I'm calling U2 out.

[Magrittes Pipe]

Take THAT, Bono, you pompous fucking ass! :grr:

[matcom]

1. that's only ONE!

who else besides Bono are you calling out?

[kick-ass-bob]

2. it better not be The Edge!

[Magrittes Pipe]

3. The Edge has a stupid nickname.

Then again, it's better than "Bono Vox."

Paul Hewson and Dave Evans are also ugly.

[kick-ass-bob]

4. What is The Edge's nickname?

George?
:shrug:

[henslee]

5. Clancy Kadiddlehopper.

[Wat_Tyler]

6. Hedge.

[kick-ass-bob]

8. You're right Al. That is stupid.

[StopTheMorans]

11. Doodle Von Taintstain

[StopTheMorans]

9. well, there's only 1 other guy in U2, right? The Edge?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

7. they're better than any of the shit on the charts now

i don't get why people resnet a good band for being successful and feel the need to pile on the insults

may you be cursed to an eternity of kid rock and limp biskit

[StopTheMorans]

10. people don't resent them b/c they're successful, they resent them b/c

Bono's prissy wailings and overzealous posing annoy the living shit out of MANY people...

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

12. he's got more integrity than most singers

people constantly attack him for "posing" but at least he puts his time and money where his mouth is, unlike say, dylan, who pretends to be some rebel then turns around and plays a bunch of private parties for corporate executives to celebrate mergers (and, as a result, massive layoffs)

[StopTheMorans]

13. i'm not talking about his activism, i'm speaking merely about his

singing and stage antics. other than the way he sings and the way he looks on stage, i have no problems with the man...

[Wat_Tyler]

14. When did Dylan ever pretend to be a rebel? He's consistent.

Dylan has always been about his own internal dialogues - he never sought anything else. Of course, Bono's writing abilities pale in comparison to a proper genius like Dylan.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

15. i dunno- all that stuf in the 60s maybe

the times are a changin', masters of war, etc

when he acted like a political radical

he fizzled out in the 70s , sold out in the 90s, and has been irrelevant ever since

[Wat_Tyler]

16. He never was - that's what others saw in him.

All that stuff is about his personal relationship with the state and society.

Of course, he did his best work in the 70's.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

17. i think ol'' bob is backpedaling w/ that explanation

to justify his appearing in lingerie commercials and playing parties for CEOs. his 60s songs were pretty striaghtforward int he style of woody guthrie. i don't buy his take that he wasn't political back then

[Wat_Tyler]

18. No problem.

Just don't be so defensive when we view Bono as a mouthy self-obsessed wanker, then. }(

[Dedalus]

20. Regarding Dylan in the Victoria's Secret commercial...

Isn't that a private joke? I heard that back in the '60s he was asked in an interview if he would ever do an endorsement, and he said "Only if it's for women's underwear."

I mean, yeah it's a private joke that he still took the money for, but nevertheless it's pretty funny (if that story is true; I haven't seen the interview with my own eyes).

[Dedalus]

19. I'm calling out callers-out of U2!!

If you don't like U2's music, fine, but calling them bullshit is bullshit. People rip on them because they're immensely successful and because Bono is a causehead, but at least he means it. He's pretty much the only rock star in history who actually tries to get shit done on a practical level. Maybe trying to meet with politicians and do shit that involves boring paperwork makes him a sellout to some people, but it's hard not to admit that this ultimately does more good than, say, John Lennon sitting in a bag (I love John Lennon, but it's hard to see what he expected this to accomplish).
As far as Bono jumping around on stage and having an ego, these things are equally applicable to the majority of male rock stars. Jeez. When big rock stars DON'T care about shit, people give them shit, and then when a band like U2 demonstrates that they DO care by doing shit like stopping a concert in the middle to show footage from Bosnia to the crowd, people give them shit about that too. It's like they can't win, and this Catch-22 attitude is based solely on how famous they are. REM does similar shit, but everyone loves them for it, and this is just because their rep is still slightly more underground, not because of any objective difference in the beliefs or the behavior.
And as far as the music and the other 3 guys go, Edge, Larry, & Adam are one of the tightest & most innovative groups of people to ever play rock music. No one wants to admit that there would be no Radiohead without U2, but it's true.

[StopTheMorans]

22. you forgot the main reason people rip on bono: his singing style

in addition to his style; i despise most of his "lyrics" too. a lot of people (myself included) think u2's vocals are EXTREMELY overdone, falsely angst-ridden, and pretentious with no right to be...

[kariatari]

26. That's funny

Because a lot of people (myself included) would say that he's got one of rock's best voices.

Granted, his voice is shite compared to what it was '84-'97, but that guy still knows how to wrench a lyric. He's going to go down in the books as one of rock's greatest showmen.

[StopTheMorans]

31. those are all the opinions of a fan blinded by the glory of "the Edge"

and "the Bono". i, myself, am not:P

[Amaya]

33. How can you hate BONO?

:D

[StopTheMorans]

34. well, aside from the shirt, the glasses, the boots, the singing style,

the posing, and his "lyrics", I have nothing against the man :D

[Maestro]

24. Right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -eom

[kariatari]

27. Amen.

[fishwax]

30. When REM does shit, they don't make it about REM

But when Bono does shit, it comes off to be a great deal about Bono, which is why it rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Personally, I love U2 and I do think that Bono has done a lot of good. But he has also allowed himself to be used (like the Bush photo-op) and done a great deal of mugging for the camera while he's at it.

Their fame might be part of some people's problem with the band, but it isn't the only thing.

[indigobusiness]

35. Pretty much, but you did forget one:

The illusion of freedom in America will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre.
--Frank Zappa

[tjdee]

37. Indeed, that's what I'm talkin' about.

Once people reach a certain level of fame and exposure, there's an invisible bell that rings which causes some people to all of a sudden hate them.

[sendero]

40. You don't understand...

.... we all know rock stars are all full of ego. We just expect them to act like they aren't.

Same with actors/actresses/athletes, etc.

Personally, I can take or leave U2. They did their best work in the 80's and early 90's and they will never duplicate that - rock/n/roll is a young man's game IMHO.

I do love their producer, Brian Eno, who is a genius in his own right. He has probably made more $$$ producing U2 than he ever did from the 6-7 astounding and influential-as-they-are-unknown recordings. So it's pretty hard for me to dislike U2, although I kinda understand why so many do.

[fishwax]

21. He used to crank call RW presidents; now he glad-hands them

[Maestro]

25. He has to enact the change he wants

Just because he shakes hands with him doesn't mean he supports him. Sheesh! You have to lye with the Devil sometimes for the greater good.

[fishwax]

28. I don't think it did any good

Bush didn't offer any more money, and it shook Bono's credibility and gave Bush a neat little "I'm working with people who don't agree with me because I'm a uniter not a divider" photo ops which he has always used in lieu of actually working with anyone who has an opposing view.

I like U2, and Bono has done a lot of good. But in this case he got schooled.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

39. People who lie down with dogs get up with fleas

Not trashing Bono - I'm a fan.

[rene moon]

23. Bite Me

signed,

A Bono fan

[City Lights]

29. I'll second that.

:thumbsup:

[Maestro]

32. Pompous!?

No, there are many more truly pompous asses in music. Let's see, there are Morrisey, Cher, Axl Rose, a slew of so-called no talent divas, Scott Stapp, Courtney Love, the list goes on.

Bono is a good man who quickly admits he makes way too much money for what he does, but he has a good heart and I think he is a great performer, plus he's a liberal. Wanna pick on artists? Pick on the damn right wingas!!!!!!!!!!!

[City Lights]

36. How's the view from the cheap seats, whoisalhedges?

Jealousy is a bitch, eh?

Take this mouth, so quick to criticize. Take this mouth. Give it a kiss. :*

[Wat_Tyler]

38. Why would anyone be jealous of Bono?

Now The Edge or Larry Mullen - I can understand people being jealous of them, or even of Adam for doing very little and getting paid millions, but Bono?