Interview with MATT McGEE

	Matt follows U2 since 1983, with the single "New Year's Day". In 2008, he will publish "U2 Diary", a new U2-related book but with a day-by-day format

When did you come up with the idea of writing a book about U2? Why?

The idea for U2 Diary wasn't really mine! Back in 2005, I was in contact with a couple of publishers to see if they wanted to do a different U2-related book. I contacted Omnibus Press, which has published several U2 books over the years. They weren't interested in my book idea, but said they had a different idea for a U2 book. They were talking about doing a U2 timeline book, covering the band's history in a diary format. They asked me if I was interested, so I jumped at the chance. We never really made much progress on an official agreement until late 2006, and then all the contracts were signed for "U2 Diary" earlier this year (2007)

Why bother writing a book about U2’s story when they already put out their own official history book?

I love "U2 by U2" - it's a great book, and I gave it a terrific review on @U2 when it came out. But as great as it is, I think there are some things missing from it. And I think U2 probably had some trouble remembering things that happened 20-30 years ago. For U2 Diary, I'm using newspaper and magazine articles that were written as these events happened to help tell the stories.

Plus, the official book is U2's version of what happened at various events. In U2 Diary, I'll have quotes from a lot of different people and I think hearing what these other people say helps tell a more complete story. For example, I'll have comments from a guy in one of the band's that lost the March 17-18, 1978, talent show -- he couldn't believe U2 won and thinks it may have been fixed.

What is the difference between U2 Diary and the rest of books about U2?

To me, what makes U2 Diary unique is the day-by-day format. U2's story has been told before, but when you put everything into a day-by-day format, you can see a little better how one event impacted another event. For example, in this format, you discover that when Bono and Ali went to Central America in July, 1986, they didn't travel from Dublin. They traveled straight from Greg Carroll's funeral in New Zealand. So when they arrived in Central America, they were already on an emotional "roller coaster" from the funeral. They were in New Zealand for several days, then went to Central America for about two weeks - you can imagine what a difficult time that must have been. I think being able to see all these important (and unimportant) events in a timeline will make for a unique view of U2's history.

Does anyone help you?

Oh, yes! Since I started U2Diary.com, I've had hundreds of emails from fans all over the world offering help. They answer questions that I ask. They send in photos. They send magazine and newspaper clippings. It's been really great, and the book will be much better because of their help.

What kind of people you had to talk to complete your book? Who among them has contributed most to your information?

I'm mostly in contact with fans. I have sent a couple emails to "official" people like Willie Williams or Neil McCormick, and they've been helpful in answering my questions. But I'm trying not to bother people like that unless I really need to. Among the fans, I hesitate to single anyone out because so many people have helped. But I have to mention a guy in Ireland named Donal Murphy, who has made calls for me in Ireland, and gone to the library to look up old newspaper articles from the 1970s, and more. He's been a huge help.

What did you feel when you wrote the first page of the book?

Well, there never was a "first page". When Omnibus suggested the book, I already had a section on @U2 called "This Date in U2 History". That was a timeline of the band's history, and so I started with that. I took all the material from @U2 and put it into Microsoft Word and that gave me a great start on U2 Diary. I had about 25% of the book written as soon as I started.

Was there any moment that you though, wow, this is almost impossible?

Oh, yes. In a perfect world, I'd have access to every article ever written about U2, everything U2 has ever said and done, and would have

all that in the book. But that would be impossible! U2 Diary is the kind of book that I could continue to write and write for years and never feel that I was truly finished. But I have to turn the book in to Omnibus on January 2, 2008. I gave myself a "to do" list for that deadline, and I will have everything finished by the deadline.

Could you imagine how far far @u2 has come? U2 Diary is a result of @U2’s success?

U2 Diary probably is a result of @U2's success, yes. I don't know for sure, but I think Omnibus would not have asked me to write U2 Diary if they didn't know me a little bit from @U2.

Currently, ¿How many people collaborating on your website?

Just about 30 right now on @U2. And I also have to say one more thing -- you asked earlier about having help from other people. In the last six months, I have mostly ignored @U2 to concentrate on writing U2 Diary. And the @U2 staff has been really great in keeping everything going without me. They're an amazing group of fans. It's great to know that @U2 runs just fine without me. I'm afraid they realize that they don't need me anymore, lol.

The day has 24 hours, and how many hours dedicated to U2?

Before I started U2 Diary - 2 hours. While writing U2 Diary: 5-6 hours during the week, and 8-10 on the weekend. My wife and kids are saints!

When your passion for U2 began?

I liked U2 when I heard "I Will Follow" on the radio in 1981. But the passion really began with "New Year's Day" in 1983. That's when I broke up with all the other bands and started dating U2 exclusively.

Your favourite song/album/tour? It’s not easy, I know…

Any live version of "Streets" will always be my favorite song. Achtung Baby is my favorite album. Tour - that's a tough one. Zoo TV is my favorite tour just because of how amazing it was. But I only saw two shows on that tour. The Elevation Tour was amazing for different reasons, and my all-time favorite show is from that tour -- San Jose, April 20, 2001. Can I choose Zoo TV and Elevation?

Finally, the most important question: when will the book be published?

Amazon UK says it will be published on September 8, 2008, but I think in the publishing world the announced dates aren't always correct. If not September 8, it should be out sometime around then.

 U2spain.es © 2007