2.3.6 What is The Joshua Trio? (U2)
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This article is from the U2 FAQ, by Maryann Stump stumpm@juno.com with numerous contributions by others.
2.3.6 What is The Joshua Trio? (U2)
[AK] I know all about the Joshua Trio as it was some mates of mine that
put the whole thing together. I did the
graphics for the one and only single release (only in the UK and
Ireland). Basically the Joshua Trio sprung
from the overblown state of U2 circa Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum. We were
in art college in Dublin and three
friends had established a punk/country band called the Dodge City
Slickers. The Slickers were very theatrical
and were a great laugh while they lasted. Just prior to the Joshua Tree
tour in the States we were involved in
doing some 'club design' stuff in the Factory for a birthday party for
Adam Clayton. There was a little stage set
up where pretty much everybody was gigging on by nights end. There was
the strange combo of U2, Cactus
World News, The Dodge City Slickers, and Hank Halfhead and his Rambling
Turkeys all doing covers.
Anyway when the Slickers broke up Paul the singer had this idea of a
jazz combo which only did U2 covers. It
was a tongue in cheek idea which then developed into a greater concept:
'To bring the music of U2 to a wider audience'
Bono at this point was acting very egotistical and moralistic so the
idea of Bono as a religious guru with a
message to spread became part of the Trio's concept. The band wore either
angels wings and 'Jesus style' towels
around their waist or (in Paul's case) a toga and a medallion with Bonos'
face on it.
The jazz (and trio) idea gradually turned into a wider musical thing,
with jazz, country, metal, loungebar and
just plain stupid interpretations of U2 stuff. Also songs about U2 ('the
edge has got his hat on', 'nothing
compares to U2') 'Nothing compares' was sung by 'guest star' Sinead (Paul
in a bathing cap).
The movie was a proposal called (if memory serves) 'The last temptation
of Bono' (or something). It involved a
cast of Irish music types and would have been very funny. It was offered
(ironically) as a serious venture and
was taken as such by a variety of media types. Arthur, who was in the
early version of the Trio is a very talented
comedy writer for TV who is flavour of the month in the UK at the moment.
The Trio became very popular in Ireland for a period and took to
bringing donkeys into venues for gigs and
such like. They had some interesting forays into England where they had a
strange small cult following. For
some reason Japanese girls seemed to love them (?)
A single/ep was released through Son (part of the U2 stable) which got
good airplay in the UK but never sold
very well (you could never find the thing!). It was a country version of
'The Fly' with a couple of live numbers.
With the Zoo TV tour the joke didn't make as much sense (although there
were gigs in Dublin with televisions,
washing machines and bicycles on stage) and the band lost interest.
There you go. A potted history of the
Joshua Trio
[MJS] The movie was to be called "The Last Temptation of Chris DeBurgh,"
the Joshua Trio dropped hints
about the plot in an interview with Hot Press that can be found in Three
Chords and The Truth.
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