ozeeko
Refugee
In don't think we can underestimate how much Bono irritates people. And I love the guy.
He was cool in '85. Annoying in '88. Cool in '92. Annoying in '97. Cool in '01. He crossed over back to annoying sometime in '06 and hasn't come back yet. The tax issue really is kind of a thing.
Still, he is their creative life force and I think his singing continues to get better. Even some of his lyrics too. He's just gotten too Princess Di for the rock world.
Sent from
Bono is definitely polarizing. In a Rock Music class in college (yes I took a Rock Music class, easiest 3 credits I ever earned), we watched The History of Rock n Roll 6-part documentary. Every time Bono came on the screen (and he did a lot) there was a collective groan all around the classroom, except from me and one other kid who had similar taste, and the teacher at the end of one of classes said "I noticed you all really seem to hate Bono." You should have heard the uproar, it was hateful. Of course I, not giving a shit, said "They have a lot of great stuff if you give it the time of day." This comment did not move mountains.
Anyway, while that's just one example, it's pretty much symbolic of my experience being a U2 fan.
I think rock is too tied up in the blues, and since U2 don't necessarily stem from that background, there's a kind of softness that's associated with them, like they're just pop fluff. There's not enough blood on the tracks. But at the same time, they're not dark enough or cynical enough or hard enough or innovative enough or just plain cool enough to make up for that lack.
Maybe if they retired or if they died tragically in a plane crash after AB we'd be singing a different tune, but I dunno, the damage seems almost irreparable at this point. Maybe in 20 or 30 years their early output will be recognized for the brilliant weirdness it is. But not anytime soon.
That said, they are an enormously successful and popular band. Sure, they've been together for a long time, longer than most, but they haven't released anything really in 5 to 6 years. Any band can say "hey we're still together" and go on not releasing anything. I don't think points should be given for the amount of years U2 has remained intact. Especially considering the gaps between albums.