phommel
Refugee
When I read this I was sure. bono is the best anecdote-teller I can imagine..
On Roger Moore and Jay-Z
Bono: I had a great one where I was in Monte Carlo sitting in a pizza joint, and some very broad-shouldered men in suits with strong American accents came up and explained that Mr. Jay-Z and the lovely Beyoncé were in the grill room, if I wanted to drop by. I may have even recommended the grill room to them. I said it was a kind invitation, but I'm really not dressed for that kind of thing, it's a very posh place. He came back 15 minutes later and said, "Mr. Jay-Z has organized it so that would not be a problem."
I said, "I know the very strict dress code there," because I've come up against it over the years, "And tell him thank you very much for that, but ..."
The third time he came back and he said, "He has the manager waiting." I then looked over and I saw Roger Moore, and he said, "Hello," and I said, "How are you doing?" and he said, "Great, what are you doing?"
I said, "I'm off to see a friend of mine called Jay-Z at the grill room."
He said, "Jay-Z?"
I said, "He's a great rapper."
His wife said, "What is a rapper?"
"Well, it's hard to explain in a moment, but it's kind of about words and rhythm," I said. Then I asked them if they'd like to say hello, knowing that if I arrived with Roger Moore, there's no way, even if it all went wrong, there's no way they're going to throw me out. He's the sharp-dressed man of sharp-dressed men, and he's with his beautiful wife. So we walk up, and sure enough, there's the manager: "How are you doing?"
I walk up, we go up to the room, which I love, this beautiful room. The roof opens there, and it's where Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra used to hang out. I know it very well, and sometimes I go there, but I'm here now in a vest and jeans, looking like Jay-Z's mechanic, and I walk in, and there's a whole bunch, there's Beyoncé, Lyor Cohen, and I just hear, "It's motherfuckin' James Bond! It's James Bond, I'm hanging out with James Bond!" I just think, "What?" Then it just all starts to make sense to me. Hip-hop is so James Bond — the cars, the planes, the suits, the dresses, the guns, and I had no idea. It was like bringing Picasso to a bunch of painters.