Entries from March 2005 ↓
March 15th, 2005 — Music
U2 were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame last night, in a gala ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. It won’t be televised until Saturday night, so we’ll have to settle for the AP’s version of events:
NEW YORK - Minutes after being officially bumped up to legendary status after a raucous, sentimental induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, U2 headed to the media room to answer questions about their momentous honor.
But perhaps only a rock band fronted by Bono would first be asked about everything but music.
“Bono!…What about the Nobel Peace Prize?” one reporter called out, asking whether his mission to eradicate third-world debt would get him the honor.
“Rock star is already having the cream of the cake,” Bono replied.
Another wondered whether he would assume the presidency of the World Bank (news - web sites), as the latest Bono-leading-the-free-world rumor would suggest.
Over U2’s 30-year journey from the streets of Dublin, Ireland, to becoming the world’s most important rock band, there have been times when Bono’s charisma, his charitable efforts - and now a fashion line - have eclipsed his collaborators and lifelong friends: guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
But on Monday evening, their rock peers recognized the collaborative achievements of perhaps the most groundbreaking rock group in the past two decades.
“Uno, dos, tres, catorce,” said Bruce Springsteen (news), quoting the Spanish countdown in U2’s recent hit, “Vertigo,” as he inducted the band into the rock hall with a loving, humorous tribute.
“The translation is one, two, three, fourteen. That is the correct math for rock ‘n’ roll. The whole had better equal a lot more than the sum of its parts - or else you’re just rubbing two sticks together.”
On a night when The Pretenders, The O’Jays, Percy Sledge and blues legend Buddy Guy received keys to rock’s exclusive club, U2 was clearly the star attraction.
“They are the keepers of some of the most beautiful sonic orchestration in rock and roll,” Springsteen said.
Though they weren’t inducted until after midnight, the ballroom was still packed. And when they performed some of their biggest hits, including “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” with an assist from Springsteen - everyone, from celebrities such as Catherine Zeta-Jones to grizzled industry folk, jumped out of their seats to cheer them on.
Highlights of the induction ceremony will air Saturday on VH1. Hall of fame members are permanently enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the inductees.
March 14th, 2005 — Adventure
My grandfather passed away this past week, and today we paid our final respects in a beautiful mass followed by a very moving military send-off.
Below is the poem my cousin, Heather, read at the funeral mass:
Spirits of the Dead
Poem by Edgar Allen Poe (1827)
Thy soul shall find itself alone
‘Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone;
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy.
Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness- for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.
The night, though clear, shall frown,
And the stars shall not look down
From their high thrones in the Heaven
With light like hope to mortals given,
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.
Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,
Now are visions ne’er to vanish;
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more, like dew-drop from the grass.
The breeze, the breath of God, is still,
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token.
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!
March 14th, 2005 — Arsenal FC
v. 
Arsenal draw Blackburn in FA Cup Semis
Arsenal were today drawn against Blackburn in the semi-final round of the FA Cup. The match will take place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on either April 16th or 17th.
In the other semi-final, Newcastle United will take on ManUre.
March 12th, 2005 — Arsenal FC
A fourth minute Freddie Ljungberg strike, and a tenth minute Al-Hadji Diouf sending off was all Arsenal needed to advance to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. This is the fifth successive season that the Gunners have made it to the semis, and the seventh time since Arsene Wenger began his tenure at the club in 1997.
March 11th, 2005 — Soccer
from Soccernet:
England will play friendlies against the USA and Colombia on an American tour at the end of May, it was confirmed today.
The Football Association have announced the dates of England’s summer tour which will see Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team play the USA in Chicago on Saturday, May 28 and Colombia in New Jersey on May 31.
England will fly to the States on May 24, meaning there could be a potential clash if Chelsea or Liverpool are involved in the Champions League final in Istanbul the following day.
Even if they are however, there are no contractual agreements about which players England must take on the tour.
Eriksson said: ‘I am very happy that our plans have been finalised.
‘It is a very good opportunity for me to be with the players for a week and to take a closer look at some of the newer members of the squad in a different environment, both on and off the pitch.
‘We wanted to play these matches as close to the end of the season as possible, rather than using the World Cup qualifying dates in early June, to ensure that the players have the chance to rest properly over the summer.
‘Playing the USA in their own country is a big test. They are an excellent team who have made enormous progress over the last 10 years or so, and were very unlucky not to make the semi-finals at the last World Cup.
‘They have some very good young players like Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, and we have also seen in the Premiership that they have a choice of top-class goalkeepers.
‘Colombia have always produced talented individuals and offer a totally different style of football to most other teams.
‘The trip will be an excellent learning experience, as well as a unique chance to increase interest in English football among the American public.’
The match against the USA will take place at Chicago’s Soldier Field Stadium and the Colombia game at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Also planned for the trip are a number of coaching clinics with local children’s projects.
March 11th, 2005 — Music
from MatadorRecords.com
On May 24, Matador will be releasing the 3rd post-Pavement album from Stephen Malkmus, ‘Face The Truth’, on the ever popular compact disc and phonograph long player configurations. ‘Face The Truth’, Stephen’s first bona fide solo recording, captures our favorite singer-songwriter at the height of his creative powers. We can say with total confidence that some of SM’s wittiest moments to date are found on this album, along with many of his most heartfelt. An album of staggering lyrical and musical range, ‘Face The Truth’ is unlikely to be supported by heavy touring (what with Stephen’s pending dad-to-be status), but selected US dates are planned, along with a headlining appearance at Matador’s SXSW event (March 18, The Parish, Austin)
Meanwhile, Coldplay’s new album, “X&Y” has been pushed back until June 6. The band has already scheduled several tour dates in the UK and Europe and plan on announcing a US tour in the near future.
