Ego? What is this ego you're talking about?

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Halifax

The Fly
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Ego? What is this ego your talking about?

I deliberately stole this topic from the ATu2 message boards, so sorry to the original ATu2 poster.

Anyway, this may sound stupid from from a U2 fan, but I always get confused and sometimes even annoyed at the constant accusations of Bono as a self-centred guy with a big ago.

Tell me, is an egomaniac someone who constantly talks about how each member of the band is important?

Is an egomaniac someone who takes the very un-rockstar path and a) work in a refugee camp in ethiopia for a month, b) started an orginization (DATA) and c) meets with world leaders in try to save an entire continent?

Heck, if Bono really had an ultra-arrogent self centred ego as some journalists claim, then how come u2 is 25+ years old and still remaining relevent today?

Some say he's arrogent because of the way he prances around the stage during concerts. I always have to wonder after people use this argument to support the supposed big ego Bono has. He's the f*cking frontman for God's sake! Its mandatory for any rock and roll frontman to have a truckload of charisma, otherwise you would be dissappointing the 10,000+ fans who attend your concerts night after night.

Lots of confidence? Yes. Arrogent, self-centred and an egomaniac? I don't think so.

Please, can someone answer this question? Its been bugging me for a while.
 
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Of course Bono has an ego. He readily admits to having an ego. Any great frontman has to have an ego, that's where they get the charisma from.

Also, anybody who believes they can change the world like he does must have a big ego. Whats cool about Bono is he can back his ego up with his actions, and thats what makes a person great.
 
Chizip said:
Of course Bono has an ego. He readily admits to having an ego. Any great frontman has to have an ego, that's where they get the charisma from.

yup, his arrogance and ego is what I love about him. ZooTV :up:
 
of course he has an ego. :yes:

especially evident in his stage charisma :)bow: ZooTV), but also apart from concerts. he's always talked up their music and been very confident that it's the best out there for the year, he doesn't hide this. also, by making political statements the way he does, he's saying what he has to say is so important that world leaders should listen to him even if he doesnt have a degree and is a rock star. that takes a certain degree of ego right there.

ego doesnt necessarily equate to thinking you're better than everyone else or being an asshole. although it often does.:wink:
 
"I want to replace all the bands that are on the charts now, cause I think we're better." hmmmm.......sounds a little bit too confident there.

It's great. A truly great frontman.
 
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There are 2 persons:
Bono on the stage and Bono normal

Bono on the stage:
Always had an ego, a Big Ego. On Lovetown, he didn't have his charachters to express his ego, so he did it himself, which led to great tour with SUPEREGO telling that they are the best.
On Zoo tv he had The Fly and Machphisto. The Fly was the same Bono from Lovetown, with little less of those stupid lines like we stole it back or whatever.
Popmart had the biggest screen ever.
After that he quietted, unfortunately.
I want his ego thru charachters and not thru him.

Bono normal:
His life must be boring or he really believes in peace.
NO EGO.

But without ego he's not an entertainer.
 
Chizip said:
Whats cool about Bono is he can back his ego up with his actions, and thats what makes a person great.

Exactly. He may have sounded arrogant in the early days talking about being up there with the greats of music, but hey, he and the rest of the band proved their claims to be true, didn't they?

I fully expect Bono to have an ego the size of Asia while on stage. I expect that of any musician in that situation. They don't want you to be bored stiff, after all, they want you to think they're the best damn thing you'll ever see. And you can't get that achieved if you're not practically flailing your arms about going, "Look at ME! Look at ME!"

However, offstage, I've seen and read things from Bono that definitely would imply him having a humbler side, too. He knows how to balance the two.
 
I think he has a huge ego. Part of what fuels huge musicians like him are their egos. But is he an egomaniac? No.
 
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daygloeyes2 said:
I think he has a huge ego. Part of what fuels huge musicians like him are their egos. But is he an egomaniac? No.

Very well said. Bono has a big ego in the same sense that David Bowie, Mick Jagger, John Lennon or any other rock performer who is worth anything has. But he's not an egomaniac because an egomaniac is so full of ego that it drives out everything else, such as compassion and loyalty. And anyone who knows anything about Bono knows he has plenty of those last two qualities.
 
Bono does have a big ego, and I like him that way. :yes: Definitely not an egomaniac, as such, but it's there just the same. Bono wouldn't have been able to become The Fly without a big ego.
 
Well, I know that Bono has a healthy ego and confidence, I'm just saying that is Bono really the self-centred, arrogent, egomaniacal prick with a massiah some people claim him to be?

And that other poster is right. What I love about Bono is that he balances out his ego with his equally big (if not bigger) heart.
 
the problem with most critics of Bono is they totally miss out on his irreverance and sense of humor because they are so willing to pounce on him for the slightest of things.

Just take a look at this own forum sometimes, Bono makes a comment on stage about him being "Little Jesus", which was a nod to Springsteen's induction speech, Bono, self-effacingly said it like "as If I could ever live up to Jesus" or something. Yet, you find on this board, or in a newspaper or something, somebody who wouldn't be looking for the humor, but the grandiose asshole egomaniacal Bono with the God complex.

That and there are 1,000 other examples. Like when he talks about Quincy Jones using the term "God walks thru the room" in the studio, so Bono adopts it, uses it. But, this time it's messiah Bono saying it "God walked thru the room on that song", he is basically saying, more or less "everything all came together" but the prick with the pen in his hand will write it as "Bono, the self-proclaimmed messiah of rock and roll, had the audacity to proclaim that God walked thru the room when they were recording their latest album". It's just a figure of speech, asshole!

There are a ton more. Henry Rollins and DATA, that's worth a few all by itself. "We are re-applying for the job of best band in the world" "Fuck you Bono, you aren't the best band in the world!!!", shut the fuck up buddy, all he is saying is "I hope you continue to like us a whole lot" and he thinks he's being clever but really I think he's just giving his enemies their ammunition. He must get a laugh out of it.
 
U2DMfan said:
Henry Rollins

:madspit: :madspit: :madspit: -- I don't like that guy.
"(U2 have) By far the worst rhythm section of any popular band." -- Henry Rollins

:mad: Shut up! You big Poo.

What were we talking about?
Oh yeah, Bono's ego. Yeah, he's got one. Would anyone really prefer him without one though? Who wants to pay for tickets to see some shy, awkward guy mope around the stage.
(Henry Rollins probably does -- but no one who counts does :wink:)
 
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Sometimes I think people take Bono's remarks a bit too seriously. Bono can be snarky, that's all.

And I'm glad, that as a frontman, Bono is bigger than life. That's what makes him so entertaining. You can't take your eyes off of him. He was born to be a frontman.

"Shut up! You big poo!" should be on a t-shirt.

And Henry Rollins' neck is bigger than my waist.
 
I always thought is was funny that Henry Rollins is one of those people who think Bono is an arrogant, egotistical ass when in truth it's Rollins who is an arrogant, egotistical ass.
 
ICAM I think they do need to have 'ego' to a small extent, but for the most part their confidence is often mistaken for egotism. Bono isn't egotistical. It's part of his image and he plays along. I think Ali probably does a real good job of keeping him grounded if he gets a little too high. I think he's a very humble man inside but his stage personality has to be predominent for the band.
 
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