Achtoon Baby!

By
Jo D.

25 November 2020

ACHTUNG U2 FAM !

If you hang out long enough with U2 fans, you will probably realise how often you hear the same thing no matter who you’re talking to – “The things we do for that band seriously…”. Yup. That’s true. The money we spend, the miles we travel, the insane hours we wake up at, and everything we just leave behind in a heartbeat just to be with them – like your boss, or your banker. Ahem. You know what I mean.

The things we do for that band seriously…

But there’s something we don’t necessarily mention that often, even though it’s probably just as important as the loans contracted because of these guys. Actually, it’s a lot more important. And I think even Larry would agree on that. Maybe.

The things that band inspires us to do… Ha. Yes. That.

The way they inspire us comes in all sorts of ways, from mere daydreaming about leather pants, to actually taking actions to make the world a better place. They’re pretty darn good at covering all bases.

But there’s more than that… When they inspire us to inspire.

When they inspire us to transcend what they give us. When they inspire us to create… Am I getting confusing again? I am not too sure… So I guess, what i’m saying is that, babe, it must be…art? – Back to your body Bono, stop that voodoo shit please.

ART, people! ACHTUNG ART! ACHTUNG KUNST! – yeah I make U2 puns in german now… and no I don’t speak german but I’m in a smarty pants mood.

One of the most important traits of our species, the ability to create… art. And now we’re at a crossroads U2Fam, we either go full philosophical and discuss the impact of Art on humanity and ultimately how it is one of the foundations of society or… I get back to the point. Yes. Let’s do that one instead.

Art doesn’t just imitate life, it sublimes it – and eh, we have someone in the community who’s been pretty good at this for the last, what, 18 years or so?

Need a clue ? (Hello you)

ACHTUNG ACHTOON!

You might have figured it out by now, or probably not because I don’t make much sense pre coffee, but I’m talking about – obviously – Kelly Eddington’s new nest for her dear Achtoon Baby.

We’ve all seen Kelly’s paintings at some point, all of us. No matter if you visited Atu2 on a regular basis or not, you know what I’m talking about. Whenever U2 and Art are mentioned, those amazeballs watercolor paintings tend to show up like a little fresh breeze of beauty. There are quite a bunch of talented people out there, but I’ve always been blown away by those and personally, I can’t really think of anything else that comes close to Kelly’s work.

Until recently, that collection of paintings and cartoons had a home in the Achtoon Baby section of Atu2. And if you’re not living deep in the woods or on the far end of Antarctica, you know now that those doors have closed. Achtung… it’s time to move on, Baby.

Luckily, those bags were packed and ready to go, and even if moving into a new place is always a lot more work than one can think and let’s be honest such a pain in the butt sometimes, our sweet Achtoon Baby got settled into its new place quite fast all considering and eh, even got a new roommate!

Obviously, I had to pay those guys a visit as soon as they finished unpacking – because I have absolutely no manners – and went snooping around. (Again. No manners).

Kelly and PJ promised us an “all-you-can-eat U2 dessert buffet” – perfect host manners – and they totally delivered. Damn. The whole place is so neat. I have no idea how they managed that. I mean I still have unopened boxes from the last time I moved, and that was 3 years ago.

Highly colorful home, eye catching rockstars everywhere, rooms full of giggles and amazement on every corner. Life should be fragrant, rooftop to the basement – get out of my head you darn (adorable) Irish! – and that’s pretty much the feeling when you walk into that (virtual) room.

Let’s begin well at the beginning. You’ve got the whole archive of Kelly’s cartoons waiting for you to discover or rediscover. That’s a lot of years of work people. And a lot of cartoons. But you know what’s even better? The amount of laughs you’ll get from them. It’s the little things that you either never saw, or just kinda forgot about. If memory lane was always that bright and fun, no one would ever have issues dealing with their past.

Get ready to also “wow” a lot for obvious reasons. And like in any other Art Gallery – because that cartoon section def is one and should be in a museum somewhere. Oh wait – you’ll be talking a lot to yourself in reaction to well, BEAUTY.

Actual footage of Edge rediscovering Achtoon Baby. Of course it’s legit. Ahem.

I’m not gonna go full analysis on this, firstly because I have absolutely no expertise on art other than my own eyes, and because it’s just oh-so subjective.

We can all see beauty of course, but I believe that you can recognize a good painting when it makes you feel something. Just like with words, those paint brushes carry emotions and feelings – and when these get to you, then it’s a win. And in my honest opinion, Kelly is insanely good at winning.

But, again, Achtung! Those paintings are pretty mesmerizing and you might end up staring in awe at your screen and grow old before even realising what’s happening to you. Now, I know that ‘nothing can cure the soul but the senses’ but you don’t need to go all Dorian Gray on this, because the way those are narrated will definitely snap you back to life. From the thrill of those U2 adventures, to the giggle inducing captions and everything in between… Bono was right (as always), it’s brilliant.

There’s more !

Make sure to check the Kelly & PJ section of the site which might keep you busy for some time too. They said it best so i’ll steal their own words for it “a sort of online zine with a feminist/fangirl point of view”.

Now that is an excellent point. Fangirl. Feminist. Women of the world take over and this is the best of news. Please bear with me til the end of this little rant aparté or you might miss the point.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve always been around the community, but maybe we weren’t just as “seen” as our males counterparts. This fandom has always been more masculine than anything else, apart from a few exceptions. Just look around. Look at the fan sites, look at the initiatives, look at the “fans in charge”… What about us gals? The lambda female fan? Where is our representation? When do you hear about us? Well. Mostly when we get on stage with Bono. Eh. Sorry, but fuck that. That’s not what we are. We’ve got a voice. And trust me it’s damn loud. But thankfully, I think the tide is turning and people are finally ready to listen. The band is definitely helping to steer the wheel in that direction. I’m seeing a lot more female fans doing their own stuff these past few years and rocking the hell out of it. You go girls, we need you all. And guys? We love you. Coexist.

Anyways. I can hear some of you grumbling, but I’m known for my blunt honesty and sometimes stuff needs to be said out loud. Or written on a crappy blog. Not sorry.

Back to the point. Kelly and PJ!

Remember what I said earlier about a good painting? Well. That works with writing too. So seriously, don’t miss this section. It’s filled with memories that will make you smile, maybe bring some dust in the room or make you nod vigorously in agreement throughout your reading. Go for it, actual good posts and proper writing – not like the nonsense you’ve been reading for the last minutes – it’s definitely well worth a few minutes of your life.

So yeah, Achtung Achtoon guys, there’s a lot of stuff to discover and rediscover on that site. And the more your read, and open pages, the more you realise how much material there is. It’s frankly very impressive. That’s what you call a true labor of love so kudos ladies, seriously, wowzer. Talking about love…

What I love best about this brand new shiny website is well, what I love best about U2 as well. It’s that extra little something. That something you can just feel and see whenever you see the lads on stage, or in this case on those web pages. Can you see it? It’s love, guys. The friendship. The interaction between two souls that just ‘squeeze out sparks of light’ – Seriously man? Again?

That’s the ultimate secret folks, when you take talented people and put them together in a room, magic can happen. But when you put talented friends together, damn, i’m not even sure how you’re supposed to call it – that’s a freaking cosmical firework show in the making.

Art, adventures, giggles and friendship. That makes a good summary of what i’ve seen while visiting the new home of Achtoon Baby and.. Oh wait. Uh oh. Oh my …. I just got it. The Bono voodoo shit. That’s why!! I’m so gonna get my arse kicked by fake rockstars for almost forgetting this bit…

Dear BAE of course! The most brilliant, talented, interesting and gorgeous Fake Rockstars on the World Wide Web – did I say gorgeous? Fine, twice then, just to be safe. That might work… (Fake B sure gets grumpy when you forget about him. Fingers crossed).

You have no idea what I’m talking about? (Don’t say yes or take cover first). See Kelly and PJ are good people, and when they heard that Fake Bono and Fake Edge were also losing their home with AtU2 closing down, they were generous enough to invite them to their new home. (I can hear you muttering Fake B, but yes, they did you a favor not the other way around, just accept it now. Plus you got the big room. #DefinitelyGettingMyArseKicked). And I am so very grateful for that because those previous words weren’t just empty praise, those Fake rock stars are indeed brilliant, and by far my fake favs.

So if you never met before, I won’t spoil you the fun, and don’t worry about being starstruck, they’re pretty nice (especially Fake E but you didn’t hear that from me)

Alright U2 Fam, time to wrap this up. I hope you’ll take the time to go check Kelly and PJ’s work because I have absolutely no doubt you’ll enjoy all of it. You can find everything and more this way :

ACHTOON BABY!

Meanwhile I’m gonna lay low for a few in case Fake B actually read that last bit.

And eh, Achtoon Baby – you may have lost your first home with AtU2 closing down but don’t worry baby, it’s gonna be alright. That’s just called growing up, and I’m sure you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.

Paint, write and create the world you need to see ladies, because hell, that sure is a world I’d love to live in.