The U2 Business Model

I'm sorry this is linked to the New York Times so it won't be available long after I post this, but it's an important buisness article about how the group U2 manages its brand that certainly makes you think of how The Who brand has been so badly mis-managed. Some highlights:

APOLOGIZE, THEN MOVE ON With the Vertigo tour, it became apparent that some of those fans who had paid good money to join U2's Web site had been elbowed aside by scalpers in the scrum for tickets. The band's response was to apologize immediately and promise to do better.

DON'T EMBARRASS YOUR FANS Sure, U2 has recorded some clunkers (1997's "Pop" comes to mind) but the band works and reworks material until it has a whole album's worth of songs, no filler. Last Tuesday, the band played at least four of the songs from the current album, giving the songs a shot at entering the pantheon and affirming U2's status as a contemporary band, not a guilty pleasure or retro musical act that covers their own earlier greatness.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU SELL OUT U2 has been offered as much as $25 million to allow a song to be used in a car commercial. No dice. They traded brands, not money, with Apple. Bob Dylan may wander around in a Victoria's Secret ad and The Who will rent "My Generation" to anybody with the wherewithal, but the only thing U2's music sells is U2. Just because it will fold and go in someone's pocket - The New Yorker publishing ads illustrated by its cartoonists comes to mind - does not mean it will be beneficial over the long haul.

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"Only One Hymie"

Continuing from the last chapter, our three heroes are putting on their first public performance. Their production is a sort of opera to fulfill Leila's stated desire at the end of Chapter 9 to marry Hymie and Trilby. Rather a cheeky move as this is all done in front of Josh's mom Myrna who doesn't want the marriage to take place and is supposed to be there celebrating her birthday. In any case, after their piece makes the point that, if Hymie and Trilby were to die, they'd reunite in heaven, Gabriel, Josh and Leila succeed in getting a tearful Myrna to agree to the union.

In a side note, we are more strongly introduced to the trio's schoolmate Phil (see Chapter 6) who introduced Gabriel to Uncle Ernie...er, I mean the Sea Scouts and who seems poised to become their lead guitarist and Leila's friend Dotty (also Chapter 6) who may end up being the group's violinist.

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"Trilby's Piano"

In this chapter Ray High is confirmed to be committed to a mental institution (the same one from which Josh is released in Chapter One). So we are left with the old The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari question, "is this for real or the ravings of a madman?" Anyway our madman Ray reveals he sold his "glass house" to Gabriel around 2004.

Back in 1976, Josh's dad dies, killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber in Tel Aviv while he was visiting his mistress (Josh's dad, not the bomber). Then, to top that, Josh's uncle Hymie gets engaged to Gabriel's Aunt Trilby. Myrna is intent on breaking it up but consents to attend her 34th birthday party held by Damoo at BBZee Studios. She doesn't know it but she is about to witness the first performance by the group formed by Gabriel, Josh and Leila, an opera called "Trilby's Piano."

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"Chapter 9 - The 36 Dramatic Situations"

Ray confirms that Damoo was his partner as Damoo continues our three heroes' tour of the studio. Damoo puts forth the theory of the "New Ether" involving communication across parallel universes, a theory it seems he stole from Ray.

Meanwhile in the future, Gabriel reveals that the "Vox-Box" from which he is speaking is located in the same studio.

Back in 1975, Leila begins and the others flesh out the plot of Lifehouse or whatever it is called in Ray's universe (The Grid?). To help out, Leila gets her dad's copy of the real world 1868 book The 36 Dramatic Situations by George Polti. Click here for more information about that book.

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"The Mirror Door"

Well, what we've all been dreading since the end of Chapter 6 finally gets spelled out at the beginning of this chapter; i.e., what happens with Gabriel and the Sea Scouts. It isn't salacious but it is pretty graphic. Gee, Pete, for some reason your friends were hesitant to have you publish this? You don't say.

With that over, we're back to the story of Gabriel, Josh and Leila as the pre-teen burqa queen kisses both the boys and makes them hear music...or voices depending on which it is. She then informs them she can fly although she never has outside her house. With that they all head to her dad's workshop, a studio he and his partner dubbed "BBZee Studios." This partner, it is strongly implied, is Ray.

Oh, and this time, Rachel Fuller provides the song within the chapter.

Who2 slated to begin recording in February

Rolling Stone is reporting that The Who are scheduled to begin recording, at very long last, the new album this February.

Daltrey says. "We're at the pinnacle of our decline."

He also says the Mike Myers Moon movie may only cover the final three days of Moon's life which solves the age problem. In fact, they'll probably have to makeup Myers to look older.