U2 - Bad

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This article first ran on Beliefnet in February of 2001.

Introduction Interview

"Ah, I always take you to the most glamorous places," said Bono with a laugh, as he hugged me in greeting one afternoon in September of 1999. He was being ironic, of course. I'd jetted around the United Kingdom with the band U2--a galvanizing force on the popular music scene for more than two decades--as I'd covered the group for Rolling Stone and other publications. That September, however, we were meeting in a completely nondescript conference room in Washington, D.C., and Bono was about to address a conference on the plight of highly indebted poor countries.

Now, a year and a half later, most people who care are familiar with the extensive, hands-on work Bono has done with the Jubilee 2000 coalition to have the world's richest nations forgive the onerous debts of the most impoverished ones.

I often wonder if religion is the enemy of God. It's almost like religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building.

Bono got involved partly to complete the work begun by the Band Aid and Live Aid events back in the '80s; partly to find a dignified, compassionate way to mark the new millennium; and partly out of his own spiritual convictions. In many ways, that last motivation intrigued me the most. In his debt-relief efforts, Bono did not travel the typical celebrity route of writing out checks or performing benefit concerts. Instead, he was meeting incessantly with politicians, bureaucrats, and world leaders--often behind the scenes--to lobby for legislation.

It's one thing to confer with Pope John Paul II, former President Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, or even conservative senators like Jesse Helms and Orrin Hatch. It's quite another to sit for hour after hour with the under-secretary of this-and-that or academic economists or World Bank functionaries, as Bono did--that's the labor of a true man of faith. "I never thought it would get this unhip," he complained to me at one point.

"I've successfully avoided talking about my faith for 20 years," he said after we completed this interview, which he did by phone from Ireland. "But with you, I felt I had to. I said, 'I can't turn this guy down--he's been on every blinkin' boring story!' And I thought to myself, it's OK to open up a little bit. The problem is, when I do these kinds of things, the way it turns out in the tabloid papers here and in England is, 'Bono Pontificates on the Holy Trinity.' And then we're off! But at the same time, I can't let them gag me. These are the unformed, unfocused thoughts of a student of these things, not a master."

Fair enough. Ladies and gentlemen, Bono Ungagged.

Introduction Interview

While the Jubilee 2000 Coalition accomplished a great deal, it failed to achieve its ultimate goal of complete debt forgiveness. The coalition has disbanded, but the work goes on. What is the current initiative, and what is your involvement in it?

This year might turn out to be even more of a millennium year for us than last year. There's a chance that if we focus on the HIV/AIDS crisis, particularly in Africa--that's the shock to the system that might allow for deeper debt relief.

I've had two meetings with Tony Blair in the last few weeks, and he realizes that he is in power at a time of great importance. This is akin to the bubonic plague or Hiroshima or the Holocaust. I think he is going to, along with your new president, work with the industrialized nations and the African leadership to really have a go at this problem. And debt relief will be part of that package.


Do you have the same level of rapport with the Bush administration as you did with Clinton?

Yes. In fact, if you look at the cover of The New York Times when debt cancellation went through [Congress], the headline was--and for me it was an amusing triumvirate--"The Pope, U2 and George W. Prevail." We worked very hard to get both Republican and Democratic authorship on that package, and I'm confident the Republican leadership will follow through. In the second debate, [Bush] mentioned debt cancellation as one of the ideas he was excited by.

Because debt relief became a religious issue, you were able to meet with many politicians with whom you probably agree on nothing else. What was that like?

I really have had to swallow my own prejudice at times. Because I was suspicious of the traditional Christian church, I tended to tar them all with the same brush. That was a mistake, because there are righteous people working in a whole rainbow of belief systems--from Hasidic Jews to right-wing Bible Belters to charismatic Catholics.

The idea of turning your music into a tool for evangelism is missing the point. Music is the language of the spirit anyway. Its first function is praise to creation.

We had a meeting in the White House, and President Clinton invited Pat Robertson, who I think had referred to him as "a devil" and hadn't visited the White House in eight years. I saw him in the room with Andrew Young, who said, his voice trembling, that this is the most important thing that's come up for him since the civil rights marches in the '60s. Clinton said, "This is a very odd bunch of people. But if you guys could agree to meet a few more times, you could really change the world."

I'm actually starting to like more and more people who have convictions that are unpopular. Now at what point does an unpopular conviction interfere with your own human rights? Forced female circumcision, for instance. The Catholic Church's stance on contraception. The list goes on. You know, God has some really weird kids, and I find it hard to be in their company most of the time.

When I went to meet the pope, I brought a book of Seamus Heaney's poetry, which he had inscribed for the pontiff. The inscription was a quote from [Heaney's] catechism, from 1947. It said, "Q: Who is my neighbor? A: All of mankind."


Now, for all its failings and its perversions over the last 2,000 years--and as much as every exponent of this faith has attempted to dodge this idea--it is unarguably the central tenet of Christianity: that everybody is equal in God's eyes. So you cannot, as a Christian, walk away from Africa. America will be judged by God if, in its plenty, it crosses the road from 23 million people suffering from HIV, the leprosy of the day. What's up on trial here is Christianity itself. You cannot walk away from this and call yourself a Christian and sit in power. Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world--and stop being its apologist.

During U2's Zooropa tour, you would often call prominent figures by phone from the stage. In London, you were dressed as the devil character you invented, MacPhisto, and, as you tried to call the Archbishop of Canterbury, MacPhisto remarked that religious leaders were some of his closest friends.

It's true. I often wonder if religion is the enemy of God. It's almost like religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building.

God's Spirit moves through us and the world at a pace that can never be constricted by any one religious paradigm. I love that. You know, it says somewhere in the scriptures that the Spirit moves like a wind--no one knows where it's come from or where it's going. The Spirit is described in the Holy Scriptures as much more anarchic than any established religion credits.

For all that, U2 has often been seen as a Christian rock band.

We really f--ked that up, though. We really f--ked up our corner of the Christian market. I think carrying moral baggage is very dangerous for an artist. If you have a duty, it's to be true and not cover up the cracks. I love hymns and gospel music, but the idea of turning your music into a tool for evangelism is missing the point.

Music is the language of the spirit anyway. Its first function is praise to creation--praise to the beauty of the woman lying next to you, or the woman you would like to lie next to you. It is a natural effusive energy that you shouldn't put to work. When those people get up at the Grammys and say, "I thank God," I always imagine God going, "Oh, don't--please don't thank me for that one. Please, oh, that's an awful one! Don't thank me for that--that's a piece of [crap]!"

The most powerful idea that's entered the world in the last few thousand years--the idea of grace--is the reason I would like to be a Christian.

God has some really weird kids.

Though, as I said to [U2 guitarist] The Edge one day, I sometimes feel more like a fan, rather than actually in the band. I can't live up to it. But the reason I would like to is the idea of grace. It's really powerful.

You've also been drawn to the spiritual struggles of rockers like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Marvin Gaye.

I was never tormented in the way those early rock and rollers were between gospel and the blues. I always saw them as parts of each other. I like the anger of the blues--I think being angry with God is at least a dialogue. You know, [Robert Johnson's] "Hell Hound on My Trail"--the blues is full of that. And [it runs] right through to Marilyn Manson.

These are big questions. If there is a God, it's serious. And if there isn't a God, it's even more serious. Or is it the other way around? I don't know, but these are the things that, as an artist, are going to cross your mind--as well as "Ode to My New Jaguar." [laughter] The right to be an ass I will hold on to very tightly. I just have to be allowed that.

Clannad & Bono_In A Lifetime

Confused about the title, and thinking I was going to hear “Cantaloop” for two hours straight, I grabbed a pair of 3-D glasses and stumbled into a showing of “U23D.”

Oh, U2. Not Us3.
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Though I was never a huge U2 fan, I felt a need to catch a movie in 3-D, the newest phenomenon in 1983. That and, for some reason, they refuse to sell me a ticket to “Hannah Montana.”

All I was hoping for was a good mix of the band’s hits, which are the songs I’m more familiar with. And I got that, despite a few older songs and obscure tracks.

But it was strange seeing the “biggest band in the world” up close and seemingly touchable. Though I don’t keep up with their music as much as I used to, I still realize the global power that just one note, lyric or blowhard speech this band (i.e. Bono) lets out.

As most bands, artists and actors do, U2 has become a bit of a parody of itself in recent years. The band members aren’t so much individual artists anymore as much as they are actors playing the characters of Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. The same goes for icons like Keith Richards, Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro and Verne Troyer.

Such was the case when the band broke into some of its older, more heartfelt and honest songs. They seemed so far removed from songs like “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” that they very well may have been under the impression they were playing a cover.

But for all of the world-saving, preachy rhetoric of Bono and his cronies, the band still plays some good tunes.

Hipsters and poseurs love to fall back on the idea that music is better heard in a small, smoky club with bottles clanking and body odor offending, but bands like U2 and their arena shows defy such logic. Crummy little clubs are fine for Fall Out Boy fans, but when a band’s music is as powerful, resonant and strong as that of U2, a gigantic arena is more suitable. There’s definitely something to be said for a sea of 60,000 or so people waving in unison and singing along to the same song. Plus, punk’s been dead since it was born.

Seeing them in such a personal capacity also made me appreciate the music of the band, something I normally overlook because I’m so turned off by Bono’s preaching and leather. For a four-piece band, with no real rhythm guitarist, they do a hell of a lot. The Edge has mastered, over the years, a sound that is uniquely his and though it may be oft-imitated, it is hardly ever close to the real thing. It is overly strong in its simplicity how he does so much with so few notes.

But watching the band in full arena-rock mode, moving around the circular catwalk they used as a stage, made me think about one thing many might not. We all know Bono for his ego, and the Edge for, well, his name. But there are two other dudes there, too, whom I always kind of feel bad for. It’s got to be tough for a couple of fellas named Adam and Larry to hang out with the Edge and Bono (or The Fly or Mephisto or whatever he sometimes goes by). I always had a feeling they felt a little neglected during the ’80s and ’90s, most likely because groupies probably weren’t running backstage looking for Larry or Adam. They wanted the Edge or Bono.

No wonder those two branched out and did that “Mission Impossible” stuff. No Edges or Bonos to steal their glory. Or women.




http://magazine.playbackmag.net/playback/200801search/?folio=71&CMP=KNC-Google&src=G_Artists4_U2&gclid=CIqE-7eT_ZECFQjMbgodAU2z_A


As Irish group Clannad prepare to return to the spotlight, Sally Williams speaks to guitarist and vocalist Noel Duggan about their unique sound and their certain friend by the name of Bono

IT is more than 20 years since Ireland’s spiritual group Clannad teamed up with their countryman Bono for the spine-tingling hit In A Lifetime.

But, as the band prepare to visit Wales as part of their first UK tour for a decade, don’t hold your breath for the U2 frontman to appear on stage with them.

Guitarist and vocalist Noel Duggan admits that Bono never performed the hit live and when Clannad sang it on Top Of The Pops they did it without him.

Duggan says, "He (Bono) says he doesn’t have the voice for it anymore. So we will have Bryan Kennedy (who has sung with Van Morrison) singing it in Belfast and there will be other guests on tour too.

"But we see Bono a lot, we are bound to bump into him in Dublin because it is such a small place." Duggan says that while his close friend is world famous, he can enjoy life without getting mobbed in his native city of Dublin.

U2 and Green Day "The Saints Are Coming" video

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/23/694052.aspx


http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/news.asp?ID=159

Therese Owen

With the release of U2 3D and the re-release of their classic album, The Joshua Tree, it is not hard to see why, aside from the Rolling Stones, U2 is the greatest rock 'n roll band of all time.

From their beginnings as an alternative rock band in 1980, when they released their debut album, Boy, till their latest CD, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, they have remained true to their unique and timeless sound.

Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge and the ageless Larry Mullen Jr have released 14 albums and have also produced some of the biggest stadium shows. Who could forget the giant lemon when they toured South Africa in 1997?

To stay together as a band over 27 years is rare. To consistently produce hits over 27 years is even rarer. To consistently produce music of such a high standard over 27 years is unheard of.

U2's lyrics were always politically motivated, but in the last 10 years, Bono has actively taken on the cause of the starving millions by meeting with political leaders and the World Bank .

His enthusiasm can be rather irritating (a bit like his shades) and sometimes shadows the achievements and music of U2. However, one just needs to listen to a few tracks from The Unforgettable Fire or The Joshua Tree to regain a perspective.

The remastered release of the latter has obviously been cleaned up by technology. At times it is perhaps a tad too clean, particularly on tracks like Red Hill Mining Town and In God's Country. But then again, to a younger fan who was born in the digital age, it is inconsequential.

The good news is there appear to be no signs of U2's reign ending soon. The group are currently in studio with original collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album is set for release in September this year

American Idol

http://www.celebritymound.com/?p=9875

Bono has been lined up to headline the second annual American Idol charity concert, set to air in the US on April 9th.

According to Variety, the U2 frontman will be joined by a host of stars for the Idol Gives Back show, which raises money for under-privileged children.

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie is to take part, as well as Snoop Dogg, Annie Lennox and Mariah Carey.

Teen star Miley Cyrus - the face behind the hugely-successful Hannah Montana phenomenon - will also perform as will American Idol season four winner Carrie Underwood and ex-contestant Chris Daughtry.

And US network Fox has unveiled more of the star-studded lineup for the 2008 show, with actors Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon signed on to appear as well as NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning.

While last year’s show - which earned $76 million for charity - was split between the American Idol soundstage in Hollywood and the Disney Concert Hall, this year’s event will move from the latter to the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, the regular venue for the Academy awards.

The inaugural Idol Gives Back show in 2007 was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and featured a glittering collection of A-list stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow; Hugh Grant; Keira Knightley; Dame Helen Mirren; Emily Blunt; Hugh Laurie; Matt Damon; Forest Whitaker; and former winner Kelly Clarkson.


I more or less knew what to expect from Ingrid Michaelson since I've seen her perform at least 4 times already but I wasn't expecting that one song and what I heard from David Ford and Matthew Perryman Jones. Lets just say they had the audience swooning including myself.

David Ford is someone to watch for – the man has some crazy talent. I listened to a few songs before going to the show and his recorded music does not convey what the man can do on stage; he's the modern one man band. He does crazy playback by sampling his voice with different mikes then layering it with piano, guitar and harmonica. He literally runs around the stage. I get confused watching him do it all but damn it sounds good. He also sounds good when he speaks as all the women can't help but swoon over his English accent, from England that is.

Matthew Perryman Jones is better than Bono. This guy has the Bono feel to him but he's far surpasses him in quality – his voice is smoother and the sound is more refined, Bono 2.0. Listen to "Refuge" and you will be singing his praises and saying the same thing. When he sang "Save You", I wanted to know where it was on the album I just bought. That's one catchy song that will soon be played everywhere and either you'll love it or drive you crazy like James Blunt. It wasn't there. I have to wait for the next album to come out or go to iTunes.

Of course, I went to see Ingrid Michaelson who is beyond adorable. She was so endearing, the giant teddybear bouncer who was also her bodyguard for the evening, bought a cd. It was good to see her do a whole set finally. I like her but she never really won me over until this show with her version of Radiohead's "Creep". I had a feeling she had a dark side (check out her boots) but not until this song did I realize. That was the best version I had ever heard. Her voice was perfect for this song – her voice was like a knife ripping through my heart. I was speechless. I want to see more edgy Michaelson than sweet.

As for really cute, it was Michaelson's sidekick Allie Moss' birthday. Keep in mind these girls are American, from "Joisey" not too far from us and this was their first time in Canada. So, getting happy birthday sung to you in french is a nifty gift. The bonus for the boyfriends who got dragged out that night was the chest grab – Ingrid Michaelson grabs Allie Moss' hands and shakes them around and then pulls them to her boobies. ( I can't believe I just said "boobies". :) ) Michaelson does that to me; brings out the girliness hidden deep within
http://bradpittweb.com/?p=115