no date available. So, in the meantime, I went and ordered from UK and figured I cancel US when the UK book arrived. Well - while UK was in the mail, US suddenly sent that copy! So, I got the UK the other day, and US will likely come tomorrow! I guess if I want and I can do a page-by-page comparison..

biff · 10-10-2004, 08:59 AM

I understand there are more pictures in the US version. Maybe you can confirm that for us once you get it?

U2Traveller · 10-12-2004, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by caragriff
we don't have it here in the u.s. yet either. i imported it through amazon uk, though, because i really just couldn't wait to read it. plus, i am not thrilled with the knowledge that the u.s. title will be "killing bono."
i know it is a joke and was even bono's idea, but that title really bothers me.
anyway, you guys will be psyched when you do get the book to read.
neil's own story is way more interesting than i expected. i really just bought it for the bono details, and they are beyond my expectations, too, by the way. but neil has quite an interesting story of his own to tell

I agree with you about the title "Killing Bono". That has really bothered me, and I wondered why they would give it such a title! I wouldn't want the one with that title, either, I don't care if it's a joke, I don't think it's funny. So, that's a good idea. I'll probably order one from the UK and read it quicker than I would've otherwise.

biff · 10-13-2004, 02:32 PM

Actually, I understand it was Bono himself who came up with that title.

And I can now answer my own question: Yes, the US version has a lot more pictures. So you can either put up with the title and get more pictures, or avoid it and get very few.

U2Traveller · 10-13-2004, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by biff
Actually, I understand it was Bono himself who came up with that title.

And I can now answer my own question: Yes, the US version has a lot more pictures. So you can either put up with the title and get more pictures, or avoid it and get very few.

I just don't understand the title. But, it's all right. I'll probably buy the US version with more pictures for us illiterate folk

biff · 10-13-2004, 04:01 PM

The title comes from a conversation Bono had with McCormick, in which he said, "I'm your doppelganger. You'll have to kill me if you want your life back." Or words to that effect; the book is upstairs and I'm being lazy.

(I can check for the exact wording later and get back to you if it's significantly different.)

U2Traveller · 10-13-2004, 04:08 PM

Okay. Well, then that makes sense. It makes the book sound all the more interesting, and humorous.

biff · 10-13-2004, 04:11 PM

Yes, parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, but it's much more than that. It's really a very touching book. (Well, you can read my comments above; I don't need to repeat myself.)

09-10-2004, 08:15 AM	#17
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	Here's some more: (The "he" in the first sentence is Bono, referred to in the early chapters as Paul.) He could often be found hanging out in our common room because Paul was engaged in a vigorous, amorous pursuit of Alison Stewart, one of the most beautiful and universally admired girls in our year. Alison had thick, black hair, smooth, olive skin, dark, warm eyes and deliciously curled lips. Being a hormonally charged fifteen-year-old boy, I could not help but notice these things. She was also smart, kind, good-humoured, strong-willed and, frankly, way out of my league. Actually, at that stage in my adolescent development, pretty much any member of the opposite sex seemed out of my league. But with some, at least, you felt you might have half a chance. Alison had a sort of aura of impermiability about her. I never really felt she belonged in the same world as an ungainly youth like me. On principle, I was against older boys going out with girls in our class, since their seniority and bullish air of experience seemed to grant them unfair advantage, but Alison and Paul seemed to fit. He wooed her over the course of a long year, until, when you saw them nestle intimately among the stark arrangement of chairs and lockers in the common room, it bacame apparent that they were an item. __________________

09-16-2004, 12:06 PM	#19
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	Caragriff, I agree. It is also very telling that, despite his obvious admiration for Bono, McCormick displays no envy. He writes that he has no desire to be Bono, as he can see how very difficult that actually is. As McCormick said in a recent interview, Bono is the most driven person he has ever met, driven to excel by a "black hole" of emotional insecurity. This is a great portrait of a compelling personality. It's also a fun read. __________________

10-10-2004, 08:59 AM	#24
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	I understand there are more pictures in the US version. Maybe you can confirm that for us once you get it? __________________

10-13-2004, 02:32 PM	#26
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	Actually, I understand it was Bono himself who came up with that title. And I can now answer my own question: Yes, the US version has a lot more pictures. So you can either put up with the title and get more pictures, or avoid it and get very few. __________________

10-13-2004, 04:01 PM	#28
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	The title comes from a conversation Bono had with McCormick, in which he said, "I'm your doppelganger. You'll have to kill me if you want your life back." Or words to that effect; the book is upstairs and I'm being lazy. (I can check for the exact wording later and get back to you if it's significantly different.) __________________

09-16-2004, 07:33 AM	#18
caragriff War Child Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 'round the corner from anything that's real Posts: 960 Local Time: 07:41 AM	biff i just finished reading the book as well and i think the passages you quoted were among the ones that struck me the most too, particularly the ali quote about his sons. this book is so heartfelt and really for a respected journalist, it is amazing how unabashed and open neil is in his admiration for bono. as i was reading it i was struck by how he framed bono's story and stressed qualities in him that i think most fans will relate to so well. he loves the same things about bono that we love. he respects the same things. he is continually amazed by the same things. the difference is that he is actually friends with the man. the details he shares from his front row seat to bono's life story are priceless.

09-17-2004, 12:37 AM	#20
lady luck Rock n' Roll Doggie Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 3,447 Local Time: 01:41 PM	Can't wait to see that book, but for some reason it hasn't reached Italy yet -- or so I think!

09-17-2004, 01:12 AM	#21
beli Blue Crack Addict Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In a frock in Western Australia Posts: 15,338 Local Time: 08:41 PM	It hasnt reached Australia yet either. ho hum.

09-17-2004, 12:08 PM	#22
caragriff War Child Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 'round the corner from anything that's real Posts: 960 Local Time: 07:41 AM	we don't have it here in the u.s. yet either. i imported it through amazon uk, though, because i really just couldn't wait to read it. plus, i am not thrilled with the knowledge that the u.s. title will be "killing bono." i know it is a joke and was even bono's idea, but that title really bothers me. anyway, you guys will be psyched when you do get the book to read. neil's own story is way more interesting than i expected. i really just bought it for the bono details, and they are beyond my expectations, too, by the way. but neil has quite an interesting story of his own to tell

10-10-2004, 08:04 AM	#23
u2grace The Fly Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 158 Local Time: 07:41 AM	Looks like I'll have both the US and UK versions. I pre-ordered from Amazon - US months ago and they said I'd have it mid-September. It never arrived, so I asked them about it and they said all they knew was it was delayed - no date available. So, in the meantime, I went and ordered from UK and figured I cancel US when the UK book arrived. Well - while UK was in the mail, US suddenly sent that copy! So, I got the UK the other day, and US will likely come tomorrow! I guess if I want and I can do a page-by-page comparison..

10-13-2004, 04:08 PM	#29
U2Traveller Acrobat Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 472 Local Time: 05:41 AM	Okay. Well, then that makes sense. It makes the book sound all the more interesting, and humorous.

10-13-2004, 04:11 PM	#30
biff Rock n' Roll Doggie Premium Gold Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I may have lost my way Posts: 3,906 Local Time: 08:41 AM	Yes, parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, but it's much more than that. It's really a very touching book. (Well, you can read my comments above; I don't need to repeat myself.) __________________

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