Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2

Rating:
Summary: I finally found what I'm looking for...
Review: Doesn't it always seem like U2's spiritual life gets short shrift?--one question per interview with Bono. I always want more, and Stockman has delivered it. He uses his extensive knowledge of the U2 Canon combined with his pastoral skills to bring understanding and insight to the meandering postmodern faith journey of the world's most fascinating band.

While Stockmen draws heavily on already printed interviews and media sources for his direct quotes of band members (many of which I'd read elsewhere first), I found his comments on their comments helpful and surprisingly, not distracting. In fact, Stockman's own faith is refreshing in a world of evangelicalsim that doesn't give much breathing room to artists. U2, as he describes them, is the quintessential postmodern expression of faith through art. No wonder they rankle at times. And no wonder they inspire!

This book is especially satisfying to fans who've memorized lyrics, attended multiple concerts and read anything related to U2. Stockman pulls the pieces together in one long satisfying research paper that is neither stuffy or fluffy. Instead, he writes in comfortable prose and uses well-documented research.

The only thing missing is a fresh interview with Bono so that Stockman could have asked him his three questions.

This book encouraged me in my faith journey--to keep being true to questions and answers, and to live my spiritual life authentically.

Rating:
Summary: Good Treatment of U2's Christian Journey
Review: Any serious U2 fan should read this book, as it is full of good insights into the spiritual motivations of the world's greatest rock band. You can't really understand U2 if you don't understand the true source of their inspiration, and Stockman does a fine job of revealing the profoundly Christian nature of it.

My overall impression of the book is positive, as it will be of great interest to any real U2 fan, with lots of stories and background to their albums and songs. As a Christian minister myself, I appreciate also Stockman's interpretations of Christian doctrine and life, and further agree heartily that U2 has much to teach the Church about being truly Christian.

My only complaints are two: first, while the author's interpretations of many lyrics and stage messages (visual and verbal) are plausible, I often wondered whether Bono would have agreed with them, as the line between Bono's own thoughts and Stockman's is often very fuzzy in the text. In other words, at times I wondered whether I was reading a book about U2's spiritual journey or Stockman's. Second, the writing is a bit amateurish -- almost like that of a high school newspaper editor gushing about his favorite band. His overwhelming adoration for his rock heroes is obvious and sincere (and shared by me), but is a bit melodramatic and distracting at times.

These critical comments should not, however, deter one from reading this book. The subject matter alone was interesting enough for me to overlook the book's faults, and it is obvious that Stockman has done his homework (He KNOWS U2). In the end, I felt myself to be a kindred spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended book about U2
Review: Walk On, The Spiritual Journey of U2 brilliantly tells the story of the spiritual side of U2, arguably the biggest band in the world. The author does a good job of not spending too much time on any certain period of time. Rather, he outlines the changes the band has gone through, and the frustration of being typecast by the church and the media alike. The author describes the feeling you get at a live U2 concert. How does one retain their Christian views when you're not able to attend church without a crowd gathering? This book answeres this question and many more. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys U2's music, or anyone who still hasn't found what they're looking for.

Rating:
Summary: I finally found what I've been looking for...
Review: Doesn't it always seem like U2's spiritual life gets short shrift?--one lousy question per interview with Bono. I always want more, and finally, Stockman has delivered it. He uses his extensive knowledge of the U2 Canon combined with his pastoral skills to bring understanding and insight to the meandering postmodern faith journey of the world's most fascinating band.

While Stockmen draws heavily on already printed interviews and media sources for his direct quotes of band members (many of which I'd read elsewhere first), I found his comments on their comments helpful and surprisingly, not distracting. In fact, Stockman's own faith is refreshing in a world of evangelicalsim that doesn't give much breathing room to artists. U2, as he describes them, is the quintessential postmodern expression of faith through art. No wonder they rankle at times. And no wonder they inspire! My expression of faith was challenged by Stockman's incisive thoughts about how to be a Christian in a postmodern world.

This book is especially satisfying to fans who've memorized lyrics, attended multiple concerts and read anything related to U2. Stockman pulls the pieces together in one long satisfying research paper that is neither stuffy or fluffy. Instead, he writes in comfortable prose and relies on well-documented research.

The only thing missing is a fresh interview with Bono so that Stockman could have asked him his three questions.

This book encouraged me in my faith journey--to keep being true to questions and answers, and to live my spiritual life authentically.

Rating:
Summary: Postmodern, huh?
Review: "U2's post-modern worldview ... allows mystery and confusion to sit alongside faith." (p.150)
Well, at least explain what you mean by 'post-modern.'
The big problem I had with this book was that Stockman mentions the terms, "Church," "Evangelicalists (is that the same as "evangelists?")" and "Evangelical Christianity" several times each but never bothers to explain what those terms mean.
I was reignited a year ago in a church unlike most other churches I've seen. It may go down as the best move I ever made. I go to an impressive church and I'm not ashamed of it.
When I read past the vague terminology and Stockman's bitterness toward America and "the Church," I found tremendous insight regarding the Biblical themes that are inherant in this band's music. I like U2 more than ever and recomend that all Christians look into this band. Jesus is one of their fans - maybe that's why they've lasted so long.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Companion for the U2 Fan
Review: "Walk On" is a very informative book on the spiritual background of the group. Stockman has followed the group from the beginning and knows what he's talking about. For me, being both a Christian and a U2 fan, I found this book facinating because it answered so many questions, the main question being the spiritual integrety of the group. What I learned from the book was as much a lesson on biblical faith vs. the modern Christian right as it was on U2. Stockman makes clear the presure put on Bono and U2 to become the poster band for Evangelical Christians in the US, when the last thing they wanted to do was become alligned with hypocritical people and televangelists. As a result, U2 changed thier persona and made their albums and tours into an act to show the decadence and emptyness of superstardom. All the while, Stockman contends that U2 (minus Adam) has a deeply rooted faith born in Ireland where being a Christian was about as radical a thing as you could be. Each chapter of the book centers around a different album thoughout the bands career where Stockman digs deeper into the lyrics, eventually leading to the most recent "Elevation" tour. When I saw the Elevation tour in 2000, it left feeling blessed as if I was in Church at a worship service. Bono states the same thing about the tour and their latest music, which is more of a return to faith. The only knock on this book is that Stockman talks almost entirely about lyrics, and doesn't really cover the musical directions the band has taken over the years. While this was his intent, it was a little frustrating to read, for example, about the lyrical triumph of "Zooropa" when the music was at it's most experiental state. I suppose this book would be even better if read along side another book that chronicles the bands musical direction from album to album. Overall, this book tought me a lot about U2, the religious community of today, and my own personal faith. I highly recommend it to anyone who really wants to understand the heart behind the greatest rock band today.

Rating:
Summary: where is the talk of greed?
Review: actually, the aspiring "writer" from the "good ol' U.S.A." is mistaken in his "review." This book has some pretty good info. on Bono, could of been a little better though. But it is "relevant" what publisher publishes this--it would be nice, as "freelance_writer" stated, if rich "christian" media moguls would obey, economically speaking, the words of the people they are making money off of; I could then see buying this book. Jesus said give up everything for him to the rich man. Not, "make money off me and my follower's words so you can buy another SUV while kids in Africa starve." There needs to be more accountability, economically speaking, of the super-rich, especially Christians. "aspiring writer" asked "how God would feel" about someone taking a scripture out of context, but that was not out of context--it could apply to the CEOs who employ sweat shop laborers, or moguls. Actually, how would God feel, if people were making money off of his words and then hording it all themselves while kids in Africa starve? And yes, people are worth the wages they work for. But one has to work first. I even think homeless people should work for food, but some super-rich people don't work for their money--they just are given it or invest in the stock market. There just seems to be a new wave of "christianity" which is a wolf in sheep's clothing, based on money, bling-bling, ego based on false pride and corvettes. I'm not just talking about some at this publisher, but people such as Benny Hinn. And the new fight for tax cuts for the rich is based around a group that calls themselves "conservative Christians."

Rating:
Summary: uh, wait a minute...
Review: I believe the book is worth having on your shelf--even if you have points of disagreement--but this is a response to a provocative recent review ("freelance writer from Lakeland, FL., May 17, 2003"). This reviewer gives some thoughtful critiques of the publisher's tendencies but then veers off into some unfair ground.

Just because the publisher is the son of a media mogul doesn't necessarily mean it's a negative. Could he help who he was born to? Can he control who his father is? Some sons follow in their dad's vocational footsteps, others don't; he did, and he should have that freedom.

The charge of Relevant making money "off the Gospel" is similarly problematic. Doesn't the Bible say somewhere that "the worker is worth his or her wages"? What if he has put in long hours of dreaming, praying, and working hard? Should he be ragged on for that? I don't pretend to know what Cameron Strang (Relevant's publisher) is doing (or not doing) with his money, but the reviewer seems to imply it might not be so good without citing any evidence.

But the reviewer truly does a disservice when he quotes the New Testament book of James, 5:1-6, when referring to how Relevant doesn't pay its writers who contribute to their web site or their magazine. If one takes the trouble to look up these six verses, it's a monumental leap when you consider the final verse--"You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you." No wonder the reviewer didn't quote the actual passage! I've heard many people complain when their words have been taken out of context (I've complained myself)--but imagine how God must feel!

Believe it or not, many web sites and mags don't pay writers, but some love to write and/or see their name in print and don't mind that (or desire to get their writing career launched, pay or not). However, the question should be asked--Why doesn't Relevant pay? Those in charge would know and hopefully when asked, would offer an honest response. It seems a nominal amount paid to show a good faith effort should be offered but I'm not privy as to why they don't pay, so I can't say. What does this have to do with "Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2"? Uh, not much, but it's not totally off the beaten path.

Rating:
Summary: You mean, you haven't interviewed U2?
Review: This book was ok at best.... Yes, I agree that Stockman did a good job with the research. If you do choose to read, make a note and read the books he mentioned later! It seems that some of the points he makes are somewhat of a leap. If you want a compelling read about U2 where all sides to the group are well presented because of time spent with them, I would suggest reading U2: At the End of the World by Bill Flanagan. He is a wonderful writer and I can't quit flipping the pages!

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but could of been better writing.
Review: This book is a great idea, but it could of been a lot better.
The publisher also seems to be obsessed with a sort of fast-food spirituality, based on pop music and rap stars, a celebration of capitalism and ghetto greed, ego and lameness in one. It is kind of a youth group mentality, with phrases such as "straight-up fascinating" on their web site. Remember when you would visit certain youth groups, and it's all the nerds from school that form their own clique's in the youth group, excluding anyone that is socially acceptable outside of the youth group walls? This is the same idea, but the people are not youths, and instead 25-35 year olds. Pretty pathetic.

While I think faith integration is very important, I find it hard to feel smarter after perusing Relevant's web site. I feel that they are trying to dumb down the gospel, and are trying to emulate the world of celebrity-obsessed pop culture. (Read Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down). I wonder if Relevant existed in the 80's, would they have a book entitled "The Gospel According to New Kids on the Block"? I also get frustrated when the "church" or a group of Christians try to turn the gospel into a sort of commodity or product, put forth by a for-profit business. Instead of sharing the gospel, they seem to try to sell the gospel. The owner, Cameron Strang, is son of Media Mogul owner of Strang Communications. So much for being a "start-up" with grassroots workers...

It would be nice if Strang and company would listen to the words of Bono and more importantly Jesus about giving to the poor instead of making money off of both Bono and Jesus' popularity. Perhaps James 5:1-6 would be applicable, since Relevant does not pay its web site and magazine writers? Or what about Ecclesiastes and wealth is meaningless?

People that make money off the gospel should be even more accountable, along with pastors, of where their money goes. There are starving kids in Africa, and we have pastors and "Christian" media moguls in America driving their nice cars and living in Million-Dollar homes.