An uncompromising account that captures the essence of the Irish rock band U. From the spirit of their Joshua Tree concert through the flamboyance of Popmart in , we travel with the author, sharing her experiences, the countries she visits and the people she meets along the way. A story about the impact music known inside out has on a life and about all the adventures along the way, written with a sense of exhilaration fans of anything or anyone can identify with.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
A wise drummer (Clem Burke of Blondie) once said, "The ultimate fan transcends fandom and does it himself." Although Beeaff, a freelance writer living in Tucson, AZ, has not founded a band in her heroes' names, she has provided an earnest, perceptive account of the Irish supergroup's last four tours (that's 38 concerts!) in diary form. Unlike Bill Flanagan's U2 at the End of the World (Delacorte, 1995) and Carter Alan's U2: The Road to Pop (LJ 9/1/97), in which the authors enjoyed backstage/VIP status, Beeaff relates getting crushed in crowds, listening to soundchecks, dining at Denny's, waiting like a monk in the rain for autographs, admiring lead singer Bono's bonhomie (she meets him more than once), feeling Edge's "Bullet the Blue Sky" guitar solo snap her heartstrings again and again, and anticipating U2's next gestalt. Other fans will get vicarious kicks out of Beeaff's multiple pilgrimages to Dublin, the band's hometown, and wonder, "How in the devil does she afford it?" Recommended for larger public libraries that already own Flanagan's and Alan's works.
-Heather McCormack, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Heather McCormack, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Celebrates the idea of fans. A reflective look on how far the band has come over the last decade." -- The Marquette Tribune, January 2001
"This is a very well done book. Anybody who appreciates music and fandom should purchase A Grand Madness." -- The Michigan Journal, January 2001
A Grand Madness certainly conveys all the excitment of running away with the rock 'n' roll circus. -- Hot Press Magazine, Dublin, Ireland, July 1999
A candid, uncompromising account which captures the essence of U2 from a fan's perspective. -- Midwest Book Review, September 1999
Many a fan's dream is wrapped up in Beeaff's recollections. -- Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, September 1999
This is a story about the impact music known inside out has on a life and about all the adventures along the way. . . written with a sense of exhilaration fans of anything (or anyone)can identify with. . . Escape into the grand madness. -- Michelle Perez, U2 Co-Section Leader Compuserve Fan Club A Forum
"This is a very well done book. Anybody who appreciates music and fandom should purchase A Grand Madness." -- The Michigan Journal, January 2001
A Grand Madness certainly conveys all the excitment of running away with the rock 'n' roll circus. -- Hot Press Magazine, Dublin, Ireland, July 1999
A candid, uncompromising account which captures the essence of U2 from a fan's perspective. -- Midwest Book Review, September 1999
Many a fan's dream is wrapped up in Beeaff's recollections. -- Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, September 1999
This is a story about the impact music known inside out has on a life and about all the adventures along the way. . . written with a sense of exhilaration fans of anything (or anyone)can identify with. . . Escape into the grand madness. -- Michelle Perez, U2 Co-Section Leader Compuserve Fan Club A Forum
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
A native of Kitchener,Ontario, Canada, Dianne Ebertt Beeaff has published poetry and magazine articles throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her artwork has appeared in both local and national galleries. Coupled with her artist's eye for detail, her first novel, Power's Garden, exemplifies her commitment to rich historical accuracy. Dianne's running personal journal gets more attention during her extensive travels. She and her husband, Dan, live in Arizona and are the parents of two children.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
AWFUL, AWFUL. MADE ME EMBARRASSED TO BE A U2 FAN.,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2 (Paperback)
This book is absolute trash! It will make you embarrassed to be a U2 fan. The author, apparently dealing with a midlife crisis by stalking the band, can't write. On most pages, her insights are obsessive and often insipid. She whines, she laments, she fawns over Bono, she invites us into her ho-hum life without a flame or even a spark of creativity. The pages, filled with diary entries dating bak to The Joshua Tree tour, are a drawn out stream of babble that had me skimming after the first chapter. How did this thing get published?
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Huh?,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2 (Paperback)
This book was awful. The author can write, I'll give her that, but where is the sense of humor? The emotion? All we get is: got on the plane, got the rental car, checked into the hotel, went to the venue, the band arrived, went inside, found our seats, here's the setlist. Sure, she does go into detail about the shows, but I never got the feeling that she was THERE. My opinion is that she doesn't want to appear to be a freaky fanatic so she stops short of getting really invested in the feeling. I was expecting something more personal. How about her family? What do they think? What about her non-U2 fan friends? She never once says she missed her family while on the road, nor does she bring any real emotion to her experiences. What about her fellow fans/travelers? Who are they (other than Sue, Sharon, etc.)? What's it like being around people you barely know for days on end, all because you share a common love of a band's music? I could have used less of a travel guide and more of a personal and emotional view of following a band you love.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The spirit isn't quite captured by this "fan",
By David Savala (Porterville, California USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2 (Paperback)
Let me start off by saying that I have nothing against Dianne beeaff. But I do find it difficult to enjoy a book about U2 fandom if it lacks the passion and calenture that embodies U2's music: evocotive, captivating, almost intangible gifts to the ears and hearts of those that it has touched. Mrs. Beeaff did an excellent job in record keeping, accounting for the precise moments of her encounters with other fans and even band members and chronicling the sights and sounds at the numerous concerts she's attended over a ten year period. But...what lacks I can't completely put into words. Carter Alan's accounts in U2: OUTSIDE IS AMERICA were extremely vivid, so clear that I could picture what was happening around him, I could fully imagine and experience the emotion the fans around him were experiencing as he chronicled each concert, each fan meeting. Alan's description of the music itself was ardent in depiction and faithful to U2's true sound...he could do so as a lover of music and as a FAN of U2...Beeaff could not. Primm Jal de la Parra did an outstanding job researching and collecting material for the U2LIVE: A CONCERT DOCUMENTARY book. De la Parra also offered authoritive, insightful discussion into U2's studio work, live performances and U2's history, something which was lacking in Beeaff's AGM. B.P. Fallon and Bill Flanigan's works were just as insightful and enjoyable to read. Eamon Dunphy's THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE was rich in history but lacked the connection between fan and performer. It was clear Beeaff didn't do her homework as was evidenced by her lack of background in U2's work. As U2 fans we admire and are enthusiastic about those we admire as Beeaff had stated. But we also dig into the backgrounds of the people, places and times surrounding U2 and their timeless music. We contemplate the lyrics, however simple of complex they may be. We wonder about their meaning and research the events that could have sparked those lyrics, be they personal to the composer, or economic, social or political commentaries of the world around them. We dig into their musical roots: The Ramones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Joy Division, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Boomtown Rats, Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison, and even Abba for God's sake (just to name a few). We also peek into what was culturally going on at the time of these musical giants...connections and references to these artists were made by all authors except Beeaff which is an important aspect not to be left out, not by a true fan. This book lacks the comprehension needed to faithfully be a book from a fan's point of view FOR fans. At least this is one fan's opinion.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
