I promise you Maria that I didn't eat any of the Edge's mushrooms...I guess I was just in a silly mood today.
Desire4Bono, I've read that The Fly was a stage persona that glorified those rock stars of the past who saw themselves as the epitomy of rock and roll gods, and definitely Elvis and Jim Morrison fit that mold, and if Bono was to play the ultimate rockstar, then who else could pull that off then Bono, even though it shocked many, because people had gotten used to Bono wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Some say that Bono was trying to lighten up from the critics perception of him in the 80's as a rockstar who took himself to seriously, as well as the band. The Fly fits in well with the ambiguity, and contradictions we find in Achtung Baby, were we also saw The Mirrorball Man and MacPhisto take their place as well in mocking the very things U2 believed in, and made us look at things not for what they seemed from the outside, but truly look at the heart and core of what they believed in in love, life, and God.
I loved the whole Achtung Baby era, and it will go down in U2 history, as one of the most artistic endeavors that the band pulled off, because the music was so damn good, and many of their fans just saw that maybe U2 had lightened up, or maybe they fooled us all, and really became even more serious in the issues they addressed, but simply wrapped them around the Fly shades of Bono, and we all got lost in those personas. However, if you look back at that period betweet late 1992 and all of 1993, you would see some heavy and dark issues that U2 choose to address such as the war in Sarajevo, as well at their association with Salmon Rushdie. Once again, Bono and the band pushed us to the edge of darkness and saw the human condition, as well as staying true to their artistic altruism, that challenged their fans to go on this reality ride wrapped up in all the glamour and glitz that was ZooTV, but with some heavy dose of reality mixed in for the pleasure of both sight and sound...
It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest.
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success.
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief.
All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief
They sure did cover all that that the songs says and more...long live The Fly, long live ZooTV...we finally got it, I think!
Chris