Posts by Andrew Dubber
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Export, damn you all. Export!
-
Thanks for this Russell. I am a U2 fan. I hate that I am a U2 fan, but there you go. An accident of time and place, friends and influences that left me with a crucial chink in my otherwise tasteful and widely variegated musical persona.
U2 for me were the early days of Radio with Pictures -- the video for 'A Celebration' was shown on the first episode I ever saw (an Ireland-only single that came out between Boy and October). Later, the band I ended up in did a cover version of that song -- and it was quite a bit less dreadful than some of our others.
Perhaps most importantly, U2 made it finally okay to be a pointy-headed Eno fan at the age of 16 in 1984 with the release of The Unforgettable Fire -- and gave me my first real taste of postmodernism with Zooropa.
I was also at the Zoo TV concert in 1993. I didn't get to see much of it, but I was really excited that they included the Disposable Heroes' 'Television' intro that I'd seen on TV with the cut-up video of George Bush (the earlier, cuter one).
It happened to be my son's first birthday, but -- partly because we really needed the money and partly because it was U2 -- I ended up driving for the concert promoters that night. As a result, I ended up backstage for most of it -- and I ended up working much longer hours than I'd anticipated.
Otis Frizell was the actual official band driver, if I remember correctly -- but as I was dropping some of the crew members off at the Hyatt, out spilled Bono, Larry and Adam with their tour manager and a woman they'd met at a Ponsonby cafe earlier in the day. My van was commandeered and off we went.
A quick stop into Mikey's Squid Bar, and a stroll down Vulcan Lane, stopping in at Rupin for a coffee and a bite to eat (man, I miss that place and its wonderful staff) then we dropped Larry and Adam back at the hotel before taking off to see the sun come up over One Tree Hill.
Yep - I saw the sun come up over One Tree Hill with Bono.
Finally, after what I thought had been enough of a religious experience for one evening, at Bono's request we found an early morning Sunday service. I took us to St Matthew-in-the-City because despite having a part time gig as a driver, my street geography wasn't very good, and it was the only church I was reasonably sure I could get to without all the embarrassing detours that been such a major theme throughout the night.
It turned out to be a good move, and Bono was suitably impressed - as were the handful of other worshippers, bemused at the celebrity within their midst.
Finally, as the full light of day was upon us, I drove back to the hotel and signed off for the night. Not even so much as a cameraphone to record the event.
Aucklanders, I have to say, made me proud. As Bono and crew walked the late night streets of the city, at what seemed at the time the height of their influence, not a single person was unpleasant, gushy or graspy. We had a lot of thumbs up and 'cher for the concert, mate - that was sweet' in passing -- and one young woman was moved to give the singer her copy of the then new Strawpeople album, but for the most part Aucklanders seemed to react to fame with a polite 'very happy you're here' vibe.
So - I'm glad you enjoyed the concert. I have a soft spot for that band even though I haven't deliberately listened to a single track of theirs in quite some time.
I tell you what though - the moment Bono dies, there'll be an autographed backstage pass from Auckland 1993 up on eBay. Till then, it hangs proudly in my office waiting for the moment an unsuspecting student innocently asks 'What's that?' -- and then I get a chance to tell my story again.
Cheers,
Dubber
-
I think it's worth noting for the record that New Zealand is miles ahead of the game in this area. Even if it's just in the territory of draft discussion documents, rather than actual policy, it's certainly heartening.
Despite what the BBC might have you believe, Creative Commons is far from mainstream in the UK. I find myself having to explain it in the most astonishing of situations, and the copyright lobbyists have almost entirely successfully managed to equate it with 'anarchy' (if not 'terrorism') in the minds of the decision makers.
It is generally considered to be a synonym for public domain, only without the fluffy 'citizenship' connotations. In many circles, it's openly regarded as a threat. Which is, of course, nonsense.
One of the biggest arguments against Creative Commons put here --- particularly, but not exclusively by the record business -- is partly in terms of its failure to address monetisation (which is a little like accusing a parachute of failing to address engine reliability), but mostly in terms of its apparent irreversibility.
If you assign a Creative Commons licence to your works (as I have made a point of doing where possible), it seems at first glance that you may not later be able to change your mind. In other words, reclaiming control over permissions that you had previously granted in a blanket fashion might prove impossible.
Personally, I don't think it's a significant problem. It is actually doable, it's just not terribly enforceable, but I can't think of a single situation in which that would be a disaster -- or even much of an inconvenience.
These sorts of issues cloud the usefulness of Creative Commons licences for digital works, and I think it's commendable that the intention, the spirit and the phrase has made it into a policy document. Fingers crossed it stays there.
Copyright reform's up there with the nuclear free thing, in my book.