I saw this movie last night and pretty much sat in the theater in wonder for two hours. Not only were the sounds these three guitar legends able to coax out of their instruments amazing, but it held up as a journey through many philosophies about creativity and artistic creation. Immediately upon leaving the theater I felt an intense urge to pick up a guitar, find my voice and play whatever comes out.

Talk about resetting the synapses. They make it look so easy, but I wonder sometimes if they are created special beings. Beings that can tap into a sense of focus and creative meandering and a freedom and confidence to put notes and words on paper and hope other people feel the same way they do about them.

I started reading this book in Thailand and finally finished the other day. Don’t let the title deceive you; this is actually a book that leads one to understand (and perhaps respect) Bono a bit more, as well as give a first-hand account of U2′s beginnings.

Author Neil McCormick is a guy that grew up with the boys that became U2. He had aspirations of becoming a rock star himself for many years, and documents his struggles for fame and glory while watching Bono, the Edge, Larry and Adam seemingly fall right into it with little effort.

A frustrating story, yes, and also good anecdotal evidence for how terribly bloated the music industry was in the 70s, 80s and 90s. It’s proof of how much determination and luck it took to make anyone notice you back then, when the managers and executives were the only ones getting big paychecks. It’s also proof of how distorted the ideas of fame and fortune were. Musicians today (or most of them, anyway) seem to have a much better grasp on the idea that their job is hardly a guarantee of a steady income. Musicians now play music because they must, because they’d die if they didn’t.

Killing Bono is a story of a guy who had to play music because he must, but the energy he devoted to “making it” burned him out until he couldn’t do it any more. It’s a well-written, true story that’s fit for any U2 fan or someone looking to hate on music industry slags.

It’s very late right now and my evening ended very unexpectedly. So what you all should do is go here and listen to Terry Mattingly bash CCM to death. It’s a highly enjoyable experience.

Also, his discussion about U2 may have lessened my annoyance with Bono’s stage antics. Well done.