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Personal Interlude: Mumps, Trig, U2… and Suddenly, The Joshua Tree Is 30 Years Old

A couple weeks ago, I told a math classroom full of sixth graders how thirty (!) years ago I was one of the happiest guys in the world, down with mumps, sitting outside at Lake Herman doing trigonometry homework, and listening to U2 on a boom box bigger than a hundred iPods.

U2? The kids thought I was saying YouTube.

Kids! Bone up on your cultural literacy! Here’s U2 via YouTube, on Jimmy Kimmel, joking about how one of the reasons they named their now 30-year-old album The Joshua Tree was so they could keep laughing at their manager, who always said “Yoshua,” then opening up with release #2 from that album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ylSoAxpcKk

U2 still loves America, and I still love U2, even as they become to me what the Everly Brothers are to my mom.

Funny that I still love this song, even though I’ve found plenty of what I’m looking for.

27 Comments

  1. mike from iowa

    After the Joshua Tree, U2’s music hit a long downward spiral for me.

  2. Troy

    I love U2.

    When you think of what happened in Manchester, the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” seems appropriate.

    And the battle’s just begun
    There’s many lost, but tell me who has won
    The trench is dug within our hearts
    And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
    Torn apart

  3. Troy

    MFI,

    Pretty hard to repeat an album in the top 40 all-time. But “Achtung Baby” and “All you can’t leave behind” were pretty darn good attempts.

    Greatest male bands in my opinion are (no order, depends on mood) are: Eagles, U2, Tom Petty & Heartbreakers (band not solo right?), and Pink Floyd

  4. jerry

    Troy, regarding Manchester, Paris, Orlando…

    We’ll be fighting in the streets
    With our children at our feet
    And the morals that they worship will be gone
    And the men who spurred us on
    Sit in judgement of all wrong
    They decide and the shotgun sings the song

    Thanks Pete Townsend for Won’t Get Fooled Again

    What did we think when we shocked and awed them, how could we think they would welcome us in the streets while we looked to steal their oil? Now, Yemen will suffer the same fates as the other pawns and they will send out their angry young men to seek vengeance on the power brokers that speak the tongue of religious dominance only for their resources.

  5. ISIS bans music. ISIS would ban kids from hearing U2. Thus, among other reasons, ISIS sucks.

    U2 caught me at just the right time (think chasing girls and seeking cosmic truths). Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Pink Floyd all make good music, but they came earlier and thus didn’t figure in my radio-listening youth (not a lot of albums in my teen collection, and certainly no CDs or iPod or online streaming) the same way.

  6. Troy

    I understand Cory. I was one of those extremely young music prodigies and thus exposed to those while not yet in school. I’m pretty sure I was your age when I was first exposed to U2. My driver’s license is one big misprint. Has my age, height, weight, and hair color all wrong.

  7. Don Coyote

    Not a huge U2 fan (or Bono) but I have always liked that song. Very introspective and it captures the essence of a good gospel song. Oh look a Harlem gospel choir rendition.

    https://youtu.be/M8Wt3dhF4fU

    Reminds me of the Grateful Dead’s song “Ripple”

    There is a road, no simple highway,
    Between the dawn and the dark of night,
    And if you go no one may follow,
    That path is for your steps alone.

  8. Porter Lansing

    You know the Dead, Coyote.? What the hell happened to you?

  9. Don Coyote

    @Porter Lansing:

    Discovered Lockean Liberalism, ran my own business for 35+ years and became a capitalist. You can blame Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson for their reneging on their balanced budget amendment pledge for my switching to Republican. Switched same day as Ben Nighthorse Campbell (RIP), March 3, 1995.

  10. jerry

    I declare, Coyote and the Dead in the same sentence? Wow. I suppose you remember Uncle John’s Band. I saw the Dead at Folsom Field in September of 1972, 5 hours for sure of fun in the fall. The place was full.. What a time! https://archive.org/details/gd1972-09-03.sbd.gems.101143.flac16

    God damn, well, I declare
    Have you seen the like
    Their walls are built of cannon balls
    Their motto is don’t tread on me

    Come hear Uncle John’s Band
    Playing to the tide
    Come with me or go alone
    He’s come to take his children home

    Thanks Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter

  11. Porter Lansing

    No family, business or government can reach it’s potential with a balanced budget. It’s a propaganda myth to entice those afraid of risk and unwilling to stimulate personal progress.

  12. Porter Lansing

    My first show… October 22, 1971 U of Minn field house. Lol. Beat ‘ya. New Riders opened with Jerry playing banjo. They debuted six songs.

  13. Don Coyote

    @Porter Lansing: Beat you! First Dead show, October 21, 1971, Auditorium Theater in Chicago with the New Riders opening as well. LOL. This is nuts. My freshman year at University of Chicago. My roommate and I had bought two tickets each and the plan was to get dates. My date stood me up so I sold my extra ticket (if I remember it was about a $4 3rd balcony ticket) to a dorm mate who became a very good friend. He was kicked out of the dorm for all the weed that was smoked in his room. I never inhaled. ;-) Bwahahahahaha!

  14. Porter Lansing

    Outstanding , Don. There were people at my show that had been at yours the night before., And, Jerry … I have many close friends who were also at your first. It’s a big 🚌 bus ..,,,,,,,,,,………. 🐌

  15. Porter Lansing

    PS … Univ of Chicago? WOW I knew you’re way smarter than me. 😊

  16. Spike

    Senator Campbell is alive and kicking! (Competed in Judo in 64 Olympics) Also the year Billy Mills won the 10,000 meter gold. Speaking of kicking, Mills sprint at the end of the race remains an inspiring example of reaching into your guts at the finish. Amazing.

    Nobody sang or sings gospel like Elvis. Hallelujah!

  17. Porter Lansing

    Good one, Spike.

  18. Porter Lansing

    Thanks, Don. I’ve got a Dead collection with a few shows ( about 600 CD’s) #grins

  19. Don Coyote

    Thank God for the Internet Porter! FWIW My buddy who I sold the ticket to went on to get his Phd in myrmecology. (Coyote hear sounds of everybody Googling myrmecology).

  20. Porter Lansing

    No doubt. Auditorium Theatre had some of the best shows, anywhere anytime.

  21. Porter Lansing

    Nice …. 🐜 man

  22. Billy Mills, 1964, that last dash—again, thank goodness for YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F5iCsymMj0

    Look at those arms, those legs, striding out, everything in that last push.

    My knee went bad that spring, a month before the mumps, leading me to drop track and focus on the spring play. I came down with the mumps the morning after the final performance of the spring show. My knee got better, the mumps went away, and I continued running for my own enjoyment—10K, sometimes 20K+ around Lake Herman.

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