About this site: 'Three Chords and the Truth'

This site first apeared on 28th November 1999 when it was just a 2-page wonder. It took off in August 2000 after I joined the U2 webring and began swapping links with other U2 sites. I have tried to keep it uncluttered because animation and banner ads are a nuisance and increase download times. You can e-mail me (ie Philip) here with any comments or questions you may have.

On 25th March 2001 I took the plunge and registered a domain name for this site so that no-one would have to remember the old and complicated URL any more. I hope it makes the name more memorable for those who want to visit. It also looks a bit more 'professional' than the previous URL, although I am still very much an amateur at this. ;-) A year later I went the whole hog and bought some webspace rather than using the free space from my ISP. This allowed me to use PHP for things like automating the quiz.

I gave up my job in September 2000 and went back to University to study full time for a Masters degree in Computing at the University of Ulster. After finishing my last exam the following May, I headed off to Boston, USA to see U2 in concert at the Fleet Center. After finishing my dissertation in September I went back for more shows in New York, New Jersey and Providence. Over the following year I did some temporary work while looking for a more suitable job in IT. Eventually my perseverance paid off and I now have a job as a programmer that I enjoy very much.

The LP that got me interested in U2 in the first place was the seminal live mini LP Under A Blood Red Sky. My old mate Colin recommended that it was worth a listen back in 1983, and I haven't looked back since. I still rate it as an all time favourite. There is just something about its raw intensity that really hits you between the eyes.

Harlan Howard originally said that country music is 'Three Chords and the Truth'. The same phrase is found in U2's version of All Along the Watchtower, which they performed during the free 'Save the Yuppy' concert in San Francisco in 1987. The line goes: "All I got is a red guitar, three chords and the truth" , which seems to sum up the band's crusading nature perfectly. From Amnesty International, to Greenpeace, to Jubilee 2000, they have always been a band with a mission.