U2's Bono to become the world's richest musician tomorrow - NME.com

[super fly guy]

That picture is just wrong!

 

[doctorwho]

I want to veer this discussion another way.

Given Bono's overall wealth (regardless of Facebook's current stock price) and given how much time he's donated to charity, I expected him to be listed as one of the most charitable people ever.

Apparently, he's not. And oddly enough, per this article, Jon Bon Jovi is the biggest philanthropist rock star.

I was rather stunned not to see Bono here. Per the article, it's not just money, but time as well. Given that Bono has been nominated numerous times for the Noble Peace Prize, I felt he easily qualified.

So what gives? Did his charity work dry up?

 

[Globo14]

I'd like to chime in before the inevitable "Bon Jovi sucks" fuckfest fires up. I've been an avid Bon Jovi fan for many years now (and was a fan long before I was a U2 fan), and I've followed some of Jon's charity work. He does do a lot of charity, with his food kitchen in New Jersey and a lot of stuff with his Soul Foundation. But I was also a bit shocked to see Jon Bon Jovi at the top of that list. I guess I thought Bono would've taken that spot too, but oh well. To me, it doesn't matter. If you care enough to give your time and/or money, then I don't think it should really matter if you're the "biggest" or the "most charitable".

 

[bonocomet]

That last line is true Globo14. And as far as Bono goes, I'm sure he does plenty of unannounced charity that these "lists" and such haven't a clue about. That assumption is a pretty easy leap to make, when you take into account all that he does publicly. No one does the stuff he does if they don't truly care about others besides themselves.

 

[Val]

Bono has always kept a very low profile when it comes to his personal contributions, so him missing in this photo fits his past behavior in that regard.

 

[mama cass]

I want to veer this discussion another way.

Given Bono's overall wealth (regardless of Facebook's current stock price) and given how much time he's donated to charity, I expected him to be listed as one of the most charitable people ever.

Apparently, he's not. And oddly enough, per this article, Jon Bon Jovi is the biggest philanthropist rock star.

I was rather stunned not to see Bono here. Per the article, it's not just money, but time as well. Given that Bono has been nominated numerous times for the Noble Peace Prize, I felt he easily qualified.

So what gives? Did his charity work dry up?

i would imagine B-man hardly goes about broadcasting what he gives to charity, and, apart from the obvious high-profile stuff, maybe goes about his business quietly... i would respect that more tbh... i think this "biggest philanthropist" thing is a bit silly - i would refuse such an accolade if i were in such a position - cheesy and a little bit distasteful really...

 

[The Sad Punk]

Maybe he's slowed down a little. There just aren't enough starvin' children in the south of France.

 

[lemonfly]

I guess likes to keep his charitable contributions private, which is more tasteful imo. That photo of those celebs flashing their pearly whites only needs halos digitally added. Puke-worthy.

 

[LadySpinHead]

I guess likes to keep his charitable contributions private, which is more tasteful imo. That photo of those celebs flashing their pearly whites only needs halos digitally added. Puke-worthy.

I was thinking the same thing. Agree with mama cass too- I could see Bono bowing out of this whole thing. When his celebrity status will help a cause, then he uses that and he's out there with it, but I'd be willing to bet most of his philanthropy flies under the radar. Which is how it should be.

 

[doctorwho]

I'd accept your answers about "bowing out" of this most charitable picture, except for the fact that Bono appeared on Time magazine's cover with Bill and Melinda Gates for his charity work.

Hence, has he decided to pull back personally in appearing for these items or has Bono simply reduced the time he spends on them?

As for Jon Bon Jovi, no attack was meant. While I'm not a huge fan of their music, I do enjoy it. I appreciate their longevity as well. I was just a bit surprised to see Jon there instead of Bono.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Maybe he's slowed down a little. There just aren't enough starvin' children in the south of France.

Indeed.

Bono has/had made it incredibly clear that he didn't want to be THAT guy forever... and has wanted to hand off the mantle of being that guy for a while to some other ubercelebrity... I remember him trying to get Tom Cruise to be that guy at one point but it turns out that Tom's clinically insane, so no surprise that didn't work out.

I think the idea that once Bono was happy with the way the foundations he has set up were running, he sorta backed out of the spotlight, let's them run themselves with passive input, and only comes out for public events when the big guns are needed is probably the more likely scenario, as opposed to the idea that Bono just shelters millions of dollars off to various charities around the world in a super secret manner.

While I'm sure he does his part, his entire thing has always been that he's not doing these things for charity, rather for true social change.