Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am so disappointed I allowed myself to buy let alone read this book, albeit I am proud to say I bought it used and not new thus I did not contribute to the sales for this author. This book is complete trash, crap, waste of time from someone so obviously grasping to capitalize on her time spent with the greatest band in history, U2. Ms. Cashman is so intent to convince the reader she was lured into the U2 lair, hand-picked by Bono himself whilst no one else within the U2 organization liked her, and she spoke so negatively about Ellen Darst which I find so hard to believe her words. I find it difficult to believe Bono would be attracted to luring someone of this caliber to work for him! This author also took great pains to bore the reader to tears with stories of her father, family and up-rearing along with the gambling and crooked antics surrounding the life she was raised in. It really isn't about U2 or working for U2. Lola Cashman is an ego-maniac, on a mad search to find someone, anyone to accept and love her. It is my hope this book did not make much profit for her. If I were wealthy I'd expend the energy to gather up as many copies as possible and have a great big bon fire. Kindling is about the only thing this piece of trash is good for, and that's being kind. Whether you are a U2 fan or not, especially if you are, PLEASE do not even waste your time on this book. I won't even keep my copy or loan it to anyone, I will burn it.

For the love of U2 don't buy this book! I did, mistaking it for a book similar to U2 by Bill Flanagan. How wrong I was. Cashman portrays U2 and everyone involved with the tour as freaks. That Bono is obsessed with his weight and height, and Adam as a crazy sock man.
Most of the stories Cashman tells all seem to me to be extremely exaggerated, and added to make us perceive U2 and those involved, as self absorbed and out to get her. In court, while suing Cashman for stealing pieces of their wardrobe and attempting to auction them off, Bono said she was difficult to work with and "almost every single person on that tour wanted her off the tour." Funny, in her book, Cashman made Bono and her look like the best of friends.
Also, calling the book "My Life With..." is very deceiving. Cashman only spent a few months on tour with the band in the eighties.
I would advise everyone not to read this, as it is only a piece of fiction.

I've never read a more selfish book than this one. Why anyone should care what this author has to say escapes me. She certainly didn't prove me wrong in this assumption. I was so disappointed in reading it I couldn't even finish her even more selfish epilogue. I feel like I need to pay someone to take this book off my hands.

Its just poor writing and story telling in general. I could go on and on. I thought I was going to gain some insight if she actually made an impact with her contributions to the band but even she couldn't brag about that because she really had no impact what so ever.

What a fraud. She writes a book about herself in the context of U2 yet puts Bono on the cover. If you're going to write a book about yourself put yourself on the cover. I wish I could get my money back for this book.

(...)P>good luck and DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

Her name says it all Lola (In it for the) Cashman !! Everybody's Human and Lola likes to get the point across that the band are as fragile and human as the rest of us ~ Yes this is true but at times a little over the top. Yes people are quick to jump to the defense of U2 being loyal fans etc so they may not be happy at times reading some of the content but that seems to be the only aim of the book. I felt that Lola's credentials were damaged somehow by interesting incidents where certain members of the giant that is U2 (Not referring to band members) said "You cant take us all on ..." and made various other accusations. Certainly a interesting read but it is a CashCow and I'd like to think everybody already knows Mega rockstars are concerned about image and often do silly things but at least these guys are out there using there success to the benefit of mankind and not squandering it in the gutter (or maybe thats her next book). Worth the read, bit iffy on the content and parts are just for the shock factor ?

Ms. Cashman has been found to be a fraud, according to a judge in Ireland. She has been ordered to return all of the items she claims to have "received" from U2 because it has been determined that she "took" them without permission (there is another word for taking things without permission). She has also been ordered to return the 200 "backstage" photographs that she took against the wishes of U2. And she has been ordered to return the "iconic" Stetson that Bono treasured and would NEVER have given to a total stranger.

If the publisher had required Ms. Cashman to take a lie-detector test, this book would have been published as fiction. The title is also misleading because it includes the term "my life with" when she was only around U2 for a few weeks.

Too bad there isn't a listing of zero stars.

As a "hardcore" fan of U2 for over 16 years, it's natural that I would want to read anything new about the boys. I did, however, make it a point NOT to purchase this book, even used, and instead borrowed it from the library. Ms. Cashman doesn't deserve a cent of my money.

I just finished the book and my teeth are still clenched from all the obvious exaggerations throughout the pages of this trash. I even tried to give her the benefit of the doubt on some stories because rockstars can't always be angels, but from the beginning Lola paints herself as either arrogantly invaluable or as a victim. She also comes off as manipulative, secretive and just a little bit naive. She makes so many outrageous claims that it's hard to find her credible.

As for any U2 "dirt", there's nothing shocking in this book of insignificant moments. "Dirt" was of course meant to be the lure of this book, but any real U2 fan will find this book a yawner as we've heard most of this before and especially as she goes on page after page about how important she is.

If you want to read an incredibly interesting, fantastic book full of "dirt" buy Bill Flanagan's U2:At the End of the World. This book was written during the Zoo Tour,still their most extravagant tour to date. Even when tempted of stereotypical rockstar temptations (sex,drugs,money,etc.), you'll (re)discover that U2 and their entourage are hilariously NORMAL, down to earth people and there is a reason that Cashman's book is the first to be written negatively against U2.

I tried to give Ms. Cashman's book a chance as both a huge fan of U2 and also a lover of the fashion world thinking that it would be interesting to hear such an experience from her view. This book delivers nothing but a waste of time on both.

She's in it for the money because washed up fashionista doesn't pay what it used to.

"My Life With..." turns out to be nothing more than a couple of months in the late eighties. Unfortunately you will only discover this too late. "Inside the Zoo" would for most suggest that the writer will be sharing some real insider knowledge or behind the scenes perspective on the band, its members, their creative side etc. You'll get absolutely none of that in this book, its just a fraud. You'll learn virtually nothing new about the band (and this is the first book I've ever read on U2) but a whole lot about the writer, whether you are interested or not. I felt cheated after reading the book. It pretends to be something it is not. The claim that the writer was "part of the inner sanctum of U2" does not show in the book, at all. One of my dumbest buys ever. Avoid.