Actually, it's the record label that went crazy when it came to Negativland, U2 themselves weren't really involved in the process. Two of the guys from Negativland sprung the news on The Edge during a mock interview, here's an excerpt:
"The Edge: I wasn't, I didn't have any problem with it [the Negativland release]. I think Casey Kasem could have. I mean the problem really was by the time it really, by the time we realized what was going on it was kinda too late, and we actually did approach the record company on your behalf and said, "Look, c'mon, this is just, this is very heavy..."
Don (Negativland): Oh, what did they say?
The Edge: But at that point, on the point of principle, their attitude was, "Well, look, OK, we're not gonna look for damages but we, we're not about to swallow our own legal costs." The way it ended up, they were looking for costs, not damages. "
Also, I remember seeing an interview with Bono quiet a few years back where someone asked him about MP3's and file sharing. He basically stated that it was virtually the same thing as copying tapes back in the 80's, and he couldn't care less. I don't have a source for that one, sadly, but I remember it very well.
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Actually, it's the record label that went crazy when it came to Negativland, U2 themselves weren't really involved in the process. Two of the guys from Negativland sprung the news on The Edge during a mock interview, here's an excerpt:
"The Edge: I wasn't, I didn't have any problem with it [the Negativland release]. I think Casey Kasem could have. I mean the problem really was by the time it really, by the time we realized what was going on it was kinda too late, and we actually did approach the record company on your behalf and said, "Look, c'mon, this is just, this is very heavy..."
Don (Negativland): Oh, what did they say?
The Edge: But at that point, on the point of principle, their attitude was, "Well, look, OK, we're not gonna look for damages but we, we're not about to swallow our own legal costs." The way it ended up, they were looking for costs, not damages. "
Also, I remember seeing an interview with Bono quiet a few years back where someone asked him about MP3's and file sharing. He basically stated that it was virtually the same thing as copying tapes back in the 80's, and he couldn't care less. I don't have a source for that one, sadly, but I remember it very well.
So, in closing, Paul McGuinness is an idiot.