Inside the Zoo with U2: My Life with the World's Biggest Rock Band [Hardcover]

Lola Cashman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

For more than two decades, U2 has been in the vanguard of rock music, and Lola Cashman is one of the few ever to have been allowed into the inner sanctum of the U2 entourage. Hired by Bono to completely revamp the band’s image, she came away with a rare insider’s perspective. Capturing both the music and the mayhem, this is an eye-opening account of life on the road with U2. Lola Cashman is a top stylist who has worked with stars as diverse as U2, George Michael, and the Pet Shop Boys.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lola Cashman is a top stylist who has worked with stars as diverse as U2, George Michael and the Pet Shop Boys, and with such doyens of the art world as David Bailey and Stephen Frears. Her life has been lived in such diverse locations as Greek prisons and Australian cattle farms! She has now left the heady world of pop, and is ready to recount her amazing experiences.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: John Blake (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904034942
• ISBN-13: 978-1904034940
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sounds like a load of rubbish..., July 4, 2005

By 

Sarah (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Zoo with U2: My Life with the World's Biggest Rock Band (Hardcover)

I'd heard this book was unauthorized but also that there were some cute annecdotes about my four favourite lads from Ireland, so I decided to check this book out of the library to see if it was worth purchasing for my collection of U2 books.

While it's certainly interesting to read Ms. Cashman's point of view, I had trouble swallowing MOST of the book. She paints U2 as a bunch of puppets dancing on a string. According to her, U2's management are evil people out to get her! Bono is obsessed with his weight and image and is constantly dieting! Please!

The one thing that made me decide this book should be in the fiction section is how she desribes an incident where Bono and Larry came to blows because Larry thought that Bono was wearing his underwear, and then The Edge and Adam came running out of the showers (naked of course!) to break it up. While an amusing story, I doubt it's true, and the fact that U2 is currently suing Ms. Cashman for attempting to sell some items once belonging to the band suggest that Ms. Cashman is out to cash in on her former job and exploit her connection to the biggest band on the planet. The fact that both Bono and Mr. Mullen have appeared in court while in the midst of a world tour suggest to me that U2 is in the right here.

Skip this, it's nothing but propaganda and fiction, not worth the time or effort to read.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a sham DON'T BUY!, July 5, 2005

By 

U2pop "u2pop" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Zoo with U2: My Life with the World's Biggest Rock Band (Hardcover)

Unfortunately this book isn't what it's billed as. Lola Cashman paints a very distorted picture of U2 that completely contradicts every other backstage account. It cannot be emphasized enough that she's an ex-employee, asked to leave, and is now trying to use her time with U2 for a monetary advantage. Ms. Cashman tries too hard to inject herself into the U2 "lifestyle". Rather than it being an objective 3rd person account of life as a HAIR DRESSER for U2, she instead tries to inject herself into the band itself as though she was a member. What you have is an angry, ex-employee, still believing she is part of the band.

Any doubts? Just go read the press and see what the band has to say about her.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An ok read, whether you can believe it is another story, September 7, 2005

By 

aah412 (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Zoo with U2: My Life with the World's Biggest Rock Band (Hardcover)

First of all, and this may be a minor point, but based on the cover photo and title of this book, I thought it would be about the author's experiences as part of the Zoo TV tour. As it turns out, Ms. Cashman worked for U2 during the Joshua Tree tour 4 or 5 years previous. I find the cover of the book misleading in that sense.

The author does have credibility problems, due to the fact that U2 recently sued her for the return of items they say she stole from them during her employment. The judge found that Ms. Cashman's account of how she acquired the items was highly unlikely, and sided with the band. It's also well established that her departure from U2's employment was not amicable. For that reason she may have a grudge to bear with her former employers. You have to take all of that into account in reading this book.

So should you read it? Well, there are some interesting tidbits here. You learn how the U2 image was developed, and the meticulous planning that went into every detail of their wardrobe and how they presented themselves to the public. On the other hand, some anecdotes seem to have no purpose other than to embarrass the band members. Her continual rants against U2's management seem self serving and unnecessary. And with all due respect, I didn't buy the book to read Lola Cashman's life story.

If you can find this in your local library or used bookstore, it might be worth your time. I wouldn't recommend spending $20-30 on it.