048 Deja Vu2 and Don't Hate Me Again

Norman and others gave U2 a real shellacking yesterday when the news surfaced that they had played "Vertigo" twice at their most recent Meadowlands show. Now unlike most of the naysayers, I kinda liked Vertigo, although I thought the iPod connection was a little hokey, if not totally shameless. So let me tell you another story that may leave you scratching your head over the antics of Bono and bunch.

A similar thing happened when U2 played Saturday Night Live (a few weeks after Ashlee Simpson). They played "Vertigo" first on the show, since it was their new single and all... And then during the end credits, instead of conducting the usual hug-along, guest host Luke Wilson announced that U2 would be playing some more! So they bust into another new song and all of the cast gathers at the side of the stage and starts rocking out. Bono even does a little dance with Amy Poehler. And as they start "Pride (In the Name of Love)," the show has already stopped broadcasting, yet the cameras are still rolling. Basically, it's become a U2 concert, which for the most part, seems like it would be a pretty cool performance to be at... and then their last song... "Vertigo" ? Again? Bono actually announces, "This is more for us than it is for you!" Huh? So they play it again, the crowd goes wild, and apparently when this show reruns they will air this version instead of the first.

I don't know. It seems like with such a massive back catalogue, they'd be able to play something different. As opposed to The Get Up Kids...

That's right! It happened during the first night of Braid's first trip to Europe with The Get Up Kids. We were all unaware of the European "encore" custom which went something like this, "if you don't come out and do an encore, then you're acting like a rockstar." Quite the opposite as the States at that time. Bad news for The Get Up Kids, since they had only prepared 12 songs. After their 12 song set, they left the stage and the crowd went nuts. They wanted more! Frantically the Kids made the decision. It was all they could do. They went up on stage and played "Don't Hate Me" for the second time. Everyone loved it. Imagine if you will, a throng of German kids singing "Oh Amy, Don't Hate Me" in unison... in English... with a German accent. It was surreal and really kinda beautiful. Hey, don't they have an album coming out today?

Hey, raise your hand if you knew that Jack Kerouac had written a play and really wanted Marlon Brando to act in it? There is no plan to actually perform it, which tells me that his version "a day in the drink-and-drug-hazed life of his own literary alter ego, Jack Duluoz" probably wouldn't translate too well to the stage. However, there is a planned public reading and an excerpt will be published in the June 14 issue of Best Life Magazine. Apparently the entire play will be published in October... Aren't you surprised and relieved that they haven't tried to ruin "On The Road" by trying to adapt it into a movie screenplay? But what is this? And whatever happened to Francis Ford Coppola's (2001) plan involving Brad Pitt and Billy Crudup?

And that reminds me that I recently spent 2 hours talking about Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy for an upcoming Alternative Press article... but that's a different blog. Besides, I have to go ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world.

Thanks to everyone who emailed about the Film Crew! I'll be emailing everyone back this week!