The Work of Christodoulos Makris

The following was originally published on Yahoo Voices on July 18, 2012.

Christodoulos Makris is quite the rising star in poetry. He has written three collections. The first one is a low-fi publication by Wurm Press in 2009 titled Round The Clock. It is now sold out. The second is a handsome little paperback titled Spitting Out The Mother Tongue from Wurm Press in 2011. The third is a limited edition, numbered art book of 100 copies total and is titled Muses Walk.  Makris was chosen to represent Cyprus in the gargantuan "Poetry Parnassus" festival which was organised in London to correspond with the 2012 Olympics. He lives in Ireland and blogs at http://yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com/. This is a review of Makris' three books.

Round The Clock is eclectic and doesn't really follow a theme. Standout poems are "The Impressionists", "Competitor Vassilaras", "Serving And F---ing" (censoring that word is my doing), and "Ginsberg in Fingal". "The Impressionists" is a timely statement on entertainment today and its effect on the artist (I use "artist" here broadly, to include all the arts). Impressionist painters are depicted as being on a reality show competition where the viewers vote for the one they like until all but one of them are dead. It forces meditation on just what art and artists are subjected to in the modern environment. The end result does and should make the reader uncomfortable. "Competitor Vassilaras" reads like a childhood memory of the poet's father and documents a shocking moment when the theatricality of wrestling was invaded by the all-too-real. "Serving And F---ing" is a statement on immigration and prejudice, exile and loneliness. "Ginsberg in Fingal" reflects an ambiguous feeling toward Ireland and perhaps offers a view of it that is clearer than those native to that country can see for themselves. In the U.S., this kind of poem from an immigrant is cliche, but in Ireland it must have been a small revelation. What Ginsberg would think about his increasing cameos in 21st century poems is anyone's guess.

Spitting Out The Mother Tongue is better organised. As the title suggests, it revolves around the experience of a Cypriot immigrant in Western Europe. It is much harder to pick out particular poems in this volume because the poems support each other like paragraphs in a novel. Makris' language is almost unpoetic. There is no attempt at music here and rhythm, while present, does not immediately soothe the ear. The wording is plain and simple, as if the reader was listening to some average Joe on the street describing his surroundings. Sometimes it is that very quality which makes it powerful. Many of the poems focus on adolescence and young adulthood. There are moments when the reader gets the feeling that it's all been said before. But then a phrase or image will smack the reader back into poetic reverie. The best poems in Spitting Out The Mother Tongue are "Muses Walk" and "Nicosia Journal".

Muses Walk the book (versus the poem) is extraordinary. It represents - it is - Makris' best work to date. As part of the "Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts in Dublin" initiative, Makris took "Muses Walk" the poem (which is an attempt to snapshot, so to speak, a particular street in Nicosia) and dissected it to create this little art book. He took each line of the original poem and used it for the title of a poem based on that line until he had done so with every line of "Muses Walk". The result is more than a snapshot of a street. Now it is a full album representing the people of that street, their lives, and their cultures. This little book is a true treasure. With it, one begins to see that Makris is an important poet, not just for sleepy Ireland, but perhaps for the world.

You are not here
and I cup my hands
to gather snowflakes.
I preserve them
for as long as I can;
then blow them back
into the infant summer.

- from "Nicosia Journal".

Annual "Best Oriental Dans Videos on Youtube" Article is Retiring Permanently

I have decided to retire the annual "Best Oriental Dans Videos on YouTube" article for good. If anyone wants to pick up where I've left off, you're welcome to! My fascination with oriental dans is not at an end, but hopefully I will soon be moving on to better things for which some sacrifice is required. All past articles - originally published on Yahoo Voices- are now on this blog. You can access them via the relevant labels in the cloud to the right. As consolation, here is the reigning queen of Tribal Fusion at her best. Enjoy!

Music Review: "Akh-toong Bay-bi Covered"

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on November 23, 2011)

As part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of U2's "Achtung Baby" going on in November 2011, "Q" magazine released a limited production free CD with orders of the December issue (also the 25th anniversary issue of "Q"). This CD entitled "Ahk-toong Bay-bi Covered" is billed as the best free CD in history.

At first, "Q" announced its intentions to ship the CD only with U.K. orders of the issue, but after pressure from U2's international fanbase, www.newsstand.co offered it with international orders with reasonable restrictions. Within days, U2 made arrangements for the CD to be shipped overseas if ordered through their online shop at www.u2.com. Soon, "Q" finally agreed to offer it internationally if orders were placed through their official site at www.qthemusic.com, however woefully belated. Now it is available for download on iTunes with all proceeds going to help famine victims in Africa.

But all this hysteria and hype for an album of covers? Yes. These covers were commissioned from the various artists by U2 themselves and "Q" quotes Bono in the December 2011 issue that featured the CD as declaring: "Some of these versions are better than our own!"

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. "Zoo Station"- Nine Inch Nails
2. "Even Better Than The Real Thing (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)"- U2
3. "One"- Damien Rice
4. "Until The End of the World"- Patti Smith
5. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"- Garbage
6. "So Cruel"- Depeche Mode
7. "The Fly"- Gavin Friday
8. "Mysterious Ways"- Snow Patrol
9. "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World"- The Fray
10. "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"- The Killers
11. "Acrobat"- Glasvegas
12. "Love Is Blindness"- Jack White

So is the CD worth the hype? While I don't agree with Bono's assessment (he says: "And it's strange, because when I hear the album, when U2 do it, all I hear is what's wrong with it. But when I heard all these artists doing it, I thought, It's really good." A typical artist's modest reaction to his own work versus others.), I have to say that it deserves every bit of the hype and mania. Following is a song-by-song review of this remarkable (and collectible) tribute CD to one of the greatest bands of rock history and their most important masterpiece:

There has been a lot of talk about U2 and Nine Inch Nails. Nine Inch Nails were one of the industrial genre bands that the Edge was listening to going into the "Achtung Baby" recording sessions, so in a sense, their spirit is all over the original album. One of the great criticisms against "No Line on the Horizon", released in 2009 and also one of the most experimental and creatively stretched albums of U2's career, was that some felt it sounded too much like Nine Inch Nails. Well, this is Nails answer to that- and it sounds like nothing on "No Line". Their cover of "Zoo Station" scales back some of the brash rawness of the original into something more ethereal. Bono's chanting among and around the chorus wails is eliminated altogether. The technology applied to Bono's voice in the original is not present here. Trent Reznor sings clear, his own untampered voice tripping over the lines. The driving drum lines that mimic a locomotive pounding along a track are preserved, but there is a background droning to the soundscape, particularly in the closing, that is reminiscent of the rise and fall of prop plane engines. This takes the song away from the nonfiction location of its title- Zoo Train Station in Berlin- updates it, and drops us on an airport tarmac. Nine Inch Nails chose to repeat the lyrics "It's alright" as a much more constant, ambulatory force, pushing the song forward in a way their musical composition doesn't. The real hook of this cover, however, is the way the soundscape seems to float a person in air while the rest of the world spins by in a blur. This creates a feeling that correctly interprets the lyrics and emotion that inspired the original. One imagines that this is what it must feel like to held aloft in the vortex of a tornado while debris cycles in the walls of wind around you: detached, surreal, fearful, free-falling, out of control, and apathetic toward your fate as you take it all in. A perfect summary of the situation facing the world in the early 1990s.

I'm not thrilled that U2 has included one of their club mixes here. "Even Better Than the Real Thing (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)" feels unnecessary. There are more dance versions of this song than any other in U2's catalogue and all of them various mixes of their own. Why do we need another? Wouldn't it have been better to include this on one of the bonus CDs in the anniversary box set packages rather than foist it on us here? That being said, it's as good as any of the other club mixes, ready and rearing for a party. The arrangement throws this song back into the 1980s. Still, the lyrics could never have come from anything but the 1990s, which creates a sense of displacement in time and dislocation. And I can never get enough of the line: "We're free to fly the crimson sky/ the sun won't melt our wings tonight." (Interestingly, the Daedalus and Icarus reference pops up again in the Spiderman musical, most notably in "Boy Falls from the Sky". In hindsight, these can be taken as Bono's typical commentary on the political situations of the times. In the early 1990s, especially in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism, there seemed for an instant to be boundless possibilities and enthusiasm, which was qualified by the difficulties inherit in those possibilities as "Achtung Baby" clearly chronicles. The vacuum and uncertainty that followed the collapse of that order opened the door and gave impetus to the reign of terrorism now affecting the world. The post 9/11 atmosphere is even more paranoid and claustrophobic than during the Cold War. How the "boy falls from the sky" indeed! But I merely explain what I believe to be Bono's progression of thought here and I digress.)

"One" is the most meditative, nuanced, and interpretive song of U2's career. Written about their own difficulties as a band while making "Achtung Baby" and built around the slogan being freely shouted by people on Berlin's streets at the time: "We are ONE people!", the song also encompasses the frustration of what became painfully evident very quickly: the near-impossibility of making that slogan ring true. It has also been said to be a son with AIDS speaking to his estranged father. Indeed, a person could spend an entire lifetime analyzing and cataloguing possible meanings for this song and one's work would only be half finished at one's death- it's that kind of song. Because of this, it is the most covered song in U2's repertoire, and the most abused. Most seem to take the stance that to cover a U2 song properly is to make it even bigger than U2 did. Frankly, that's generally impossible to achieve and intolerably cheeky. All vocalists thus far have gone diva with this song. The end result is at best tolerable, at worst nearly as devastating as violation. The song is stripped of its soul and left a shallow outer shell with no depth and no emotional substance. It is numbed and uglied. Enter Damien Rice. Rice turns the song inside out in every possible way. The musical composition consists of acoustic guitar, piano, and a well placed, restrained string section- no frills. A female backup vocal completes this rainy, moody, mourning soundscape. Damien Rice's own vocal is almost spoken rather than sung, more a whisper than a song. The atmosphere is very private, isolated, and lonely- and at the same time strangely inviting and intimate. Lyrically, Rice took up the established paint and spattered it about liberally. He shakes pronouns around, turning the enraged bitter questions on himself. This creates another lifetime of meanings to extract. And makes the burning anger and desperate near-hopeless yearning even more palpable and self-destructive. As Bono describes the song (and the relationship of the band) in the documentary "From the Sky Down": "It's a very unromantic love, it's a very hard-bitten, tough, f**k off love." (And perhaps better and stronger for it.) What Rice does is to subtract the hope inflected into the original by the Edge's soaring guitar solo at the end and leave it as purely that, self-inflicted. Rice's cover is the very opposite of the original, and the best cover ever attempted. It has quickly become one of my favorite songs in its own right.

U2 have from the very beginning touted Patti Smith as an influence on them, so it's no surprise they asked her to cover "Until the End of the World". While the original is a sonic, schizoid bombardment, Smith pared it down to an acoustic guitar, piano, and old-fashioned bass. She plays with the cadence of the song, speaking her way through the lyrics and tsking at appropriate places. This is a jazzy, bluesy rendition of the type one might expect to hear in a smoky piano bar in a 1940s film. Perhaps this is how Billie Holiday might have performed it.

"Achtung Baby" was a major influence on Garbage who were just getting their feet wet when it appeared. Drummer Butch Vig says in "Q" regarding "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses": "We picked this song because we love the lyrics. We stripped the verses down and changed the major chord to a minor chord, which makes the lyrics more bitter-sweet." I'm not so sure that they are more bitter-sweet, but female vocals provide a wonderful new perspective and they are sung with passion. The backing vocals create a circling effect that adds to the tension and spinning-out-of-control sensation of unrequited love. And there is nothing here to break that long, soul-battering fall into utter emptiness and aloneness. Musically, Garbage has given it a simmeringly angry, despondent, forget you intro and jangling, discordant guitars juxtapose against balloon-squeaky, almost whistling strings. For the choruses, they bring in the original bass lines and hammering drums to successfully create intermittent moments of epicness. Gone are the glowering sexiness and inescapable despair of the original, but it stands as one of the best covers of a U2 song made to date.

Depeche Mode are contemporaries with U2. Both are survivors of the 1980s music scene, though Depeche Mode has been forced to exist in U2's shadow since "The Joshua Tree". While music journalists at the time presented them as competitors, Martin Gore says in "Q": "There was never a rivalry." Regarding their choice to cover "So Cruel" he says: "We just thought, Why not? So Cruel is Bono at his best, words-wise. And we couldn't tackle One- that would be almost sacrilegious." Their version is a pounding engine of a song. The tempo is ever so slightly increased (that happens a lot in these covers) and it is given a deliberately retrospective 1980s vibe balanced with cathedral-like lifts. The bass lines are not quite as penetrating as the original, but that's probably because the atmosphere here is thicker, busier. This is a psychedelic version of "So Cruel" and comes just short of something made for the dance floor. It could use a little more feeling in the vocals, but that is a negligible complaint.

Gavin Friday is a legend. One of the founding members of the Lypton Village gang and one-time member of the Virgin Prunes, he goes back before U2 began. In fact, he appears in the story during the mad emotional aftermath of the Tragedy: when Bono's mother collapsed with an aneurism at the casket-side of her father's funeral and died several days later without regaining consciousness. Vulnerable, violent, alone, frightened, and suicidal, Bono entered Mount Temple Comprehensive School and terrorized its staff as he tried desperately to make sense of his shattered life, the vacuum her death had left at home, and the divisive affect this had on his family. It wasn't long before he was following Friday around like a stray puppy, listening to his records, mimicking his song-writing, and generally making a pest of himself. Friday included the boy in Lypton Village and gave him his nickname, Bono Vox, which means Good Voice. The rest of U2 followed him. Soon the Virgin Prunes and U2 were sister-bands. The Prunes would open with their purposefully experimental, confrontational, cross-dressing, foul-mouthed set (which was a true sensation in sleepy conservative gossipy Dublin) and U2 would follow, thus playing to hostile, fighting, even rioting audiences that had had enough of the show. But it was a valuable education that they still draw on today. Friday's influence can be seen on every song of U2's early canon on through the release of their debut album "Boy". They would swap lyrics, titles, even entire songs. When the Virgins Prunes called it quits in the early 1980s, some of its members (and most of Lypton Village) were absorbed into U2's road crew. Friday, as is his wont, went his own way. Lypton Village is now the stuff of legend, though the community of it is alive and well. It is the back on which the current artistic and celebrity world of Dublin firmly stands till this day whether they want to admit it or not. Friday continues to be a maverick, experimental character albeit less confrontational- a true artist in every sense. His most renowned work of late has been on soundtracks, such as for the film "In America". He describes his contribution to the original "Achtung Baby" this way: "I remember seeing them working on Achtung Baby in its early stages. I just put a rocket up their a**es and said, Go for it." So it's no surprise that the Edge turned to Friday for "The Fly". "The Edge rang me up and said, Nobody wants to do The Fly- they're all afraid of it," Friday says in "Q". Fear is not something Gavin Friday comprehends. His version of "The Fly" smooths it out like liquid chocolate. This is an entirely different musical planet from the original. He also has a good voice: though still a tenor, his range is typically lower, his voice rougher, less polished, and seemingly less capable of variation than Bono's, but darker and more menacing. This makes it perfect for "The Fly". Where Bono had to apply technology to his voice and whisper his way through many of the lyrics, Friday can produce the same effect, more convincingly and malevolently, naturally. Bono has described this song as a quack philosopher phoning from hell and what Friday does vocally and musically truly feels like it has welled up from the dark depths of the earth. Following the second verse, the songs explodes into something more akin to the original and the end result leaves one feeling like one is trying to compare apples and oranges. I haven't had the good fortune to hear many examples of Friday's singing voice and this cover makes me thirsty for more.

Snow Patrol describes U2 as their mentors and owes their current success to the launching pad of opening for U2 on the Vertigo Tour. Covering "Mysterious Ways" must have felt like an exhilarating privilege and oppressive responsibility. It is one of U2's most recognized songs and a staple of their live sets. But Snow Patrol proved their quality, so to speak, as worthy descendants of U2 and did not disappoint. They gave this CD one of its standout tracks. Their version of "Mysterious Ways" also quickly became one of my favorite songs in much the same way as Damien Rice's "One". "Mysterious Ways" has been associated with belly dance since the release of its official music video. This association is so deeply embedded in the psych of U2's fanbase that the opening chord causes an entire stadium of people to swing their hips to emulate a dancer in the same moment. It is a beautiful and awe-inspiring thing to witness and be a part of. This unspoken cue is almost subconsciously acted on. Snow Patrol, whether knowingly or not, have expanded that tradition. In their attempt to project what they have "always seen (as) the quiet storm of gospel in Mysterious Ways", they have created a Tribal Fusion belly dancer's dream version of this until now more cabaret-arranged song. Musically, the best word to describe it with is sparse. Each note, each sonic effect is carefully placed and executed. This is a proper work of art in its own right. The song builds sonically throughout, but doesn't really achieve the point of full fledged gospel choir flight until the last chorus. What I wouldn't give to see a video on YouTube of Rachel Brice or one of the other Tribal Fusion legends performing to this!

"Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World" by the Fray takes a most unconventional, bass-carried, sexy song of longing and turns it into conventional rock and roll as commonly featured on the radio today. This is a very risky thing to do with any U2 song, but especially one from "Achtung Baby", especially one so completely unconventional- even after 20 years-, and especially this late in the tracklisting. Talk about putting it on all the line! I am a fan of the Fray- and of Snow Patrol, for that matter. I enjoy almost everything I have heard by them. With their version of this song, they play it like it is one of their own, in the same style as if they had written and composed it. The bass line that is its lifeblood in the original is nonexistent here except in the chorus. The tempo is sped up significantly. And there are lyrical changes and shifts. The line "I dreamed that I saw Dali", a reference to an Irish governmental official, becomes "The other night I dreamed of Salvador Dali". At first I was inclined to dismiss this as a legitimately misheard lyric based on ignorance of Irish government, but found that this is a common misconception not openly discouraged by U2. No doubt, they feel that linking this line with the surrealist painter, even if erroneous, contributes to the over-all meaning of the song: this is an Irish drinking song, about coming home with a hangover and its consequences. Though like many U2 songs, it is open for further interpretation. And the sudden (at least for me) insertion of Salvador Dali is in that spirit. It certainly has given me a different perspective from which to view the song and essentially that has a lot to do with the success of this cover for me. Otherwise, it is just too safe, even for a cover.

Which is the same difficulty I have with The Killers' "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)". Admittedly, this is a tricky song to cover. It is one of "Achtung Baby's" standout tracks, which is formidable on an album where every song is legendarily outstanding. But this effort is just disappointing. It's not exactly bad, but it could be better. The Killers, also a band that benefitted from the springboard of the Vertigo Tour (some say U2 used that tour to save rock and roll from extinction, if so they succeeded at least for now), are generally a powerhouse along the lines of "Where The Streets Have No Name" type arena rock. The imitation becomes tiring over long stretches, but I do like a thing or two. I expected more from them on this cover. Yet, not only did they not manage a decent imitation track here, but the level of respect they claim for U2 should have elicited something more than that. The tempo is again just ever so slightly revved up, just enough to be noticeable. The song opens with a very Elton John intro and then falters. The arrangement amounts to a conventional song that is both too similar and dissimilar to the original to work. Honestly, it might have worked, in the same bare-thread way that The Fray's offering works, if it had been better sung. The vocals are more showy than heartfelt. Still, one waits patiently for the spine-tingling bridge in the hope of finding redemption there, only to be betrayed. The bridge is paced all wrong, and sung as if he were at the last quarter pole with the wire in view and flaying his horse's hide desperately with the stick without mercy. (These days jockeys generally slap it against their boot or on the leather of the saddle behind them to produce a noise that the horse recognizes and responds to rather than actually strike the mount. But again, I digress.) The whole result is an emotionless, empty, shallow shell of a song that, frankly, is boring.

Thankfully, that is followed by Glasvegas and their cover of "Acrobat". Musically, it is much the same as the original: explosive, angry, grating, rude, desperate, dislocating, and unforgiving, if less dimensional. This song Bono sang without the aid of technology, but James Allan pours it on thick. That, with the up-tick of tempo, are what make this cover acceptable. Allan's voice squeaks, growls, and howls through the track, sometimes startlingly obtrusive where Bono's was quietly and menacingly determined, sometimes an echo on the song's underbelly. The decision to repeat the line "What are we going to do now?" throughout the guitar solo was a touch of genius. If anything, the vocals contribute to the claustrophobic oppression and righteous rebellion of the song rather than take from it and that is what redeems what might otherwise be a too similar rendition.

Jack White is a guitar legend in his own right and has a distinctive style. He approaches a guitar as one would a mortal enemy and it is not uncommon for blood to spray and dribble off the strings when he plays. He is a violent musician with his feet firmly planted in the blues (if you've seen the documentary "It Might Get Loud" you know what I mean). He plays with all the unique rage that growing up in Detroit's slums can produce. Therefore, it is not too hard to discern why he was called upon to cover the most enigmatic song about terrorism in U2's oeuvre. In every interview where the Edge has been asked which of the songs on "Ahk-toong Bay-bi Covered" are his favorite he has invariably named White's version of "Love Is Blindness". The original is a deeply mournful dirge of a ballad, and undeniably among the sexiest songs U2 have produced. The bass resonates through the objects of a room as it were a living being. The guitar weeps and moans and rages as nowhere else. White's rendition is an entirely different song. The tempo is put on overdrive and it is anything but a ballad. Cold, insinuating sorrow that borders on horrifying indifference in the original becomes loud, brash, unrestrained violent rage and even hate in the cover. The guitar is raw, ripping, and gushing. One can feel the sonic boom that must precede destruction and death when a bomb is detonated in a crowded area. White screams, screeches, yells, and howls the lyrics like a man demented by loss and injustice. At one point, he adds: "I'm so sick of it!" Aren't we all? Jack White thus succeeds in giving this CD the third song which I love for its own sake, outside of consideration for the original. Put on repeat, it is a superb release for any number of frustrations.

Having looked carefully at every track on this special tribute CD, is it better than the real thing, as Bono seems to think? No. But it's worth the trouble to obtain and one I will return to again and again as the years roll on. It is a most suitable tribute to one of the best albums of rock history and a perfect compliment.

U2's "Achtung Baby" Turns 20: Its Legacy

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on November 15, 2011)

It's difficult to define "Achtung Baby". It is akin to defining a zeitgeist, a generation, to someone who was not yet alive or too young to remember clearly. It is a culture, a world view, a need, a belief, the news, television, and art. It is a love song and an anthem for Generation X that has profoundly affected everything after. (I could say that it would be equally difficult to define who I am without understanding "Achtung Baby".)

But that is exactly what the world is trying to do. November 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of this unique, extraordinary album. All across the world of music, artists, producers, journalists, photographers and more are attempting to explain just why this little album is so important to world and personal histories- and all are aware the effort is falling short.

It has been an amazing year of anniversaries in music. 1991 was the year the world changed. It was the year synth '80s pop all but disappeared. It was the year that saw the mainstreaming of grunge and the underground Seattle scene. It was the year that often showy and always painfully relevant '80s alternative from the likes of U2, The Cure, The Smiths, The Cult, etc., itself a descendant of late '70s post-punk, matured into a real force. Already, 2011 has seen extensive celebrations for iconic albums like Pearl Jam's "Ten" and Nirvana's "Nevermind".

Indeed, these two albums have in many respects overshadowed the anniversary of "Achtung Baby" for the American public. "Spin" magazine devoted almost an entire issue to "Nevermind" and really to everything that was the early 1990's. It is essential reading for those who may find it difficult to understand just why everything was so ripe for the grunge point-of-view, to explain the zeitgeist that these albums stood on the back of. ("Spin's" online coverage of "Nevermind" is at http://www.spin.com/nevermind.) "Rolling Stone" magazine has attempted to play neutral by catering equally to all these albums, and as a result has ultimately failed to fully honor any of them. But in the U.K. and other parts of the world the story is quite different.

British music magazine "Q" has put together the most beautiful and fitting tribute, out-doing all others. Their December issue (which is also their 25th anniversary issue) includes a four or five page interview in which each of the four members of U2 are given equal opportunity to answer every question, a full page review of the 20th anniversary box-set rerelease packages, the cover image, an attempt to highlight how the album has influenced various popular bands today like Coldplay, The Killers, and Florence and the Machine, and a free tribute CD of covers of all the songs on "Achtung Baby" (titled "Ahk-toong Bay-bi") by various artists who themselves influenced U2 or have been influenced by them and even one cover by a childhood friend of the band.

But why was it so important? There are the obvious explanations: "Achtung Baby" nearly tore U2 apart and yet saved the band from collecting dust in the back of people's closets. As long-time friend of U2 and music journalist Bill Flanagan put it in his contribution to the anniversary box-sets: "People will always argue over which one was their best album, but there is no doubt that "Achtung Baby" was their most important." "Achtung Baby" changed our perception of what music is, what it should be, and there is not a single song on the radio today, regardless of genre, that does not bear its mark.

Then there are the not-so-obvious and the personal reasons. Everyone has a personal story about "Achtung Baby" because love it or hate it, it simply could not be ignored. It is the gloriously profound fact that it shaped people on the individual level that is its true legacy. Ask anyone, give them time to formulate their answer, and you'll hear a truly moving story. Go ahead.

For those of us who were there, so to speak, the fall of communism and the tearing down of the Berlin wall was as unexpected and psych-shaping as 9/11 would later be. Suddenly, as if overnight, the paranoid world we had been born into was splitting open like a chasm created by a powerful earthquake. There was air to breathe, a breeze even. It seemed that there was no longer any need to fear being vapourized by a nuclear bomb. No more drills for how to respond when you could actually be learning in class. It was exhilarating in a communal sense, and frightening. Because the question was "What now?" There was a great deal of uncertainty in that breathable air. We had no way of knowing what would result. We couldn't exactly see light at the end of the tunnel, just the desperation for light. There was also the siege of Sarajevo, the Gulf War, millions dying in Somalia, genocide in Rwanda, etc. The 1990s were a paradox. On the one hand the world was experiencing a decadence and economic prosperity before unknown and on the other a lifetime of paranoia had no clear expression. Uncertainty is the very anti-thesis of stability. Some people believed the world would end on New Year's Day 2000, so party like it's 1999! There was an unlimited possibility and a deep-seated weary despondency, even hopelessness, in the same moment. It was a difficult environment in which to navigate adolescence; and, apparently, an equally difficult environment for a band to find their way back to themselves.

But that's what they did with "Achtung Baby". They had grown much too serious during the "Joshua Tree" days, even their family said so. "Achtung Baby" became the vehicle through which they lightened up again, became themselves again, and got comfortable in their own skins. Like the times, it is a paradox. While they were dealing with a whole slew of personal challenges- such as learning to be parents, going through divorce, working through the disillusionment of the post-honeymoon period, so to speak, in their career as a band, and learning to love their art again- they also perfectly chronicled a unique decade right at the start of it.

I was raised as a U2 fan. It is literally mother's milk. My first conscious personal attachment to them was when I was five years old and saw back to back videos of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the "War" album and "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" from the "Unforgettable Fire" on MTV. But it wasn't until "Achtung Baby" that I really discovered them for myself. "Achtung Baby" was the first U2 album I actually owned, and for me, that period is who U2 is. The rest I discovered in retrospect or as it was released. And it changed my world.

It was the summer of 1992. I was 13 years old. "One" was climbing the charts to number 1, so I was already familiar with it. I had surgery again and faced another summer in a wheelchair recovering and learning to walk again in order to be ready to return to school in the Fall. And I wasn't happy about it. Mom brought me a cassette walkman with "Achtung Baby" in it to listen to while in hospital. For the first day, I listened to "One" over and over. Then I got curious and listened to the entire cassette.

It quite literally blew my mind. I had no idea of what was going on outside my little bubble then. It never occurred to me to find out. The top forty charts and MTV were all I really knew (with the exception of the greats of music like Elvis Presley and on through Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd- and some of the blues). The only German band I had knowingly heard was the Scorpians. I saw their performance for the concert played at the Berlin Wall as it came down for which their song "Wind of Change" was written. But I hadn't yet any concept of industrial music, of what was going on in the German music scene, in the rest of Europe. I knew nothing about North African rhythms and the Manchester blend of rock with club and house music. I didn't even know what house music was. I had never heard any of Brian Eno's ambient works, or Patti Smith's growling complaints, and even Bob Dylan was just a shadowy outline for me. This was the beginning of the end of my personal cultural myopia. Europe was changing, the Eastern bloc no longer existed and was opening up, and I was opening with it. But my ignorance meant I had no real basis for comparison with the music that is "Achtung Baby". If I had been familiar with those concepts, I might have been more prepared for "Achtung Baby"; however, there was still no point of comparison to be found. It was utterly unique. And a little difficult to digest.

From the very first note until the last, this album was an assault on the senses and to established sensibilities. The guitar was channeled through technology and not simply for the echo and chime effects that I was already accustomed to from The Edge; it was distorted, warped, angry, weeping, straining for hope, and restrained all at once. The combination of beat box rhythms and Larry Mullen's (the Jr. now optional) homemade military snare battering completely surrounded you in rhythm and was overwhelming. Adam Clayton's bass resonated now to the deepest depths of the human soul (the thing is downright tribal when played on a good stereo with woofers). And Bono almost didn't sound like himself. Gone were the earnest power notes of earlier albums because now the music nearly reached those emotional crescendos for him, to complete them required a totally new way of singing. He stretched his voice into new ranges. This is the very beginnings of the development of his now famous falsetto. Technology was now applied to his voice as well, roughing it, making it guttural, ethereal, moody. The result was an album of atmospheric distortion, a sexy, sci-fi creation from some faraway planet on the other side of a black hole somewhere, music from an alternate reality that, as it turned out, was more our reality than we could know at the time. And that's just the music: the lyrics are a world unto themselves. I could write an entire literary thesis on the lyrics and what they mean to me as a poet and as a human being. An entirely insufficient sum-up of them would be to say that this album personified that desperation for light mentioned earlier.

It isn't easy to reach back to my 13 year old self to recall my very first impressions of "Achtung Baby". I am not accustomed to looking back; I'm always concentrated on the future, sometimes, I admit, at the expense of the present. But as U2 said in the documentary film "From the Sky Down": "There is a point when it becomes dysfunctional not to look back at the past." So to celebrate this anniversary I have tried to do just that. This music has grown up with me, become a part of me. In nearly every memory- good, bad, sad, traumatic- "Achtung Baby" is in the background playing or in my head. It has shaped how I see the world, understand the world, interact with it, and have attempted to make it into. Almost every time I listen to the album I hear something new in its musical compositions or garner some fresh interpretation of its lyrics and emotional soundscapes that I didn't before.

This album is frank truth and potent ambiguity in the best sense, and the balancing of these concepts is at the core of what living is about. It doesn't get easier with age and experience because one only becomes more aware of it. There is no concept that is deeper than these, more difficult to fathom. Love, for instance, is a form of truthful ambiguity, and hopefully, a successful balancing of it. My point is: that is what makes this album so important to its time in history and why it continues to be equally important today. That is why it changed the world- because it was the album to which an entire generation grew up. It introduced them to these concepts. Albums like "Nevermind" and "Ten" and bands like Mazzy Star bolstered the development of music in tackling them. The music that has followed it, particularly since 2000, has been consciously determined to focus on the light rather than the desperation for light, which feels like a step backward, especially in the post 9/11 zeitgeist. But it cannot escape that ambiguity even as it fails to balance it, because it cannot escape the awareness of it. That is the legacy of "Achtung Baby".

As the world celebrates "Achtung Baby's" 20th anniversary, the world is finally beginning to grapple with what it meant and means in a conscious sense, to put words to it. "Spin" magazine listed it as the number 1 album of the last 25 years. The readers of "Q" voted U2 "The Greatest Act of Last 25 Years" for the 2011 Q Awards. But all the accolades in the world do not describe its effect. Its effect was personal and that made it more important than anything more generally felt. What is your "Achtung Baby" story?

Music Review: "Music from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" - Especially "Boy Falls from the Sky"

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on October 26, 2011)

I am a diehard U2 fan- no question there. Still, there is so much wrong with "Music from Spider- Man: Turn off the Dark" that even a hard core fan cannot ignore it.

It is an uncomfortable collage of classic Broadway tunes, classic U2 tunes, and… well, songs that defy category. Not only do the songs seem ill-suited to appear together in one show, but there are problems with the individual songs themselves. The ones that most succeed are the classic U2 offerings. But they only go so far. Bono is an excellent songwriter, but unless the style is far removed from his own (e.g. opera, Frank Sinatra, country), he can write well only for himself. Reeve Carney does an amazing job with the vocals, much better than anything I hoped for. Yet, his voice is not mature and strong enough to fully carry the emotional arc of a classic U2 song. The result is terrific songs that sputter just when they should soar- like an airplane straining the limits of its engines at the end of a runway that simply cannot lift off.

U2 are not a band adept at soundtrack writing and that shows in this attempt at Broadway. Their strength is and always has been live music. They made their name by touring relentlessly throughout the 1980s. Commercial album success was only achieved after long years spent building a cult following as an unequaled live experience. To this day, the paramount way to truly experience and appreciate them is in a live setting, though the albums are formidable in their own right. (DVD recordings of concerts do not count- the full experience doesn't translate.) Therefore, I am willing to consider the possibility that these songs work marvels if one sees them live as part of the actual musical. I have not yet had the opportunity to test that theory myself.

All that being said, the songs are strong enough as individuals pieces. (And there is nothing lacking in The Edge's contributions to them.) The foremost songs on the album are "Rise Above 1", "Rise Above 2", "If The World Should End", "Turn off the Dark", and "Boy Falls from the Sky". In fact, "Turn off the Dark" is easily the best song of the entire album. For this article, though, I will focus on " Boy Falls from the Sky", which is unique in that it was composed by the entire band, while the rest of the musical rests squarely on the shoulders of half of it, Bono and The Edge.

The guitar in "Boy Falls from the Sky" is such classic U2 that I thought it was pulled from an earlier song. It is used as the primary theme notes for the entire musical, as heard in the opening theme "NY Debut (Instrumental)", so it is important. After deliberating some time on this, I decided it was perhaps from "Electrical Storm". But a fresh listen to that early 2000s offering revealed that the Spider- Man guitar is original. Still, the mental referencing between the two songs is appropriate.

The official lyrics are very different from those Carney sings on the Original Cast Recording. To find them, I had to bounce my way through several fan sites. @u2 gives the official lyrics at http://www.atu2.com/lyrics/songinfo.src?SID=1086 The actual sung lyrics can be found on u2wanderer at http://u2wanderer.org/rtss/index.php?topic=848.0 One does not have to be a registered member to see these pages (otherwise, I would not have been able to access them). I post these links for comparative purposes and to illustrate the similarities in sentiment between "Boy Falls from the Sky" and "Electrical Storm".

Electrical Storm" is about a strained romantic relationship and the efforts put forth to make it work. Bono once said that this was intended as a metaphor for the tension of our times. "Boy Falls from the Sky" comes from a similar place. This is a song about true love in seemingly impossible circumstances, a love perhaps abandoned (or better termed "delayed") that looks forward to the time when all impediments will be a thing of the past. It contains worlds of hurt and even more of hope. The humbling effect of such an experience is conveyed in the title. The idea in "Electrical Storm" was "If the sky can crack, there must be some way back to love and only love." "Boy Falls from the Sky" takes it a step further:

"You will always be in front of me
Even as I disappear from view
For I have done not a single thing
Without the thought of you

…

To let you go without regret
I will forever hold you always in my heart instead
Above the screams and the siren's wail
The only thing not up for sale


Are lovers like lights on a midnight train?
Hearts like thunder with no signs of rain
Lightning splits the sky and kisses your face
Yours to the sacrifice, yours to the grace".

Thus, it was natural that my mind went to "Electrical Storm" as the jump-off piece, the formative beginnings of this later work: a classic U2 theme for one of the most U2-ish moments in the musical. Other things that brand it as a work of Bono's poetry are lines such as

"The city conducts the symphony
I'll search through trash for a melody
That might lead us back to dignity
In this junkyard of humanity".

Sound a bit like an expanded thought on the opening verse of "Stuck in a Moment (You Can't Get Out Of)" and of a line in "Mofo"? And the first line of that example harkens back to albums like "War" and "Unforgettable Fire" where Bono was clearly attracted to urban imagery (which is natural, he is a Dubliner after all). He is also writing to his wife Ali Hewson, as he always does, with lines like


"I hear your voice inside my head/
I will listen to nobody, not to no one else."

My favorite part of the song, however, has to do with the notion that the very thing keeping the couple apart is the thing that will eventually bring them finally together:

"These are the threads that bind, the ones we have to weave
They will hold us true, I believe".

It is a beautiful idea that often rings true for those who have personal integrity both to themselves and to their personal principles and beliefs, to those who refuse to give up- no matter how great the obstacles to surmount. U2 are implying that, when it comes to love, belief and remaining firm in it are everything. Like the familiar Bible verse that reads: "Love… bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:7, 8). Ultimately, that is this song's message- again a classic theme for U2.

Musically, the song also follows the classic formula: slow start, gradual build-up of tension, well-placed high notes at the moment just before release, a middle eight/bridge of sorts that strains everything to its limit, and then lift-off: or, at least, what would be lift-off if Carney could vocally carry it. This is also the moment of poetic zenith. Finally, the brakes are applied rather forcefully, as if the landing runway was a necessarily short one, and we find when the music stops that we are firmly on the ground again.

In the end, I have to bow to the better songs on this album as worthy pieces. There is no doubt that with Bono behind the microphone in a live arena they can be as powerful as anything else U2 has done. But as a whole, as a Broadway musical? Judgment cannot be fairly rendered unless one has been to the Foxwoods Theatre to see and hear it as it was meant to be. However, as an album release, "Music from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark" is mediocre and confusing.

Music Review: U2's "No Line on the Horizon"

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on April 2, 2009)


No Line On The Horizon: if you haven't heard this phrase recently, you are probably living under a rock. For some time before the release of the new U2 album, this phrase- which is its name- has been literally everywhere. Now that the album has been released, what's it like?

Some pre-release reviews described it as Achtung Baby on steroids. That is a pretty fair approximation. At first, I was a little disappointed. But as I continued listening, I started hearing things in the music that weren't readily apparent. This album is densely layered musically. I recommend a good stereo with subwoofers, and patience to concentrate on it through several rotations before rendering judgement.

On the whole, it is incredibly uplifting and positive musically. It draws heavily on the North African influence that is Fez, Morocco as did Achtung Baby. The difference is that these influences are a little less restrained than was so on the now legendary 1991 release. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois were brought in again as producers, as well as Steve Lillywhite for the polishing up. U2 formally recognised this ongoing partnership with Eno and Lanois by giving them co-writer credits this time around. Larry Mullen, Jr. brought in a brand new electronic drum set that he learned to play during recording sessions (interesting stories there: often there could only be one take because he wasn't sure what he did and couldn't recreate a sound) and the Edge applied a new technology to produce a different sound with his guitar. Adam Clayton is playing some of the best bass lines of his career here. It could be that he has finally learned to play his instrument (will he admit it?). Bono is stretching his voice and exploring vocal ranges and keys he has never tried before. This is U2's most experimental work since Pop, hands down.

Bono has said that Moroccan drummers were brought into studio and Eno hinted that other North African/Arabic musicians were brought in as well. In the end, most of their contributions were thrown out because it was feared that the end result would seem too self-consciously worldly. Both Bono and Eno have said that this material was probably the best to come out of the studio work in Fez and that it is a shame it couldn't be used. But it did serve as inspiration. Some of the drumming remains on the finished album as underbeats (listen closely) and the rhythms that permeate No Line On The Horizon are, for the most part, U2 and Eno/Lanois' interpretation of the North African sound. The result is exhilerating at times.

The densely layered positive effect of the music is balanced by subject matter. These are the darkest songs of U2's career. In the title song we are introduced to a girl who has walked the dark side and has come out all the more determined to capture the good side. Moment of Surrender is about a soldier who returned from Somalia as a broken man. Unable to reintegrate into civilian society, he turns to drugs. Then he introduces his wife to the substances. The song picks up his story at the point where he breaks down, begging God to forgive her since in his mind it's not her fault. Unknown Caller documents a man's descent into insanity. He finds himself in a hotel room and recognises he needs help, so he tries to call someone, but has no signal. As his final break with reality takes place his cell phone begins texting him instructions. White As Snow is the thoughts of a dying soldier. In Cedars of Lebanon, Bono takes on the voice of a war correspondent missing home and yet completely removed from it as well.

Cedars of Lebanon represents what may be the most striking departure of the album. U2 habitually end their albums with often short, melodic, overwhelmingly positive pieces. They have at times went to great pains to ensure this as when they wrote and recorded 40 in about ten minutes to close out War. Cedars of Lebanon, on the other hand, is anything but short or melodic. And it is anything but positive. The song is half-spoken cadences of meditative, pensive loneliness and ends with this rueful admonition: "Choose your enemies carefully cos they will define you, make them interesting cos in some ways they will mind you. They're not there in the beginning but when your story ends, gonna last with you longer than your friends." This is certainly the first time U2 have ended an album so abruptly and the effect is unnerving. It leaves one feeling the need to meditate on one's own life and story.

Despite the gravity of the lyrics, Bono claims that the over-all theme of the album is positive. The title signifies reaching for the future and disappearing in it, seeing no end to it, becoming it. In the book that accompanies one release version of No Line On The Horizon, Bono explains that the songs are all about the longing to go back and find that lost love- usually one's first love- that unforgettable person that one has left for whatever reason and still loves. This album is about the search in hopes of a reunion and a chance to have a relationship with that person again- a second chance.

This is the most meditative poetic work U2 has done since The Unforgettable Fire and Achtung Baby. The fusing of musical cultures is in itself worth it to me. While it has much in common with Achtung Baby, it differs in that more of the songs are fast-paced than was the case with its predecessor. I have debated for some time on which is the over-all better work between these two albums- which is serious enough in its connatations on its own since I have always considered Achtung Baby as being the best album in history. In the end, I must conclude they are equal, each being worthy for different reasons.

The boys (as their fans affectionately call them) have done it again. They have proved themselves every bit the equal of the Beatles. Rock on, boys!

SIFF: Seattle International Film Festival 2011- Two Movies

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on June 23, 2011. Links within this article were extracted then)

The SIFF, or Seattle International Film Festival, is the largest film festival in the United States and has the catchy and appropriate motto of "See Interesting Films First". The 2011 festival ran from May 19 - June 12 at venues, cinemas, and theatres across the entire Seattle area.

I arrived in Seattle towards the end of the SIFF and generally too late to enjoy premieres or celebrity appearences, or even meet and greets with directors, producers, and the like. So I'm sorry to have to tell you there will be none of that in this article. It will focus on venues and primarily on the films themselves. The original plan was to watch four films, but jetlag and other circumstances whittled it down to two. These two films were "The Hunter" and "The White Meadows". WARNING: This article contains spoilers!

"The Hunter" (2010) screened at the Egyptian Theatre on Capitol Hill on June 3, 2011 at 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. Originally built in 1915, the Egyptian Theatre has a theatre stage with a cinema screen. The room is curtained on the sides with red curtains and boasts a slightly cheesy (or whimsical, if you prefer) Egyptian decor. In a corner to the left when seated in the theatre/cinema was a sign that read "Aladdin's Magic Lamp". As you can perceive from that fact, the aim in decorating the theatre was not accuracy, but a fanciful Westernized version of Egyptian decor. Still, the antique nature of the place favors that, and it was pleasant surroundings. The Egyptian has been home to the SIFF since the 1980s.

"The Hunter" was introduced by SIFF Programmer Justine Barnum who gathers films for presentation at the festival from mainly North Africa and the Middle East. This information was greeted with applause by some. We were told about the new SIFF Film Center that was opening soon and would provide similar films and services year round instead of just at the festival proper. There would be an opportunity following the screening to linger and mull over various meditations and opinions regarding this and other films at the SIFF Lounge at The Noodle. We were also informed that our ticket to that night's showing would gain us discounts on tickets to see other Iranian films, such as "The White Meadows" and "Circumstance".

"The Hunter" falls under the genre of thriller. It is an Iranian/German film by director Rafi Pitts who also plays the lead role. I was under the impression that the movie was in the Farsi language, but further research online reveals that it is Persian, with English subtitles. The soundtrack is sparse, but effective. It allows the everyday noises of Tehran to dominate the soundscape. In fact, for the first half, the viewer hears mostly traffic, and, for the second half, mostly rain. The story centers on a very quiet, meditative ex-con Ali Alavi. In the midst of the Iranian elections of 2009, he struggles to reintegrate into free society and shows every likelihood of becoming a reasonably obedient citizen. He earnestly tries to spend as much time as possible with his beloved wife Sara and six-year-old daughter Saba. But one day, Sara is killed in the crossfire during a clash between police and insurgents and Saba goes missing. We follow Ali in his desperate quest to find his daughter and get answers from the police. But, in the same way that he fails to receive any real information from the police, so he fails to locate his daughter. Eventually, she is found, having been beaten to death. This is where Ali's efforts to reintegrate end. His profound grief turns into resentment against the police that he believes murdered his family, so in a sniper-like fashion in broad daylight he shoots two policemen, leaving them dead on the road. It isn't long before he is chased down. Here begins the second half. Now in a forest nearby to Tehran where Ali used to take hunting excursions, he is arrested. But the two policemen who have him in custody are not familiar with the woods and all three are soon lost. The clear line between hunter and hunted then blurs as the policemen decide to take justice in their own hands and the viewer is confronted with outright corruption in the system. The startling last scene, in which Ali dies, leaves the question: who is right and who is wrong when everybody are criminals? The applause following was short and sparse. Perhaps the audience was still processing what they had just seen.

Trailer for "The Hunter".

The next day, June 4, 2011, "The White Meadows" (2009) enjoyed one of its final screenings for the SIFF at The Kirkland Performance Center at 6:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. The Kirkland Performance Center also had a theatre stage with a somewhat larger cinema screen. The decor was more modern with stadium seating, blush colored seats (the bottom six rows nearest the stage were red), and a gray and black stage that clearly was meant to disappear and focus attention fully on whatever was happening on it rather than the stage itself.

"The White Meadows" is a drama by director Mohammad Rasoulof, for which he and its producer Jafar Panahi were jailed. While Rasoulof has been released, as of the date of this screening, Panahi had not. The film itself has been banned in Iran. It was introduced by SIFF Programmer Clinton McClum who was eager to update the audience on the current status of the director and producer as it was known. Judging by the general conversation of fellow viewers, this movie was a real hit at the festival. The film is in the Persian language, with English subtitles.

"The White Meadows" follows the long tradition of allegory in Middle Eastern literature. In artfully beautiful shots, a world of fable is created using Lake Daryacheh (or Lake Urmia) in North Iran as the setting. It is a stark world of salt islands (called "salt marshes" in the film) in a lake as calm as glass where everything is a sparkling, maddening white. Rahmat, played by Hassan Pourshirazi, paddles through this dream-like world on a small boat and does not interfere in anything that he witnesses, except to collect the tears of the mourning, the oppressed, and the suffering. He patiently listens to complaints, sins, burdens, cares, grief, and woes. In this way, he gives comfort and a measure of relief to the people he searches out. He silently watches their various rituals, superstitions, customs, and punishments. For most of the movie, the audience is awe-struck as they follow his long and arduous journey. This film has the feel of both Homer's "The Odyssey" and the classic collection of tales "The Thousand and One Nights", commonly known as the Arabian Nights, for it has both the element of the epic journey by sea of Homer and the grandiose, mythical events of the Arabian Nights. It is not until the final scene that the viewer is shocked with the sight of green, the sound of birds, and an odd conclusion that plays upon several elements encountered in the journey in a symbolic, meaningful way. This movie is both powerful myth and a thoughtful meditation on human suffering and oppression. The overall effect is that one is transported into a fairy tale realm with anything but a happy-ever-after ending that holds a merciless mirror up to the human condition into which the viewers are not forced, but rather tricked into being willing, to gaze at and the serious questions asked cannot be denied. As the credits rolled, the Center was filled with a dead silence for all of two minutes as the audience stared- absolutely stunned by the heart-wrenching import of the film. When the applause finally broke out, it was heartfelt and prolonged. "The White Meadows" is a movie through which one feels changed a little- almost imperceptively- but permanently.

Trailer for "The White Meadows".

The Story Behind U2's Song "Miracle Drug"

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on July 29, 2011. The link in this article was extracted then)

U2 are famous, among other reasons, for the surprisingly touching and often pregnant with meaning inspirations for their songs. One of their songs that has been most discussed for its meaning is "Miracle Drug" from the studio album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb", copyright 2004 U2 Limited. Although never officially released as a single from the album, "Miracle Drug" has quite a devoted following among the band's fan base, and even outside it. Here is the remarkable story that inspired it.

Cerebral Palsy is an "umbrella term" that covers a number of neurological disorders of varying severity and symptoms caused by lesions, and sometimes tumors, in the brain. Therefore, there are various types of CP as diagnosed, and it is not uncommon for an individual to have multiple types of varying degrees in the same case. Because CP is so variable, very little is known about it. There is no cure. And treatment consists wholly of attempts to correct growth anomalies and minimise symptoms and long-term complications. Even this is very hit-and-miss, more experimentation than anything. Researchers and doctors are not able to even agree on what causes the lesions and damage to the brain that results in CP (though oxygen deprivation is the undisputed cause of a small percentage of cases).

Christopher Nolan (September 6, 1965-February 20, 2009) was born with severe Cerebral Palsy. His was a very complicated birth. He was breached and, in order to save the life of both mother and child, a C-section was performed. A second surgery was also required on his mother. He himself was deprived of oxygen for approximately two hours, but somehow he managed to survive. His condition has often been described as paralytic, but that is inaccurate. As he himself wrote in his memoir "Under The Eye Of The Clock" he rarely ever stopped moving. The trouble was that he had almost no control over those movements. He humourously describes his embarrassment when stress and tenseness caused his limbs to fly about unbidden and he punched someone in the face or worse. His spasms were so severe that when he commanded his body to move a certain way it often froze and refused to move at all. Even his ability to speak was affected: his words came out only as moans and shouts. He was placed under the care of the Central Remedial Clinic in Clontarf, Dublin, and when he reached school age his family moved into Clontarf so that he could attend at the school sponsored by the clinic. His family, friends, and school staff communicated with him through a system of meaningful eye movements. After the medication Lioresal became available, he was able to control his head just enough to type using a "unicorn" device attached to his forehead. He immediately began writing letters, short stories, plays, and poems heavy with alliteration. Soon, he decided he wanted to attend school with the able-bodied. He tested as having above average intelligence, but a school could not be found that agreed to take him.

Mount Temple is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin which was established in 1972. It was an experimental school for its time. It was the first public school in Ireland to be nondenominational and one of the first to enroll both sexes. The faculty employed a very liberal, tolerant attitude toward the behavior of their students and in the teaching methods they used. (Interestingly, it also has the distinction of having the most star-studded alumni in its period of Irish history, the most recent of which being actress Eve Hewson, Bono's daughter.) It was thus the school to which to send children who didn't fit anywhere else. After a brief interview with Nolan, they agreed to take him on. He was the first disabled child to be taught there. For the first week, he attended half-days in order to build up his stamina for the full-day schedule, to give him time to become relaxed in the public school setting, and to give his able-bodied student helpers time to adjust as well. In time, he adjusted very well to the format of Mount Temple despite the great fatigue that the long days gave him and he had a large body of friends there. When he was fifteen, his collection "Dam-Burst Of Dreams" was published which established him as a school legend to this day. Eventually, he went on to Trinity College, Dublin and published two more books: "Under The Eye Of The Clock" (a reference to Mount Temple Comprehensive) and the novel "The Banyan Tree". He died after choking when he was 43 years old.

The boys that became U2 also attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. They were also put out of other schools because of being children of bi-national and/or bi-religious parents and/or having behavioral issues. Fourteen-year-old Larry Mullin, Jr. posted a sign up there for auditions in his family's kitchen. Seven boys answered the post and the Feedback was born. Mount Temple allowed the boys to use a classroom there to practice in. In time, the lineup was whittled down to its four current members and the name was changed to the Hype and, finally, to U2. It was by winning a talent contest at Mount Temple that the "baby band", as fans now affectionately call that stage (originally coined by U2's manager Paul McGuinness), was able to cut its first EP with CBS Records: the now very rare and sought after "U2 3". All of which is now the stuff of legend.

It was just as U2 were enjoying their last year of school that Nolan arrived. He must have left a mighty impression on the boys of this band, for there you have the possible roots of Bono's least discussed and longest held cause: disability advocacy in Ireland, particulary for those with CP. And the inspiration for "Miracle Drug" which is written as if from the view point of Nolan's mother.

"Miracle Drug" by U2 ("How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb", 2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=RNm7P2lY9DA

The Five Funniest Videos on Youtube

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on January 25, 2011. Links in this article were extracted then)

In this article, I list what I think are the four funniest videos now available on youtube.com. This is intelligent humor- meaning that it is funny while still being relatively dignified. Much of the comedy has to do with the words that are said. There is no slapstick or bodily functions to be found in these videos, only good, clean fun. And each skit just improves with repeated viewing! Each description includes who posted it, whatever description the poster put with it, and a brief idea of what to expect when you click the accompanying link. They are listed in order. Get some tissues to wipe your eyes, sit back, and laugh until you can't breathe! The object here is enjoyment- and remember, laughter has in fact been scientifically proven to be the best medicine.

1. Jedimaster0096 shares with us the funniest sketch. From the second season of "A Bit Of Fry and Laurie", this is Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie discussing "Beauty and Ideas". This sketch proves beyond all doubt that these two actors are comedic geniuses. The discussion itself centers around an actual philosophy and this sketch has been used in college classes for perusal and dissection on this and similar theories. What other sketch can boast of that? Fry leads the discussion with an overwhelmed Laurie struggling to keep up. Fry continually changes Laurie's name throughout- even calling him 'lovelet' at one point- and exhausts himself with passion for his subject. There are times when you can see both of them struggling not to laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RQzRhH67Q0

2. Albanbytyci gives us Victor Borge's "Phonetic Punctuation". Just what show this sketch came from is not listed. But this hilarious jewel is just what it says: what if we spoke punctuation as well as words? After demonstrating the sounds of various punctuation marks, Borge reads a short story with these sounds. If you do not fall out of your seat, I'll be very surprised! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4qii8S3gw

3. Johal91a has posted another Victor Borge moment. This one is Borge's "Inflationary Language" where he inflates the numbers that naturally occur in the English language with one number higher. Thus, as Johal91a points out, anyone becomes anytwo, etc. Again, he reads a short story to demonstrate this language. Imagine the practice that had to go into this sketch before he could perform it! Again, you're certain to fall out of your seat! My favorite line: "Get out of here, you three-faced triple crosser!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6kElOYcd8&NR=1

4. BBC gives us the longest sketch in this article. At the time, David Tennant and Catherine Tate were co-stars on "Dr. Who" and here Tennant is Tate's new English teacher for "Comic Relief" in 2007. First she jibes him for being Scottish, brilliantly throws out some "Dr. Who" references, and finally lampoons Shakespeare in a fashion that will have you crying in merriment in short order. Perhaps the best bit is at the end where Tate quotes the entirety of "Sonnet 130" as if her mouth were a machine gun designed to slap Tennant hard in the face. You've never heard the Great Bard like this before and likely won't again any time soon! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A

5. BrokerTim uploaded this brilliant video of his "dad at Comedy Barn" in Tennessee. This is for those of you who feel the need for less intellectual comedy at this point. This video became so popular that a ringtone was derived from it and a website was launched at http://thelaughman.com. I could watch this all day and I'll still laugh! Poor guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Y4keqTV6w

Top Ten Broadway Musicals

(Originally published on Yahoo! Voices on December 22, 2010)

It is difficult to narrow down Broadway musicals to a top ten. I enlisted the help of my Broadway-savvy sister, Elle Casey, on this one. We tried to consider what really were the top ten and not just our personal tastes. Included are brief paragraphs explaining the plot of each show and the name of one song per show that we feel defines it. They are listed in no particular order. We hope that you will tell us your opinion in the comments.

Cabaret- this classic originally opened in 1966, has enjoyed a number of revivals, became a movie in 1972, and has some of the most recognisable songs of any Broadway musical. Set in Berlin of 1931, the story centers on the Kit Kat Club and its seedy nightlife in contrast with the growing Nazi menace outside. The plot revolves around Englishwoman Sally Bowles and the American writer Cliff Bradshaw. There is also a second couple, Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, the former a German boarding house keeper and the latter a Jewish fruit vendor. The emcee of the Kit Kat Club watches everything unfold while what in the beginning are the twisted stories of love, lust, and revenge become intertwined with the Nazi horror that invades. Defining song: "Cabaret".

Chicago- this satire of corruption and the concept of the celebrity criminal first opened in 1975. It is set during the Prohibition in Chicago and has a subplot of the allure and immorality associated with jazz at the time. It has also had a revival which has become the sixth longest running show in Broadway history. A film adaptation was made in 2002 that starred Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah. Much of the story takes place on Murderess Row in Cook County Jail. Roxie Hart is accused of murder and faces hanging until Billy Flyn enters the picture. Defining song: "All That Jazz".

A Chorus Line- the original production was in 1976. It has nineteen main characters, each auditioning for the same show. The set is very sparse. Each character is revealed as an individual vying for their bit of spotlight and sometimes the competition is ruthless. In the end, however, they all become indistinguishable just as a chorus line would be. It was adapted to film in 1985 and has enjoyed several revivals and reincarnations. Defining song: "What I Did For Love".

Hair- No list would be complete without this Rock musical. After an off-Broadway debut in 1967, "Hair" came to Broadway in 1968, stirred up much controversy, and defined the Rock musical genre. It came directly from the Hippie culture of the time and many of its songs became anthems in the Anti-Vietnam movement. It was also innovative in that the audience was invited onstage for a "Be-In" finale. A movie adaption was released in 1979 and some of its songs became Top Ten hits. A revival opened on March 31, 2009 to rave reviews and received a Tony Award. Defining song: "Hair".

Phantom of the Opera- Another must for this list. Andrew Lloyd Weber has reigned as the undisputed king of Broadway for decades now and this is his crowning acheivement. Originally written as a vehicle for his then-wife Sarah Brightman, it opened in the West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. It is the longest running show in Broadway history and has long made its home at the Majestic Theatre which was the only theatre to have the mechanics to house the show. It celebrates its twenty-third year in January 2011. The reincarnations and movie adaptions of it are numerous. It opened in Las Vegas in 2006 with everything appropriately glamoured up. The most recent movie adaption was in December 2004 starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler. Defining song: "Music of the Night".

West Side Story- this is also one of the most beloved stories to grace Broadway. It opened in 1957 and spawned a movie classic in 1961 starring Natalie Wood. Set in 1950s New York City and based loosely on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the play raises interesting questions about the forces that divide mankind. The 2009 revival uses Spanish lyrics for some of the songs sung by the immigrant population while the original had them singing in English. This adds to the reality of the story and reflects the prominance of the Spanish language today. Defining song: "Tonight"/ "I Feel Pretty".

American Idiot- this rock musical is fantastic in that it is based largely on one album and has redefined what the average ticket-holder expects from Broadway. The music of alternative-punk band Green Day are the backbone of this production. After a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009, it moved onto Broadway in March 2010. The reviews are stellar and ticket sales ar strong. The list of awards given to this show is impressive. A concept ablum turned Broadway success. Defining song: "Whatsername"/ "St. Jimmy".

Memphis- this is loosely based on Dewey Phillips, a Memphis DJ who was one of the first white DJs to play African-American music. It lived in various cities around the U.S. between 2003 and 2009 before finally coming to Broadway on October 19, 2009. REviews are mixed, but it appears that the plot is alluring enough that it just might become a classic. Defining song: "Memphis Lives In Me".

Rent- just a few years ago this show was all one heard about. A rock opera based on "La Boheme", it centers around a group of artists struggling to survive in New York's Lower East Side in the best days of Bohemian Alphabet City. The show enjoyed an off-Broadway life starting on January 25, 1996 and made a home on Broadway on April 29, 1996. It enjoyd immense popularity and explored the theme of AIDS which was most prominent in people's minds throughout its run. It closed on September 7, 2008, after a 12-year run, but has enjoyed various incarnations and an off-Broadway revival is set for 2011. Defining song: ""Seasons Of Love"/ "Will I?".

Spring Awakening- this is one of the most melancholy offerings to date. It is a rock musical remake, so to speak, of the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind. The original play was banned in Germany. It is set in 19th century Germany and follows teenagers just discovering sexuality and all the painful consequences of fornication, etc. It also explores the horrors of abuse. The result is tragic for every character. It premiered off-Broadway on May 19, 2006 and opened on Broadway on December 10, 2006 . It's run was short, ending on January 18, 2009, after 888 performances and 29 previews. The soundtrack continues to sell well. Defining song: "Touch Me".

Sources:
Cabaret (musical), Wikipedia.
Chicago (musical), Wikipedia.
A Chorus Line, Wikipedia.
Hair (musical), Wikipedia.
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), Wikipedia.
West Side Story, Wikipedia.
American Idiot (musical), Wikipedia.
Memphis (musical), Wikipedia.
Rent (musical), Wikipedia.
Spring Awakening, Wikipedia.

Top Ten U2 Songs: A Personal Compilation

(originally published on Yahoo! Voices on February 26, 2008. Therefore, this list does not include the album "No Line On The Horizon" or anything released since.)

This article proved a challenging one, more challenging than might be remotely expected. Here we are dealing with one of the greatest bands in history- a band that has quite literally changed the world. They have done this, not simply on personal and individual scales within each of their fans, but also culturally, politically, and even technologically. Their music is such a living, breathing force that a Top Ten hardly suffices if one means to list these as a Top Ten of All Time for Everyone. Perhaps a Top Twenty might do the job, or even a Top Fifteen; but alas, the choices are overwhelming. Therefore, in an effort to make this a little easier perhaps (although in truth it was still nearly impossible), I decided instead to write about my Top Ten Songs. Even so, the fair representation of all U2's studio releases and reinventions proved impossible within such limited numbers. I also made a point of trying to avoid the more well known songs such as "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "With or Without You", and "Where the Streets Have No Name". The exceptional greatness of these songs is inarguably established already and often these classics overshadow other lesser known songs of equal quality. Believing that the lesser known phenomenals deserve their moment in the sun, I did attempt to include a few of them. Without further ado I give you all my personal top ten songs by U2:

10. "Discoteque"

This is a rollicking fun song from a mad era in U2's history, and here I mean mad as a compliment. From the Pop album, this song is as contradictory as the image the band put forth during this time. Pop, as defined by the band, meant "to make or cause a small explosive sound". This they certainly did, taking electronica and dance to whole new levels. In "Discoteque" alone there are at least eight different layers of drum machine effects in addition to Larry's own drumming. It is over-the-top, flashy, and frantic. And "Discoteque (Hexadecimal Mix)" especially is a belly dancer's dream with unexpected musical turns and twists. But it is also a remarkably deep song about a woman looking for love (in all the wrong places) and running from it at the same time: "You hurt for it, work for it: Love/ but you don't ever show it" and later "You're looking for the One/ But you know you're someone else instead/ .... You take what you can get/ Because it's all that you can find/ But you know there's something more/ Tonight." This song is truly representative of just what the band was about in those days: megastar partiers of the wildest kind, poking fun at everything including themselves, and yet cynical of how far such a lifestyle could really take them. They still had a conscience, were still earnest, and were still a thinking man or woman's band.

9. "One Tree Hill"

From the classic album The Joshua Tree, this is a beautiful, even haunting, ballad in tribute to a close friend who died in a motorcycle accident. Greg Carroll was a Maori from New Zealand and he often looked after Bono's wife Ali when Bono himself could not be there, taking her out dancing, etc. He was like family. So when he took Bono's Harley Davidson on an errand and didn't return, it was a blow the band has yet to recover from. According to one source, Bono never owned a motorcycle again. This song was performed, likely in a less polished state, at Carroll's funeral and fitting evokes the sea-faring lifestyle of Maori tradition. The lyrics are certainly poetry, the performance of them among Bono's finest, and musically is a delight- so much so that it is easy to forget That one is listening to an eulogy: "You run like a river/ Run to the sea."

8. "Heartland"

This song comes from U2's experimental and hodge-podge live/studio release Rattle and Hum. Once again, this song is representative of the purpose of that album and movie. It takes us across America from the Mississippi cotton fields to the oil fields of California, and likens America to a lover the day after: "See the sun rise over her skin. / Don't change it." and "She feels like water in my hands." This is as direct a love song as U2 has ever written and performed. The notes are clear, nearly pristine, and the music has the dream-like quality of love in its first passionate throws before reality sets in. Other songs from this period depict reality- a love for the country while not turning a blind eye to its less than favorable aspects. This song is all about exultation and enthrallment: "Heaven's gay: / Here is a heartland."

7. "Walk On"

This song's original intentions are political, being an encouraging anthem both about and to Aung San Suu Kyi. But its inspiring message has a much wider and deeper appeal. It sounds for all the world like a personal message from the band that it is worth fighting to live in these perilous times, that each and everyone of us has our contribution to make and we must by all means strive to make it. It can't be taken from us. U2 are famous for this kind of ... idealism? Well then, idealism in its best connotations. The majority of the album from which this song comes, All That You Can't Leave Behind, is of this sort. This song is perhaps one of the best examples of U2's persistent positivism. The music also reflects this, and it slowly builds into flight, yes, flight; especially is this so in live versions and the closing refrain of hallelujahs.

6. "One Step Closer"

This comes from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, an album whose title is a direct reference to Bono's father, Bob Hewson. On the back side of the CD near the center one can see at certain angles the words "Miss You Sugar", Bono's mother's pet name for Bob, making this a dedication of sorts: an album for and about the curmudgeonly old Dubliner. This song is written as if from Bob's point of view. Dying with cancer, he loses faith in his God and in his life. Does God exist? If so, does he care? Well, I'm "one step closer to knowing." What I like about this song is its return to the aesthetics of classic U2 as found in their work of the eighties. There is also the fact that, in the song anyway, it is never explicitly stated what one is closer to knowing, which leaves the interpretation open-ended for the individual and gives the song room to grow beyond its original intentions, as so many U2 songs do. This also reads like a piece of lyric poetry.

5. "Miracle Drug"

A song about the mother of a poet who has Cerebral Palsy? Irresistible! If the message isn't enough, we also have here one of a handful of instances where The Edge sings lead, although in this case it's only a few lines. See if you can pick them out. I dare you! Also from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, this song showcases Larry's extraordinary drumming skills. The effect as a whole is utterly exhilarating. If you happen to be familiar at all with CP, it is powerful enough to move you to tears.

4. "Stay (Faraway, So Close)"

Bono has said that this is his favorite U2 lyric and it's no wonder. This song attacks a risqué subject (domestic violence) and seeks to make sense of it. We are introduced mostly to the psychological effects of abuse, particularly if it's long term: "You say when he hits you/You don't mind/Because when he hurts you/You feel alive", "You stumble out of a hole in the ground/A vampire or a victim/ It depends on who's around", and "With satellite television/You can go anywhere". Dark? Yes and the music does little to alleviate that here. The live versions, usually acoustical but occasionally amped up almost to heavy metal, are even darker and more disturbing. But that is as it should be: no glossing over this one, folks. Domestic violence is all bad. Period. This is a song you'll never tire of.

3. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"

The more conservative of my friends take issue with the title, but this song could clearly not be known by any other name. Originally, this song was recorded for Zooropa but was cut from the final line-up for the album. It eventually found a home on the soundtrack for Batman Forever and has since become one of the songs always associated with the beloved Zoo TV tour character Mr. MacPhisto. This is a song about celebrity, but it is hardly a celebration: "You don't know how you got here/You just know you want out" and "But they want their money back/If you're alive at thirty three". At the same time, it acknowledges that some people crave it as much as they hate it, maybe more, and even suggests that some are made for that burden: "You know you're not shy/You don't have to deny it, love". This is among the sexiest of U2's oeuvre. Certainly it is among one of their most rock-n-rollish songs, as demonstrated by a very edgy (pun not intended) guitar riff and a backing rhythm that shakes the walls.

2. "Fallen At Your Feet"

This is a relatively rare track. It can be found on the soundtrack for the movie The Million Dollar Hotel, a decidedly European movie set in L.A. about love in a hotel full of people with mental difficulties who cannot afford needed care. It is a bizarre and twisted storyline that in the end succeeds in being sweet. The song transcends the movie. It is a simple piece musically. It is acoustical and features Daniel Lanois singing harmony. It is as light and breezy as an early summer morning and lyrically takes one's breath away. As is normal with U2 songs, it threads several meanings together. It is a man singing to a woman, as well as someone singing to God: "Teach me to surrender/Not my will/Thy will". Beautiful.

1. "One"

I couldn't avoid all the well known standards, it seems. Honestly, I could have included nearly everything from Achtung Baby on this list; it is truly an album that deserves to go down in history as nothing short of legendary. This song is unlike anything else from that record and at the same time could belong nowhere else. It grows, expands, and matures with you as you do and never gets old. Written as if from a man with AIDS to his father, this song is angry- much too angry to dedicate to your significant other. And yet... it is tender at times. Although the obligation to "carry each other" is anything but a privilege here, it is a duty kept out of love and a promise to work through the issues. Of late it has also taken on a political connotation with the advent of the One campaign and the band's placement of it in the setlists of the Vertigo tour. It is as sonically intense as it is lyrically. The bass line is deep, definite, and resonate. The drums are indifferent and sad all at once and this is quite possibly the only song Bono can actually play on his guitar. It is The Edge that musically makes the show here with one of the most memorable riffs in history. The guitar solo on the recorded version is short and sounds like a keening, but in the live versions it expands into full-throated sobs and then soars on invisible wings. This implants a hope in the song that is much more subdued in the studio version. Bono's lyric changes add even more weight and integrity to an already deeply profound song: "Did you come here to play Jesus? /I did" and "Hear us coming, Lord/Here us call/See us scratching/We're scratching at your door/ ...Please, don't make us crawl". This is a song that will still be important forty years from now, even if no longer enjoying radio rotation.

I wrote this article with full knowledge that it is a controversial subject; certainly so among the band's more avid fans. Feel free to expound on what you thought should or should not have been included. I look forward to your input.