U2 at the End of the World by Bill Flanagan

by Bill Flanagan

The most intimate and appreciative biography of the mega rock band U2 to date--by the author to whom the band gave complete access. When U2 took the stage for their three-year Zoo TV world tour in 1991, Bill Flanagan was there--in the bus, on the plane, in the recording studio and well after hours with the biggest rock band in the world. A tour that began to support the hugely successful Achtung Baby record and ended with a second, even more successful record, Zooropa, took U2 to the far reaches of the world, playing to over a hundred sold-out arenas in over forty cities.U2 at the End of the World takes you on the world tour and drops you off at the cultural intersection where rock stars meet politicians; where writers, directors, and models all wind up backstage with U2. You're there when the band meets Bill Clinton in a Chicago hotel room; when Salman Rushdie comes out of hiding to join the band onstage at Wembley Arena in London; when Frank Sinatra and Bono record their famous duet, "I've Got You Under My Skin." And finally, when the band performs their last Zoo TV concert in Tokyo in 1993 and nearly collapses from physical and mental exhaustion, you are there with them waiting for the end of the world. Augmented with sleek photos by renowned photographer Anton Corbijn, U2 at the End of the World is the most definitive book on the band to date.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Ireland, Biography Memoir, Cultural, Rock N Roll

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over fifteen years ago and I thought at the time that it was the best biography of my favorite band that could have ever been written. It probably still is. This book covers a two-year window of U2’s career: the making of Achtung Baby and the conceptual creation, design, and carryout of the Zoo TV tour that followed it. It’s a very personal biography—Flanagan went everywhere with these boys, sharing bus rides, plane rides, hotel stays. He was in the studio with them for every recording session, he was backstage with them at every gig. They couldn’t get away from him! And the result is this great time capsule capture, not just of the band that I have loved since I was twelve, but also of the four boys who comprise it. This book epitomizes what I so intensely love about Achtung Baby, an album that signified their first major change in artistic direction since the band formed in the late 1970s. It was bold, it was risky, it was a period of their career marked with serious strife, and it hugely paid off. I won’t tell you this, but when I was a teenager, I used to collect copies of bootlegged “session tapes” the band recorded during their making of Achtung Baby in Berlin. It was mostly crap, but once in a while you would hear a riff that you recognized as the beginnings of one song or another from the album, and there was something about the recognition of that greatness that just blew me away.

1998 was close to the zenith of my U2 fandom, though the curve hasn’t really declined much. It just takes breaks sometimes. Here is a ranking (with ratings!) of all of U2’s released studio albums to date, including their Passengers project with Brian Eno:

1. Achtung Baby – ★★★★★
2. The Unforgettable Fire – ★★★★★
3. The Joshua Tree – ★★★★★
4. All That You Can’t Leave Behind – ★★★★★
5. Zooropa – ★★★★★
6. War – ★★★★☆
7. Pop – ★★★★☆
8. No Line on the Horizon – ★★★★☆
9. Boy – ★★★★☆
10. October – ★★★☆☆
11. Original Soundtracks 1 – ★★★☆☆
12. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – ★★☆☆☆
13. Rattle and Hum – ★★☆☆☆

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read this once back in 2005 and still had my copy of course I'd forgot a lot of details but a lot of the main events were still there for me. If there was any band I could say I grew up with it was this one. I know Bono is a polarizing figure - as is the band - but for me the music is really one of the main soundtracks of my life. I'd seen every tour of theirs from this one (Zoo TV) up through 360 in 2011. I'd always respected the transcendent spiritual element that really is there in the music and Achtung Baby in particular was the first U2 album release that for me was an event. It was the start of my senior year in high school - right in that prime age for our adolescent musical memories. Anyway, nostalgia trips aside, this was and still is an amazing rock bio - even if some of the language and writing is noticeably 90s dated by now.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalist Bill Flanagan traveled with U2 in the first half of the 1990s, from the recording sessions for Achtung Baby through the end of the two-year-long Zoo TV tour. The band members and other crew on tour trusted him and were very open with him during the years they spent on the road and in the studio. This book that was the product of that time together is one of the best glimpses into the life of one of the greatest bands in the world. It’s also like a time capsule of the 1990s. And by the end of the book, Flanagan has shown what it feels like to be on a long, long international tour and in the studio with a band that’s at the very top of the pantheon of music fame.

By the end of this exhaustive and exhausting book, I felt nearly as tired as the band themselves. Zoo TV came to an end in Japan, and the chapters near the conclusion of the book—describing the last bit of frenetic energy in sleepless days and nights going from one Tokyo club to another (places that are, to put it mildly, not on the general tourist itinerary)—convey the world-weariness that everyone on the tour was feeling by that point. I closed the book and felt glad once again that I am just an ordinary guy with a good life. I have no wish to be famous. Reading this book, I felt that the life of a world-famous celebrity is both expansive (jetsetting around the world in incredible luxury) and claustrophobic (running from elite location to elite location, always running into the same celebrities who also—coincidence?—end up at the same places, no matter what the city). In many ways, celebrity status limits the world rather than making it bigger. I believe that we need some people to pursue this art life and then bring back to us what wisdom they discover; but it’s not a life that should be glamorized, nor should very many people choose that path. U2 is just barely able to keep hold of themselves through the “Nighttown” they ventured into during the Zoo era, but even that was a close thing by the end of the tour.

For many reasons, the 1990s are my least favorite decade of U2. U2 at the End of the World shows some of those reasons with extraordinary clarity. But it also shows the deeper wisdom of the members of U2, the commitment to one another and to the world around them that enabled them, eventually, to rise above challenges that would destroy most other bands. It would have been a hard book for me to read when it was originally published, but now, comforted by knowing how U2 continued to grow after the 90s, I believe it’s one of the most essential books about the band.

[Timothy Hoiland · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the story unfolds, we find U2 on the last flight into East Berlin before the wall comes down. Five years and 500 pages later, the book ends near the midway point in U2's weirdest, most polarizing decade. What happens in the early '90s is nothing less than a full-scale reinvention: the earnest rock band that gave us Joshua Tree morphs into the (supposedly) shallow, image-conscious, electro-infused group of performance artists who brought us MacPhisto. Endlessly entertaining and surprisingly astute, Flanagan's insider account of that time is a joyride 25 years later. It's crazy to think of everything that has happened with U2 in the years since – the further reinvention of Pop, the post-9/11 halftime show, the activism of DATA and ONE, ubiquitous iPod ads. For all the reinventions, it occurs to me, U2 has remained surprisingly steady in its ambitions, its values, and its craft. The world needs a sequel, Bill Flanagan; just make sure it doesn't automatically "download" to our bookshelves.

[Trin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic rock bio. Flanagan's writing is incredibly engaging, and he does a great job of exploring the thornier issues from every angle. He really captures the zany wonder of a rock tour, with fabulous descriptions of the cities the band visits (I love the section on Tokyo) and tons of great quotes. The members of U2 are wonderful and worthy subjects, and Flanagan more than rises to the task of telling their story. I wish he'd write a sequel with some of their more modern adventures!

I recommend this to anyone who's interested in rock & roll or band dynamics, whether they're U2 fans or not. I really can't convey how hilarious and vibrant and awesome and inspiring this book is. It's possibly my favorite non-fiction book of all time.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. In-depth look at the recording of Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV tour. All the difficulties, excesses, falling out of love & in. Just, a really good - and real - look at my favorite band.

Especially loved: the One story. I've heard different versions of it through the years, but reading this was just great. "We're one but we're not the same. We get to carry each other." So perfect for that moment & this band. And it's interesting, the technology they were trying to develop for Zoo TV; it seems to be what became the wall/walkway used in the JT and I&E tours. And the Automatic Baby story is great.
Flanagan talks about the rarity that most of U2's management are women & how that makes a difference in the atmosphere around them. An interesting quote: "...the women around U2 are nurturing gentle types, but so is U2". He talks about the man who was head of security at that time, who also has a peaceful, hopeful philosophy.
And getting the real story about Adam in Sydney. That was maybe my favorite thing.

[Joe McCluney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gonzo and rock-n-roll. Flanagan is the perfect writer for a bio of U2. His narrative flows from irreverent to deeply intentional, depending on the context, much like U2's Achtung Baby and their Zoo TV Tour. Flanagan's ability to balance frivolous irony with a behind-the-scenes earnestness is what makes this a great read, and what made U2 the biggest band in the world at the time.

[Karnig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world’s greatest rock band, documented at the height of their power, by the brilliant Bill Flanagan. What a gift.

[Seamus Thompson]

A real delight of a book -- part of me didn't want to finish. I knew after a handful of pages that I was in for the full ride. At first I wished I'd read it back when in came out in 1996: what a missed opportunity! I vaguely remember seeing it in bookstore and being sniffy about it. If I could have gotten over myself long enough to read U2 at the End of the World I'm sure I would have enjoyed it back then. But I'm actually glad I didn't read it until now because I was able to enjoy it both as a snapshot of my favorite era of U2 and as a time capsule of the early 1990s.

Flanagan is genuinely embedded with the band for a couple years and you get incredible portraits of all four members, their manager, their support staff, and the parade of fascinating people with whom they cross paths -- everyone from Salman Rushdie to Gary Oldman to Peter Gabriel to Naomi Campbell to a just-elected Bill Clinton. Along the way you get to know all four members of U2 with something like real intimacy even as they are deliberately creating a more distorted public image.

I've seen other reviewers say that even non-U2 fans will enjoy this. I'm not so sure about that, though I understand the sentiment: charming and lively as it is, this is a long book that is very much about U2. I suspect at least a passing investment in the band is a pre-requisite for enjoyment -- unless you're just someone who enjoys reading about bands. For anyone on the fan spectrum, though, this is the kind of book that will only deepen your appreciation,

[Michael Bohli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Als Fan einer Band über genau diese Menschen ein Buch zu lesen, das hat immer etwas Spezielles. Gerade bei U2 ist für mich jede Info und jede kleine Geschichte interessant, besonders wenn sich die Texte über ihr kreatives Schaffen und die Arbeitsprozesse drehen. Das Buch "U2 At The End Of The World" ist aber mehr als das, es ist eine der besten Rock-Biografien aller Zeiten.
Bill Flanagan zeichnet nicht nur eine intime Momentaufnahme zur Zeit von "Achtung Baby", "Zoo-TV" und "Zooropa", sondern hinterfragt die Ansichten, Stellungen und Entscheide der Band. Sei dies nun in ihren Texten, Videos oder Treffen mit berühmten Persönlichkeiten - alles erhält genügend Raum um Analysen zuzulassen und auch Skeptiker aufzuzeigen, dass hinter den Tätigkeiten von U2 doch viel mehr lauert, als so manche vermuten.
Man begleitet die Band durch Aufnahmestudios, über Konzertbühnen, in Clubs und Bars - erlebt Streit und Schmerz, Jubel und Erfolg, sowie immerwährende Skepsis. All dies vermengt sich zu einem faszinierenden und packenden Buch und macht mit jeder Seite Lust, U2 ab Platte, DVD und Bühne zu geniessen. Bravo Herr Flanagan!

[Rik Leaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the time I read this I was a huge U2 fan. After reading the book I was a huge Bill Flanagan fan! His writing is so engaging and entertaining, he could write about anything and I'd hitch a ride.
This is a fantastic biography.

[Gabriel Rojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is remarkable that a book with such unprecedented access to a rock band and the world they inhabit not only doesn't leave you disgusted, but somehow manages to make you believe in the band even more. A portrait of an era and simultaneously of all possible times.

[Robert Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Music journalist at its finest. Bill Flanagan joins U2 on the road during the Achtung Baby era. By far the band's coolest era, and by far the best look inside the band, the stage show, the album creation process, etc.

[Bradley Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flanagan is a music writer and critic who traveled with the band U2 for three years during their Zoo TV tour from 1991 through 1993. He chronicles their journey in such intimate detail and with such humor. Stories on the road involve performance hiccups, humanitarian missions, and general mischief in cities all over the world.

U2 is notorious for having tight creative control over media access to the band. However, Flanagan was given full access and the band’s blessings to write about whatever he experienced. Flanagan had met the band in 1980 and was one of their earliest supporters and friends in the music industry. Their trust and friendship developed over the years and allowed Flanagan to document the band in a way they had never allowed before and would never allow again.

After the criticism of the maligned documentary and album “Rattle and Hum,” U2 went back to “dream it all up again.” Up until that point, they were very open and showed their feelings and true selves to the world. However, the criticism that they were too pompous and pretentious hit hard. So, they learned a valuable lesson that most seasoned bands already knew: you have to wear a mask that keeps your true self unscathed by the music industry and public. This realization led to a new U2.

Flanagan chronicles the nearly disastrous making of their 1991 smash hit album “Achtung Baby” detailing how recording that album nearly broke up the band. However, their gamble in creating an album that was, up to that point, aesthetically different than anything they did before paid off. The band set in motion Zoo TV that blended the spectacle of entertainment and politics never before seen in a concert setup. The structurally and financially massive undertaking that was Zoo TV was one of the most innovative concert tours ever. During that time, U2 also broke new ground for the band and released the electronic studio album “Zooropa” and speculated on what new direction the band would take in the years to come.

Published in 1995, this is the most intimate and accurate profile of the band available. And Flanagan is a gifted writer who makes the drama of concert touring sound exciting. The stories and encounters with famous politicians and celebrities are unbelievable and often hilarious. This is a great book for not only U2 fans, but fans of pop music in general.

[Evgeniia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you bluesteel_44 for the Bill Flanagan's book. Thank you Bill Flanagan for U2. Thank you U2 for just being who you are!

I've never been fond of this type of books. It seemed to me that someone's thoughs and conceptualizations can broke my own conceptualizations of somebody else. But I don't like to be disappointed. But this book catches you from the first page and holds you till the very end. It involves you into that world which you won't want to leave.

Sometimes it's like a movie. Like you're watching an interesting and informative movie. Sometimes it's like a dream. Yeah, like you're sleeping and see all these things around you.

Some may think that biographical books must be boring, cause there is no characters, no stories. But it's not like that. There are characters and there are stories. These characters are just well-known and they are real. But you feel with them in some situations, laugh with them in other ones. There are not boring facts, there are exactly stories, very exciting and interesting.

The end of the book is wonderful. Bill could finish the book in so sentimental way that I got tears in my eyes. Thank you!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many years ago but recently came across it while (finally) unpacking boxes of books and found myself reading it again. Bill Flanagan followed U2 pretty closely for a 2-3 year span starting with the recording of Achtung Baby and through the Zoo TV tour and recording of Zooropa. Definitely one of the best singer/band books I've read. Flanagan was fortunate to capture a really interesting time in the band's career, he got incredible access to them and the people around them, and all 4 members of U2 were incredibly open and honest with him about themselves and each other. I especially enjoyed, both on my first read and again now, hearing more from Larry and Adam who generally stay out of the spotlight a lot more than Bono and Edge. Reading this now, almost 30 years after its publication, knowing that U2 is still together is pretty fun and honestly, kind of sweet. Whatever you may think of their recent music, that alone is some kind of achievement.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book twice when I was in high school. I still have the same copy of it from then! I spilled Gatorade on it so it all stained from that. I’m 42 now and still like U2, though not their newer stuff as much. I plan on reading this soon again because I remember it being such a good read and I really like that time period of the band since it is when I first started listening to them. My first U2 album was Achtung, then Zooropa. So those are my favorite two albums. And I just love Zoo TV stuff, I have a some really good bootlegs from that time period (Don’t tell anyone). I think they were at their artistic peak then. I did see them in AZ in 05 for the HTDAAB tour. They were still awesome, though I wish I could’ve seen them for Zoo TV. But this book gives pretty much a front row seat into what they were like then. So, if you like U2, the you will definitely enjoy this book.

[Still Life With Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imprescindible para los fans de la banda sin duda. Me ha encantado porque contiene un montón de historias y anécdotas que no conocía, y otras que sí con mucho más detalle. También es genial porque no se centra solo en los cuatro miembros de U2, sino también en quienes trabajaron o tuvieron algo que ver con ellos en la época de la gira Zoo TV. Y por el increíble nivel de cercanía que dejaron al autor, que entrevista incluso a familiares y amigos de la banda. Además, han pasado ya bastantes años desde que se publicó esto, por lo que me parece muy curioso e interesante leerlo con la perspectiva del tiempo, sabiendo las cosas que han pasado desde entonces, para el grupo y para el mundo en general.

[Matthew Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instead of a day-to-day recount (which is what I expect McGee's U2 Diary to be), Flanagan picks up and reports on a number of the ZooTV themes and concepts, in the fair detail of a general mass-market book. Shame that it doesn't cover most cities played, especially in the age of online bootlegs. In the acknowledgements Flanagan says that he reported on "only what was in front of him" which apparently rings true, and maybe he didn't have tickets to every tour stop.

My favorite chapters were when the author was having conversations with Bono's father. It lives up to its title 'At the End of the World' because the author seemed to favor covering the band's limited stops in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The far side of the world.

[Bil Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read this before but for some reason wanted to pick it up again. This offers a great peak into U2 at the height of their popularity and in the process of recording 2 of my favorite albums Achtung Baby & Zooropa. If you're a fan of U2 to me it's a must read. If you were around in the early nineties and want to revisit it and gain insight into the history of entertainment, culture, politics and more it also provides a unique window moving from the fall of the Berlin Wall, Clinton election to supermodels, to the rise of grunge music and so much more. Very well written and engaging, it made want to find out what happened next.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just spent 2 years on the road with U2 during one of the high points of their career! And I don’t want to go home - I want to keep playing the shows and hitting the clubs. A fantastic read for any fan of the band - I couldn’t put it down or stop myself from reciting little nuggets of U2 lore to my husband (he’s been very patient during this deep dive which also includes lots of listening to old albums and streaming concert footage).

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very close inside look at the biggest band in the world handling global success and criticism during the most interesting artistic period of their career.

A breezy read, fascinating on many levels.

[Timothy Swartout · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a “warts and all” chronicle of the authors time traveling with U2 during their Zoo TV tour during the early 90’s. Nothing earth-shattering here but it is a fun read and gives some good insights into the workings of the band.

[Antti Kauppinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way underrated rock biography capturing U2 at the most interesting phase of their career. Flanagan's writing is excellent and the band members come off as having a lot of ideas (good and bad) and a great sense of humour, not to mention all the rock'n'roll antics and adventures.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly i’ve been really bored at work so that’s my excuse for reading this whole thing. my thoughts:

1) first of all, cringe
2) second of all, very funny
3) the author sucks absolute shit both at writing and at providing political observations/personal insights
4) the 1993 ZooTV tour >>>>>

[Donna Flemming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great U2 book - and again, a must read for U2 fans!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, moving, soulful, crazy, sleepless, unbelievable, heartfelt, ahead of times...
Do yourselves a favour and read this book!

[Adam Gossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool. A bit long. Dated.

[Sybil Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys. End of story.

[Jason Panella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be fantastic and horrible at the same time. Way too stuffed with Flanagan's smarmy takes.