News article about Vertigo

Sheridan Gets U2 on a Roll With Video Ideas

Jim Sheridan, the Oscar-nominated director, is turning his hand to something new -— rock music. The country's leading filmmaker has agreed to help U2 make videos for their forthcoming album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Bono has described Sheridan, 55, as a "mentor" and the two have been friends for more than 25 years. The U2 lead singer penned one of the theme tunes for Sheridan's recent award-winning film, In America, and also worked on his 1993 hit, In the Name of the Father.

"He's a mentor to me," said Bono, who performed rock songs as a teenager in a theatre owned by Sheridan. "It's like he's always been a presence in my life."

A spokesperson for Sheridan's Hell's Kitchen company told the Sunday Times: "Jim is a great admirer and friend of Bono and the Edge. He enjoys working with them. 'Vertigo' (U2's single) is already shot, and he has given the lads some advice on certain aspects."

"Jim is a world-class director and his ideas are mind blowing," said a U2 source.

"The lads hired two very clever directors, but Jim was in the background, lending a hand."

Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol, the two French directors, put together a crew of 60 to shoot the scenes in the wildlife sanctuary of Punta del Fangar, an hour south of Barcelona in Spain. The video sees the band engaged in a spectacular adventure involving helicopters, quad bikes and cranes.

The Edge said: "We had rain, high winds and were sandblasted to bits. How come Duran Duran got to go to the Seychelles and hang out with beautiful girls on yachts?" Sheridan once said Bono, 43, was an inspiration, claiming the singer should be an "a**hole" because of his power and money but had shown "tremendous resilience and personal strength not to become one."

The new album is out next month and marks a return to U2's rock and roll roots.

"It feels like a special record," said Bono. "From the start, we wanted to make our own Who's Next, where every track mattered, and I think we have done that."

U2 will kick off a European tour next June by playing the new Hill 16 venue at Croke Park on June 26 and 27.

James McDonald