Another Green World?

Eno, Ireland and U2

Authors

  • Noel McLaughlin Northumbria University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/pomh.v9i2.29457

Keywords:

Bono, Brian Eno, colonialism, cultural identity, hybridity, imperialism, Ireland, Irish popular music, Irish rock, post-colonialism, U2

Abstract

This article explores a neglected area of popular music scholarship: the different aspects of auteur producer Brian Eno’s often complex relationship with Irish rock band, U2 and their home nation. It considers the cultural and political significance of Eno’s technical, aesthetic and philosophical innovations in his work with U2 in relation to wider debates about Irish cultural identity as articulated through music. It also explores how U2 and the Irish context may have reciprocally influenced aspects of Eno’s approach to artistic production. The article also seeks to situate these ideas within broader popular historical discourses that frame the Eno and U2 relationship.

Author Biography

  • Noel McLaughlin, Northumbria University

    Noel McLaughlin is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Design at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He has written extensively about Irish rock and popular music. Noel’s most recent book is Rock and Popular Music in Ireland: Before and After U2 (with Martin McLoone, Irish Academic Press, 2012) and he is currently co-editing a special edition of Popular Music History with Sean Campbell exploring Irish popular music in Britain. Alongside this, Noel is working on a new monograph, The Rock Musician on Film, as well as developing an article about popular music, city space and gentrification. He currently lives in west London.

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Published

2015-12-24

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

McLaughlin, N. (2015). Another Green World? Eno, Ireland and U2. Popular Music History, 9(2), 173-194. https://doi.org/10.1558/pomh.v9i2.29457