What If U2 Had Gone With Their First Choice in Producers?

It's well known amongst U2 fans that the band was besotted with Joy Division.  In fact, all four guys--still teenagers, still unsigned--showed up in the studio where JD was recording Unknown Pleasures and watched with fascination.  That visit made them determined to work with producer Martin Hannett.  

Then Ian Curtis died. Suddenly, working with Hannett wasn't so much in the cards anymore and U2 ended up using Steve Lillywhite for their debut album and two more beyond that.  Steve still works with them.

But back up for a second: what would have a young U2 sounded like had they gone with Martin Hannett? That's one of the great what-ifs of modern rock.

When I was invited to hang out with Steve in Singapore as he worked with a local band called The Sam Willows, he told me that he believed things would have been very different for U2 had Curtis not died.  He reiterated this opinion in a recent radio interview.  From Radio.com:

“[U2] had a producer who produced the very first U2 single called ’11 O’Clock Tick Tock,’ which I think is a great song if anyone remembers that,” Lillywhite explained. “And then, Ian Curtis committed suicide. Martin Hannett, who was the producer, decided not to produce the U2 album.”

[...]

Lillywhite says Hannett’s close ties to Curtis made working on what would become U2′s 1980 debut, Boy, “too much for him” to handle emotionally.

“U2 went back to their list of their producers. I was second on the list. Thank goodness [Ian Curtis] committed suicide,” Lillywhite said, seemingly joking.

And yes, I can confirm that having had the story told directly to my face, he was joking about it. 

REM Covered Pakistani Style

Wes, my correspondent in Lahore, forwarded this beautiful video.  It illustrates again how a great song can transcend culture.

Everybody Hurts (Ya Rab) - Sachal Studios' Orchestra & the Master Musicians of the West from Sachal Music on Vimeo.

Two New Approaches to Radio

Radio is the oldest of all the electronic mass media and is slowly evolving with 21st century technology. Here are two examples of how things are changing.

NPR's "Responsive Design"

US public radio recently unveiled its new "mobile first" digital strategy.  From the RAIN newsletter:

The redesign now offers full versions of each story (instead of abridged content) along with easier links to audio, photos and video.

"It’s easier for us to build a coherent, full experience at the small screen level and let it grow up to the big screen rather than try to create something on a big screen and then figure out what things to take away to make it work on a small screen," said Mark Stencel, NPR digital news editor.

If you want to know more, go here.

The BBC's "Perceptiive Radio"

Check out this report from GizMag:

Perceptive Radio uses local data and onboard sensors to adjust itself and even alter the script of a radio play in real time to reflect local conditions. The goal is to make listening to the radio more like attending live theater.

Developed by BBC R&D’s Future Media North Lab in collaboration with Mudlark, the Perceptive Radio may look like an old fashioned portable wireless set, but it conceals some real computing power. Perhaps the fact that it resembles something that George Orwell might have owned is apt because what it does sounds a bit Orwellian – it can sense what's going on around it and rewrite a radio play as you listen to it. However, its purpose is really to provide a glimpse at what broadcasting might one day look like and add a new dimension to the listener’s experience.

Cool, huh?  Continue reading.

Strip Club DJ Won't Play Dude's Request, So He Insists with an AK-47

It was a fairly normal night at the Purple Orchid Gentleman's Club in Philadelphia.  Or it was until the DJ refused to play a request by one Henry Pettigrew.  Annoyed at the snub, Pettigrew returned with an AK-47 and began shooting up the place.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.  Pettigrew remains on the run and Philly cops are requesting the public's help. And no, it hasn't been reported which song he requested.

(Via TheMusic.com.au)

Bon Jovi Really Should Have Invested in the NFL

The Atlanta Falcons (may not be exactly as illustrated)Jon Bon Jovi is a big football fan.  He event sunk some cash into an arena football team.  But when it came time to take a piece of the Atlanta Falcons, he passed.  What a mistake.  From Forbes:

In February, 2011 the rocker was going to invest $150 million for a 15% stake in the Atlanta Falcons. A month later, the NFL lockout hit and Bon Jovi changed his mind because he felt the work stoppage would reduce the $1 billion valuation his investment placed on the Falcons, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Jeezus. There's that much money in singing "Livin' on a Prayer" over and over?  But with a ten years of labour peace ahead and a new stadium coming online, the value of the Falcons is shooting up.  

The present value of the future payment valued the team at $987 million.  Atlanta is  much bigger market than Cleveland and will have a state-0f-the art stadium, so it is hard to see how the Falcons could be worth less than $1.1 billion once the stadium is a done deal.

But Bon Jovi will likely only profit from the new stadium by performing during halftime of a Super Bowl.

More here. Thanks to John for the link.