Some dancing GIFs for the party season...

Love this photo from the 1995 calendar by Oliver Books. There is no photographer credit, so please tell me if you know who took it!

Over a thousand new screencaps recently added to the ZooTV Live From Sydney image gallery!

Mr MacPhisto isn't that impressed...

Jacknife Lee was recently interviewed on the Curious Creatures podcast ('Jacknife Lee Pt. 1: The Stroke of True Genius' from 27th July 2023) and spoke about his involvement with Bono's book tour. The most surprising revelation is that there was apparently going to be a MacPhisto bit, which they ended up cutting as it was "really dark" and "way too weird"?! The relevant anecdote is from 10:34 to 12:16 and is quite confusingly told... he talks about Bono doing impersonations in the show, says there was going to be a story about Bono having to meet with Rupert Murdoch (complete with horrifying underscore) as a bridge between 'Streets' and 'Desire', then says: "Bono in early U2 shows used to do this character MacPhisto, which was like, you know, a Faust-like thing. So it became that." (Not sure if he means the Murdoch impersonation was going to morph into MacPhisto or what!) He adds that "it was kind of outrageous, very glam, a bit camp, scary, very funny", which is an excellent description of Mac in general. :)

Delighted that MacPhisto's speech from Milan 3 on the EI Tour was included as a bonus track on the U2.com subscribers' CD 'Achtung Baby 30 Live' - plus the booklet has a bunch of photos I hadn't seen before! Two unfamiliar images from Anton Corbijn's photoshoot, some sort of composite image from a ZooTV show, and one from the EI Tour (not sure who took those two):









While I'm sharing pics, here are some lovely MacPhisto photos from a 1996 calendar (photographer unknown):

This is a recording from US radio network Westwood One, broadcast just before the second Dublin show on 28th August 1993. Dave Fanning says a U2 crew member rang his house from backstage, got the answerphone, then accidentally recorded themself having a 9 minute conversation with Bono "as MacPhisto" about plans for tonight's speech / phone call!  He jokes that the tape is for sale if anyone wants to buy it - I wonder if anyone did, or if it still exists at all. I would so love to hear it!!

The MP3s of MacPhisto's ZooTV and EI Tour speeches can be downloaded in a single RAR file if anyone wants the full set - just scroll to the bottom of the folders!

~ Kevin Davies recently shared a never-seen-before photograph of MacPhisto's trip to the Vatican on his Instagram account. What an absolute thrill that there is still "new" stuff to discover from this era - and what a gorgeous pic!

~ Intriguingly, it's been announced that the U2 Conference in May 2023 will have the theme "Zooropa and MacPhisto 30 Years Later". I wonder what this will cover!

~ If you get a chance to watch the 2018 documentary 'Salman Rushdie: The Death On A Trail', I recommend doing so - I recorded it on Sky Arts and it includes some wonderful clips of MacPhisto's Wembley speech that I had never seen before. :D

I discovered only recently that MacPhisto was interviewed in Select magazine as the Villain of '93!



Have you seen much of your mate Salman Rushdie lately?
"One falls out with one's biographer eventually..."

How old are you?
"Age is the cosmetic surgeon's press officer."

Do you believe in God?
"Oh yes. We used to be such good friends. That was a while ago, but my door is always open."

What makes you take up a career in rock 'n' roll so late stage in life?
"I'm a sucker for lost causes."

What's the nicest thing you've ever done?
"Charity events... not all of them, but some of them."

Do you have an Ansaphone message?
"I don't have an answering machine. I don't take incoming calls. Only outgoing. I just call to say I love them."

It's often been said the devil has the best tunes. What are your favourites?
"Oh yes, I was there at the beginning... with the old idea of combining African rhythms with European melody, a rather fine combination don't you think? Well, it caught on and I haven't looked back since. Death metal? Oh, anything that obvious can't be dangerous. Brotherhood Of Man do a much better job for me."

If you had to endorse a brand of takeaway food, which would it be?
"Hot Chocolate has always been haute cuisine to me."

Do you smoke?
"Yes, but I don't inhale."

Would you go in for body piercing?
"I've a pair of horns... tridents are a little passé now, a little gauche. My main concern is to be ahead of the times. It's important to touch with the young people, after all you can be thrown out of a party for wearing the wrong shoes, for goodness sake, so the trident had to go. But one should never underestimate the value of a visible symbol. Body piercing, hmmm... I like doing it, rather than having it done to me. I have to be careful not to go too far or I'll end up with a much smaller cult audience and that would be a complete waste of time. Encourage your flock to multiply, I've learnt that from some of the more successful organised religions."

Tell us a joke.
"I may have to recall David Koresh's last words: 'Is it hot in here or am I going crazy?' A question I've asked myself many times."

Do you like the New Brutalism in film?
"Fear of the Devil leads to Devil worship."

What do you think of Bono?
"I have no desire to give him my column inches!  But I will say I've been trying to lighten up the act somewhat. Bringing a little glamour to the show, a little showbusiness... panache they call it in Europe. Essentially I'm an entertainer. Bono's coming along nicely, but he's not there yet. Is he too serious? Certainly not. He's a Pet Shop Boys fan!  I'd describe him as tall, slim, handsome, ludicrous IQ and funny with it. That's what I always tell him. Basically, he's a misunderstood genius, don't you think?"

Heroes and villains of '93?
"I'm happy to fraternise with anyone. I'm not a snob. After all, villains are simply out of step with the law and heroes have just got the common touch. I usually have a look-in somewhere, even if my influence isn't obvious. You know, when you see politicians waving on TV or in press photos? Often they're waving at me. You'd be surprised how far I get."

What's your house like?
"A doorless mansion."

All of MacPhisto's EI Tour speeches can now be downloaded in MP3 format. I have also recently replaced many of the ZooTV MP3s with more complete or better quality versions. :)