U2 Diary Surfaces!

Er, actually, that's a comprehensive, researched history of the band, not an actual diary from the band, but we just liked the headline...

By Mandy Rodgers

Matt McGee is a long-time U2 fan and since 1995 has helmed a Web site devoted to the band. The site, www.atu2.com, is the oldest, independent U2 fansite out there and for his efforts, McGee has won numerous awards from radio shows and magazines, including Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone. All of his hard work and long-researched nights are paying off now with the release of his own semi-biography of the legends, U2: A Diary.

McGee has long considered himself a U2 historian and contacted Omnibus Press for an opportunity to write a book about the rockers. The pitch he gave the company didn't go through, but they asked him to write a sort of diary (like they had previously published about the Beatles) about U2, and he immediately agreed. To gather information for the book, which follows Bono's parents' wedding all the way to the present, McGee enlisted the help of his avid Web site readers. Fans from around the world sent in stories, anecdotes and information about U2 for McGee's compilation. One man from Ireland, Donal Murphy, made several trips to a library in Ireland for information, including the wedding of Bono's parents.

The Web site, www.u2diary.com, served as a ground for conversation and revelation throughout the book's creation. McGee continues to update the blog, now to include news about the book's release and articles written about it. Many key moments in U2's history are highlighted, like U2's first studio session at CBS Records, Bono's visiting Central America in 1986 and his work to support the ONE Campaign.