Hack at work.
Killing Bono
"The best book I have ever read about trying to make it in the music business" - Elton John
"A fantastic book, which manages the difficult trick of being simultaneously very funny and very sad." - Bob Geldof
"I was Neil McCormick's fan in school. He was much cooler than me, a much better writer and I thought he'd make a much better rock star. I was wrong on one count. He's written a great book" - Bono
U2: The constant quest for magic
Two years in the life of ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’
Published: 11 Nov 2004
For much of the past two years, the world’s most successful rock band have been gathering in a squat, unimposing building on a desolate street by the canal dockside in Dublin, recording their 11th studio album. They put in a five-day week, although, by June this year, with deadlines approaching, this has been stretching into long nights and weekends. “I wouldn’t say it is fun,” says U2’s imperturbable bassist Adam Clayton. “It is work.”
On a board in the lobby, schedules are scrawled in marker. Under July 4 it states: “Album finished.” On November 22, it states: “Album released.” A week later, on November 29, according to the board, it will be number one in all major territories.
For U2, what might seem like presumption is just forward planning. Since The Joshua Tree in 1987, all U2’s albums have sold in the multi-millions. “The secret to getting a 10-million-selling album,” says singer Bono, “is making it last across two Christmases.”
Actually, there is a bit more to it than that.
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