"The Fly" [04:53]

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Video Information

“The Fly” was the first video from the album Achtung Baby and was filmed over ten days by directors Richie Smyth and Jon Klein. Smyth worked with the band first at an industrial estate on the outskirts of Dublin, filming the performance video that makes up the bulk of “The Fly” (September 13). The remainder of the footage was shot 10 days later (September 23) with directory Jon Klein at a number of locations in London, including Piccadilly Circus, the roof of the London Pavilion building there, a pub in the “red light district” of SoHo, and outside of the store Bob’s Boxes, an electronics store on Walworth Road in London. Ned O’Hanlon discussed the video: “It took two days to shoot and a lot of editing. We had two directors, Richie who did the performance and Jon who did the conceptual. It was a very “interesting’ time. It took a long time to complete. It was a very important time for the band. They were mixing the album downstairs and we were editing upstairs. We all got caught up in the cabin fever.”

This video has a extended introduction with a portion of the “Lounge Fly” remix playing over images of Bono walking around Piccadilly Circus and causing some trouble. Bono during filming even bought a model London bus, and then raced out in the street to place it in front of the real thing which is captured in the video intro. This intro was sometimes cut off when the video was aired. Filming of Bono around Piccadilly was done from the roof of the London Pavilion so as to not draw additional interest in Bono’s antics in the crowded area.

There was a detailed article about the filming of “The Fly” in issue 15 of the band’s magazine Propaganda. The article reveals that the filming of “The Fly” was a definite distraction to finishing Achtung Baby:

It is mid-September and although “The Fly” may be in the can, the rest of Achtung Baby is not there yet. The band have one more working week in which to get the new songs completed before the master tape flies off to Los Angeles under the protection of Edge for “the cut.” In consequence of which, today, a Friday, is the only day available to shoot the performances element of the new video.

Later in the same day the band moved to Walworth Road where they filmed a scene in front of an electronics store called “Bob’s Boxes” – which has had its front window refitted with 16 state of the art television sets, which are showing images from the Zoo TV tour while Bono has fun outside the store, reacting to the televisions, and even finding a large recliner to curl up in. In the window you can see a reflection for the Chinese restaurant “Winner”. At one point a patron of the restaurant came across the street to see if Bono would like some food. “Bob’s Boxes” is no more. The restaurant “Winner” still exists but it has moved from it’s original location.

Video Shooting Locations

Quick Start - Leaflet

Additional Screen Captures

Video Credits

Directors: Richie Smyth, Jon Klein
DIrector of Photography: Declan Quinn / John Matheson
Editor: Maurice Linnane
Producers: Ned O’Hanlon, Juliet Naylor
Production Company: Dreamchaser Productions