1. Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month November 2011 is user VOLKAN.


    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    “I am an accountant for a private company.”

    How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
    “When I was 14 years old, I had a very large amount of music collection from here and there. I was listening to anybody. I had heard about U2’s music since 1987, but I had not had any special interest in this band. In 1989 I found out that my brain could not do without Where the Streets Have No Name. It was the best thing I ever heard. And then, I decided to seek that song. First my mom bought me a U2 album. Rattle and Hum. I couldn’t believe in what I was hearing. That’s something!! The live version of Pride! It was really awesome. I was just an addict of U2. And then, came the third album, Under a Blood Red Sky. It was a lot different from the conventional U2 sound I had came across. I even thought U2 was an American band!! Because they were guys wearing cowboy hats! But I still couldn’t find what I was looking for.  Where was my song, the Streets? And after 2 weeks, I bought The Joshua Tree. I was spending my whole time with U2 music. I was waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning so as to listen to my song again and again. At the school I was singing it to my friends. That’s how I became a fan.”

    What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organized?
    “I have a huge collection of Live Albums from 1978 to 2011. About 330 live CD recordings plus official releases, CD singles, DVDs and VHS. I keep them in a special rack. Also I’ve got of hundreds photos and paper outtakes from magazines and etc., and official story books about the band that changed my life”.

    Which U2 song do you feel the most "attached" to, or means the most for you?
    “If you had asked this question 10 years ago I would probably say “The Streets” or “Pride”. But as I’m getting older, I feel that some songs start to mean different things to me. “One” is my favorite song. It is really great. It’s much more than a musical melody, a manifesto of what we are. Very deep feelings are hidden in it. The more you listen, the more you discover. As critics say it’s U2’s finest moments to that time”.

    If you could go back in time, which U2-era would you like to be in, and why?
    “Without no hesitates I would like to be a fan in 1979. I’m a nostalgic person, in a way. For me those years are very raw, fresh and exciting. I would like to see the band in their first gigs around Ireland and UK. I found their earlier song very interesting. A very different U2. That’s why the largest section of my recordings collection is between the years 1978-81.”

    What is your favorite U2 videoclip, and why?
    “Where The Streets Have No Name”. It makes you jump out of your seat and dance. The surprise U2 gig on the top of that liquor store in L.A. is one of the coolest things can happen to you in your life. It gives someone a very good proof of what U2’s music were about in that decade. Open air music. In that video the music achieves instead of the image. As I watch I become a part of it.”

    How popular is U2 in Turkey nowadays? Did the 360 concert in Istanbul have an impact on the fanbase?
    “Many people wanted to see U2 live in Turkey. But unfortunately we waited so long. There is a lot of people who enjoy U2’s music. And after the 360 concert, more people are downloading their albums, liking their videos in social web sites, and people, specially the media are seeing their quality better than ever. In facebook, I can see more addicted pages to U2 in Turkey”.

    What do you think of Bono's charity works?
    “Bono is a very good example of what we can do for the others. Changing the world should not be an utopia. If there are countries living in poverty, while the others are in luxury, than there’s something wrong. Bono and the band members are doing for good. Some cynical persons think that it’s a satisfaction for Bono’s ego. They’re liars. Saving lives is what he is doing. The solidarity and unity. Then you understand that there is a world outside. I also think Edge also has done a great work in Music Rising. I love this band.”

    When you're forced to leave to a deserted island and you can take only one U2 album with you, which would it be?
    “Well, it would be “Achtung Baby”.

    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    “I play guitar. That’s because of U2. Since 22 years I’ve learned to play and sing all of their songs. I love reading, learning languages, poetry, trips, holidays and going on walking.”


    Thanks for this interview VOLKAN!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. Argh I should've known about you before. Maybe you can help improve the Istanbul multicam?

    --> " (...) Turkey is blocking youtube as far as I know so hopefully the multicam makes its way there and maybe some people will make their files available. According to interference74 there were quite some people with good equipment... Also maybe another audio pops up, who knows .

    Eger sende bir HD Filim cevirdiysen ve daha iyi kalitede katkida bulunmak istiyorsan, ozaman lütfen o Videoyu Orginal (HD, 16) olarak bu sayfaya yükle www.megaupload.com, ve yüklenen linki bu email adrese yolla u2multicam2010@yahoo.com.
    Lütfen yolladiginiz email de isminizi veya takma ad ekleyiniz.
    (thanks to Levent O. for the translation) "

  3. What a great read. Not often you hear someone say the time they'd travel back to is 1979, the genesis of the band- great answer and great reasons. The entire interview was very nice to come across
  4. Great read!!! Becoming a fan with/because of Streets is just epic. Thank you Volkan!
  5. Nice read !!

  6. nice interview, Volkan great read, thank you
  7. Thank u people! I'm very glad to know that there are a lot of U2 fans like me!!
  8. Great interview!
    I was in Istanbul also with the concert and spoke with Paul McGuinness and became the setlist of the concert.
    Amazing trip, amazing concert (first rehearsels of Mercy), amazing people......