On October 12, 2006, Eric Shivvers' custom painted U2 jeans granted him access to sit on Oprah Winfrey's couch minutes before the queen of television talk interviewed Bono, lead singer of U2, about his quest to rid Africa of AIDS with his Red Campaign. Asked by an associate producer why he was a die-hard fan of Bono, Eric explained, "because he's passionate about his causes. He believes what he's doing socially is for the betterment of all of us." Sitting on Oprah's couch that day was the closest Eric had ever been to his idol without a crush of fans. I'm a Fan - How I married U2 into my life without going to the altar is an inside look at one of U2's most passionate fans, Eric Shivvers. Eric, a fan of the Irish band for over 25 years, takes us on his journey. From the collapse of his parent's marriage to sitting on Oprah's couch shortly before Bono takes the stage for a taping, Eric shares with us his parent's divorce, his battle with depression, his mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's and other life issues while U2 sits in the background playing the sound track to his life.
About the Author: Eric Shivvers is an avid music fan who grew up in an academic household where opportunities of travel and exposure to the arts and culture abound. His first foray in rock band fandom began at age seven when he desired to be like KISS's drummer Peter Criss. Much to Eric's chagrin, he was given a violin by his mother and expected to practice Mozart under the KISS posters, which lined his bedroom walls. At the age of nine, Eric's musical passion was set ablaze when he witnessed the punk movement on the streets of London while he was on sabbatical leave with his parents in 1977. Four years later, Eric and his family lived in the South of France where Eric observed the Polish Solidarity marches, in Paris, in December 1981. Both the punk movement and the Solidarity marches had a profound impact on Eric as well as U2. During high school, numerous friends and peers tried to influence Eric with U2. The valiant attempts of introduction to the Irish quartet failed until one Christmas when Eric went on his own U2 self-discovery and he got hooked. A few years later, when he entered the hallowed halls of the University of Iowa as a sophomore, U2 was crisscrossing America on the Joshua Tree Tour. They were scheduled to play in Cedar Falls, Iowa but had to change venues. The band decided to play Iowa City, where Eric was attending college. It was a magical night and the first of many for Eric, seeing his band play live. After college, Eric packed up his life and moved to Chicago to pursue his career as a graphic designer. He started in the back of a print shop, hand-setting type, and eventually moved into the advertising world building ad campaigns, Web sites, designing logos and executing direct mail pieces. All along the way, he never lost his passion for U2. In fact, he had a creative idea of custom-painting clothing for them and made it into their inner sanctum, one of Eric's greatest achievements as a graphic designer. Over the past twenty years, Eric has custom painted jeans, which have been auctioned off at the Cannes Film Festival's Cinema Against AIDS event as well as various New York charity events sponsored by amfAR. Eric is a freelance graphic designer, residing in Chicago, where he spends his free time with his wife checking out great food haunts as well as seeing the next generation of musicians who pass through the Windy City.