I met Zbych in 2006 by accident. I knew that he was famous among u2 fans. I found him in the internet, wrote e-mail because I wanted to discuss something important with him, it was very interesting project, below his rich U2 story.

I've been a fan since 1992, September 25th to be exact. It all started when I heard "Love is blindness" in the famous radio chart at Polish National Radio - Trojka. Very soon I bought the tape with Achtung Baby and ever since this has been my favorite record of all time.
I was lucky to see few week later - the Zoo TV Special on Polish TV and that totally blew me away. The U2-mania started for good and last till today.

Collecting records, bootlegs, the b-sides and solo songs, became the main theme of my fandom in the 90's, which in days without Internet was a way harder then it is now.
I was too young to go to Berlin or Budapest to see Zoo TV in 93, this unfulfilled dream still haunts me, what was so far then, seems so close now. I live in Poznan, just 290km from Berlin... but those were the times without the Internet and Berlin seemed much further away.
I got to see U2 live for the first time in Warsaw 97 on the PopMart Tour. It was hell of a show, but until the few hours before I didn't know if I'm gonna make it. My father was in hospital fighting for life, it was the hardest decision of my life... to stay with him or go to fulfill my dream, a truly dramatic question in Hamlet style.

I remember Please being highlight of a show for me, I knew it was about politics but for me it was a completely different kind of prayer then, ... thank God my father survived.
Before the next tour I went to a U2 fan gathering in small pub in Wroclaw, and this defined the second decade of my fandom. It was such an incredible experience to meet people who feel the same about U2 music, to have fun, to dance, to talk about it together. When I came home I decided to do this type of event in my city.

8 years and some 14 events later, I'm renowned for U2 Fan Gathering events in the whole country. Some of them were better some were worse, some smaller some bigger but few stand out - with the help of local Universal office I have done what I think was an European theatrical premiere of Slane DVD (full 4 days earlier than London) in November 2003... a sold out 500 cinema theatre!

As a full package - I had a lot of fun doing the ZooTV style event, celebrating the Zoo TV DVD and U218 premiere - with scenography including 5 cartoon trabbies, zoo tv neon and and belly-dancer. The Pop-Mart style-thing at the open-air cinema at the malta lake brings also a fond memories and U2-3D premiere at Poznan Imax as well.
But on top of all that experiences lays the Flag thing, which I once described in The Story of The Flag and illustrated with a semi-documental clip which you can see at youtube.
Firstly - the Why Not In Poland - which I took for the 2001 tour. Somehow at my very first elevation show in Cologne on June the 12th Bono took the flag from me during New Year's Day, the most Polish of all U2 songs. It drove me to tears... tears of joy....a great moment.
And last but not least - I've been named the Godfahter of The Flag, since it was my idea to form a gigantic Polish flag at the U2's concert in Chorzow on Vertigo Tour.
I never ever expected it to be such a success. No doubts - the moment when I had turned away and saw the whole stadium being white and red stands out as the best of my entire life.
Never have I expected that so many people will follow my idea, neither that the band will be so impressed that the whole happening will end up as Bono's highlight of Vertigo Tour which he described in U2 by U2 book.

Never had I expected to get a "Dziekuje (Thank You) - One Of The Great Days Of My Life" note from Bono when I finally met him in person in February 2008.

Chorzow was also exceptional for other reasons and it's magic continued while I got involved in creating the fan dvd. Using my contacts I helped to gather the amateur sources later used by Bartek Manana who mixed them into of the greatest fan-made bootlegs of all time.
But the greatest gift I got from U2 is not the music but friendship... I get to know so many beautiful smart and intelligent people not only from my hometown, not only from Poland but from the whole wide world. These people and their friendship is the most precious gift U2 ever gave me.

Whatever happens next one can't tell, I hope to do few more U2 fan events before I retire for family life, I hope to re-do the flag thing when U2 hits back Poland, I hope to see them few more times playing such a great shows as Cologne 2001, Gelsen 2005 and foremost Chorzow 2005, there is no line on the horizon, you never know what will happen next. See you soon somewhere out there at the Internet, Fan event or a show.

Few facts:

U2 shows so far: 13 (+ 1 Bono only - Rostock'07)
Personal encounters: Bono (an autograph + foto), Edge (handshake)
Favorite album: Achtung Baby
Favorite tour: Zoo TV
Favorite dvd: Go Home
Favorite show: Cologne - 12th July 2001 and Chorzow 5th July 2005
Favorite songs: Too many to mansion - Acrobat (if I have to name just one)
U2 Bootleg collection: 150+ shows CD, 100+ shows DVD
Favorite bands U2.....Coldplay, Pearl Jam, T.Love, Garbage, Queen, Muse