Walk On: The Spiritual Journey Of U2 (Paperback)

~ Steve Stockman (Author)
Key Phrases: Holy Spirit

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One of the world’s leading voices of faith and social activism also happens to be one of its biggest rock bands. The members drink, smoke and swear—yet a radical biblical agenda and faith fuel their life and work. Welcome to the dichotomy of U2.

This revised version of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 picks up where the first edition left off—amid the cathartic atmosphere of the post-9/11 Elevation tour that ushered in the aggressive spirituality of 2005’s Vertigo tour. It explores the controversy surrounding the deep-rooted religious themes of the band’s music and the outspokenness of their lead singer, Bono. Moreover, it is a spiritual companion to their albums, exposing the real meaning behind many of their songs and performances.

From the group’s beginnings in Dublin’s Shalom Christian Fellowship to their arrival as the world’s greatest rock band, Walk On shines a spotlight on the very real struggles and triumphs of the band members’ Christian faith. How has Bono transformed from a rock god to a key ambassador on the world stage? Why is the Church that once shunned U2 now claiming them as its own? More than two decades into worldwide success, have the boys from Ireland actually found what they’re looking for? Join author Steve Stockman in pouring over more than 20 years of interviews, analysis and insight in an unparalleled quest to answer the burning questions everyone wants to know.

About the Author

Steve Stockman is a Presbyterian Chaplain at Queen’s University in Belfast. He is a regular speaker at universities, college conferences and festivals across the world, and he has his own radio show on BBC Radio Ulster. He is married to Janice and has two daughters, Caitlin and Jasmine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Relevant Books; Revised edition (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976035758
• ISBN-13: 978-0976035756
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,739 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #40 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rock
  #69 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious
  #78 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Rock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of U2...Don't "Walk On" By., November 16, 2001

By	Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 (Paperback)

Are you a U2 fan? Are you intrigued by their spiritual leanings? This book sets out to demystify one of the most successful rock bands in history. Where others have crashed and burned, U2 has sped steadily onward. Where others have flamed out in a one-hit blaze of glory, U2 continues to reinvent themselves without ever betraying their own personality.

"Walk On" takes on quite a challenge by attempting to draw some lines about U2's spiritual (ie. Christian) purposes. I've loved U2 since first hearing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" in a friend's living room back in the early 80's and, like many others, I've always wondered where they stood in regards to God, the church, religious hypocrisy, etc. Steve Stockman manages to amass and present a heady mix of information, culled from interviews, concerts, etc. He defines U2's apparent mission from an artistic and spiritual standpoint, but refrains from boxing them in. He brings to light info that I've long looked for and never found. He makes U2 into a living, breathing, touchable band while further elevating them to the pinnacles of rock history.

If I had one complaint here, it's that Stockman resorts to personal diatribes here and there. He not only interprets U2's motivations, he takes a personal stand on issues that U2 doesn't directly address. That's okay, of course, but it moves this book away from a purely journalistic foundation and turns it into a great look at U2 coupled with a few mini-sermons.

I applaud anyone willing to peel back the layers of a much loved band. Not only do we see the genius of U2's music, we see the gut-wrenching decisions and soul-searching they go through. This book is worth the money if you want to know the heart of U2. Just be warned: you might also know more than you wanted of the heart of Steve Stockman.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A spiritual interpretation of the life and career of U2, December 4, 2001

By	Tom Hinkle (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 (Paperback)

I have followed the career of U2 almost from the beginning, and they have been one of my top two or three bands of all time for many years. As a Christian, discovering their spiritual underpinnings was exhilerating to me, and a source of great joy, which later led to puzzlement when their lifestyles seemed to turn decadent. The basic question remained: Are they still Christians? This book answers that question with a resounding YES!

All this time there has been a method to the madness of U2, even with their seeming slide into the typical rock lifestyle during the 1990's. As they invented and reinvented themselves, they were still sending out a peculiarly Christian message for those with ears to hear. This book draws on many interviews over the years with the band, particularly frontman Bono, and Bono shows a depth of spirituality that may be surprising to many. Look past the smoking, drinking, and cursing (which seems to have fallen off somewhat with the onset of the new millennium) and you find a band (or at least a frontman, more about that later) that is in love with God and humankind, and expresses its faith in artistic ways that often confound the more literal-minded.

Where this book falls short, in my opinion, is that it seems to be mostly the spiritual journey of Bono. What about the rest of the band? We hear a little from The Edge, and virtually nothing from the other Christian in the band, Larry Mullen. Even the token non-Christian, Adam Clayton, would have had things to share about being in a band with three Christians. Surely he has not spent all this time with them and gone totally untouched spiritually. Bono is simply the most visible member, but I'm sure the others would have something to say as well.

If anyone is unsure whether, as a Christian, you "should" like and support U2 or not, this book has the answer. As for me, I think I'll run out and fill in the gaps in my U2 CD collection.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Treatment of U2's Christian Journey, March 27, 2002

By	Joel T. Buchanan, Jr. (Roswell, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 (Paperback)

Any serious U2 fan should read this book, as it is full of good insights into the spiritual motivations of the world's greatest rock band. You can't really understand U2 if you don't understand the true source of their inspiration, and Stockman does a fine job of revealing the profoundly Christian nature of it.

My overall impression of the book is positive, as it will be of great interest to any real U2 fan, with lots of stories and background to their albums and songs. As a Christian minister myself, I appreciate also Stockman's interpretations of Christian doctrine and life, and further agree heartily that U2 has much to teach the Church about being truly Christian.

My only complaints are two: first, while the author's interpretations of many lyrics and stage messages (visual and verbal) are plausible, I often wondered whether Bono would have agreed with them, as the line between Bono's own thoughts and Stockman's is often very fuzzy in the text. In other words, at times I wondered whether I was reading a book about U2's spiritual journey or Stockman's. Second, the writing is a bit amateurish -- almost like that of a high school newspaper editor gushing about his favorite band. His overwhelming adoration for his rock heroes is obvious and sincere (and shared by me), but is a bit melodramatic and distracting at times.

These critical comments should not, however, deter one from reading this book. The subject matter alone was interesting enough for me to overlook the book's faults, and it is obvious that Stockman has done his homework (He KNOWS U2). In the end, I felt myself to be a kindred spirit.