U2, Brute?

I've spent a weird amount of time in the last couple of weeks defending four multibillionaires whom I have never met. The Biggest Band in the World, U2, managed to surprise all but the most die-hard Apple fanatics by releasing a new album seemingly out of the blue. Not only that, but they flat out gave it away to anyone with an active iTunes account. Back when I was in college, the thought of something like this happening would be insane. I remember the guy in the dorm room next to me paying something like $200 for bootleg CDs of rough recordings of rehearsal sessions for the Zooropa and Pop albums. There were lines down the hall just to give it a listen!

By that time, U2 had long cemented themselves as one of the all-time great rock bands. They sold out stadiums wherever and whenever they wanted to, and they had released arguably the album of both the 80's and the 90's. Add to that the longevity, stability, and almost total lack of controversy among their band members, and their willingness to get deeply involved in humanitarian and social issues, and it's tough to find their equal. In the intervening years, their popularity has not waned, even if their cred may have. Their last tour, three years ago, was only the highest grossing of all time. No big deal.

So why is everyone so pissed off at them?

I suppose it's not U2 people are mad at right now. The anger is mostly directed at Apple, and for good reason. They took what we all considered to be a one way street and brazenly drove right down it in the wrong direction. Apple used its iTunes infrastructure not just to make the surprise U2 album free to anyone who wanted it, but to actually push the album out to every. single. iTunes. user. It was a major misstep. Two things you do not mess with are peoples' computers, and their music collections. In a microsecond, Apple did both, and it's going to take a while for them to gain back some folks' trust.

As people were understandably griping about this invasion, they would casually add some offhand insult to the album on question. When a band has won more Grammys than any other, and has released at least three world class albums, it's hard to make friends with new music. It's easy to say, "It's not as good as their old stuff,"  and in this case it's likely true, to some extent. But there's a long way between saying that, and saying something sucks.

A band like U2 seems to be in a tough spot. You can't just recycle your sound or you will be accused of sitting on your past success. But at the same time, if you stray from the formula that brought you to where you are, you have betrayed your true fan base. So what is it we want from them anyway? To simply stop? Have they reached a level of accomplishment that we deem to be sufficient, so that's all they get? Absurd. So they have only one real option, which is to continue to explore their medium.

Madonna gets more credit for constantly reinventing herself, but I think U2 have done a similarly masterful job of it over the years. The Joshua Tree was such a powerful album, it really felt like they perfected something with it. After a quick postcard to music, they set out to try something new. Achtung Baby is an equally brilliant collection of songs that has very little in common with Joshua Tree. The creative arc of this version of U2 was the reverse of the previous one though, as Zooropa and Pop were less coherent explorations of the same sound.

In 2000, with the entire world feeling the pressure and joy of an entirely new century beginning, the quartet did it again, settling in to the current phase of their sound with yet another album-of-the-decade. All That You Can't Leave Behind was a strong leadoff and the subsequent albums have again been slightly lesser explorations, but it's hard for me to call these albums "bad."

Through it all, the core ethos of the sound has never wavered. Soaring, iconic guitar riffs matched with vocals slathered in relatable emotion, driving bass lines and grounded, raucous drums in lock step behind them. U2 songs are always instantly identifiable. And it's been that way for almost 40 years. No scandals. No ODs. Social activism. Political involvement. Amazing videos and concerts with the audience in mind, even if they are making a killing. Why the hell shouldn't they? And they gave away their latest album.

What, exactly, more do we want from a band?

New York state of Mine

There is a topic that has been gnawing at me for some time. I've been wanting to write about it, but just haven't been able to come up with the right angle to attack it from. I've been lenient with myself, but it's become a bit of a wall in this project, so I'm just going to hunker down and do my best to bust through here. I hope you'll indulge me. You see, I've been wanting to write about New York City, or as I like to refer to it, The Center Of The World.

A few weeks back, my wife and I took a quick trip there for the weekend. One might think that as a die-hard Boston sports fan, I have little regard for Gotham, but that's far from the case. One might also assume that being born in Philly would turn me against a place a mere 90 miles away which is often referred to as "The City", but somehow it just didn't. In truth, I've always had a bit of a love affair with New York. It's never been the kind of place I wanted to live in, but there's a certain kind of itch I get that only a visit to New York can scratch.

Like most of us, I first heard about NYC from Billy Joel. He certainly painted a lovely picture and it only took a few times through my Dad's records before I wanted to walk 52nd St, see the lights go out on Broadway, and visit Chinatown or Riverside. The first concert I ever saw was the Jackson 5 Victory tour in Philly, but the first one I ever chose myself was George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers at Madison Square Garden which went a long way toward defining my taste in music. It was a fantastic introduction to a building I would frequent many times over the next ten years or so. From monster truck pulls to Knick games, to the Big East tournament, I became very comfortable in the World's Greatest Arena. For a long time, that’s kind of what I thought New York was all about.

As I got older, I found myself enjoying different kinds of experiences in The City. Like most of us, I saw Cats and Phantom. I caught Paul Simon in Central Park. Made it out to Shea, Giants, and Yankee stadiums. Got my first whiff of pot at The Beacon, where I also met my favorite band, The Black Crowes. I always loved taking a trip to the Hard Rock back when it was on 57th St, with that gorgeous Caddy hanging off the wall. Museums, libraries, toy stores and monuments. NYC had it all.

I remember one of the first field trips I took in school was to the South St seaport area. I was blown away by the sheer scale of the ships and the history in the buildings. I was also changed utterly when the teachers told us we could do what we wanted for the next hour before the buses would take us home. We were set free in the city, and I think right then and there I became a city kid. That feeling would repeat itself a few years later in the Faneuil Hall area here in Boston on another field trip, confirming my initial gut feeling that city life was the life for me.

A few years later, I would learn enough about driving to get my license in CT, where I grew up, but it wasn't until a few weeks later when I drove into Manhattan that I truly became a driver. To drive without incident in New York takes a lot of lessons that are incredibly valuable in life. You have to know where you are going, but be willing to get creative in how you get there. You can't let the people behind you push you around, either. As long as you know the rules, you go as fast or as slow as you need to at any given moment. Let 'em honk if they don't like it.

Last weekend my wife and I went with some friends to watch Ghostbusters in the theatre for the first time since '84. It was great to see the New York of back then, when I was 10. The one I fell for. That movie still holds up, and part of the reason why is New York City is one of the main characters. Just as the lead role in The Wire was Baltimore, New York is the star of the show in Ghostbusters. The movie takes us on a tour of iconic locations, and completely nails the attitude of the town. They tried to build on this in the sequel, but missed the mark somehow, but Ghostbusters is hardly alone. To walk in NYC is to constantly be reminded of characters and scenes from real life and fiction, and the fabricated memories blend in and enhance the things that have really happened to you. Life is hyper real in New York.

These days, however, it doesn't take a blockbuster film, or a massive concert in the park, or even courtside seats to get me excited about being in New York. My favorite spot in town right now is Bryant Park, with its ring of majestic trees swaying in the wind, providing comforting rustle and shade. Like most outdoor spaces in The City these days, Bryant Park is well stocked with chairs, and has plenty of options for refreshment nearby. Next time you are in town, spend an hour there. If you don't enjoy yourself immensely, I'll personally give you your admission fee back.

A staggering number of things have been written and said about The Big Apple. Part of what held me back from writing this piece was the idea that there seemed to be no point in saying something else. What could I really contribute that was worth your while to read? Finally, I realized that by taking that attitude I was missing the entire point of what New York City is all about. The heights that city has risen to can never be topped, and you can never hope to do everything there is to do in that town. Instead, New York invites you to make your own tour. Pick your own favorite routes and stops, and write your own story through its infinite streets. Even better, once you have done it that story is yours forever. And New York City is big enough and strong enough to hang on to it for you whenever you want to return.