MacPhisto???

[marik]

anyone listen to the first night in Glasgow on the Zooropa tour?
during his phone call, the MAN himself spells out his name macFisto, with an F instead of a PH. have we been wrong this whole time???? is the poster on my wall even spelling his name wrong???

 

[valentina]

I dunno!
But in latin, the spelling in MEFISTO...

But could so many people be wrong about it? Sounds a little strange, don't ya think so?

 

[U2girl]

It's MacPhisto - I always heard it pronounced like that.

 

[U2Kitten]

I saw a German movie called MEPHISTO, or was it MEFISTO? Anybody ever seen this, about the cabaret singer? His face was painted white and he sure seemed a lot like our MacPhisto, I wonder if this was an inspiration?

 

[valentina]

Maybe it was an ispiration, really. I can't the movie but it's sure that Bono knows the most different and curious things on earth!

 

[madonna's child]

Maybe Bono can't spell. I mean, I know a few people who can't spell and that doesn't make them less special...

 

[Liesje]

it's MacPhisto, like Mephisto or Mephistopheles.

 

[marik]

i dunno.... you think bono, the man that created the character, would REALLY spell it wrong. that would be like him pronouncing his own name Bo-no, instead of bon-o.

 

[valentina]

Btw, I know we're originally talking about MacPhisto, but ypu know what "Bono" means in Italian slang? ...

It's quite fun, because of course it's a latin word and means good, but we use "Bono" as an adjective for hot guys...

Van you imagine what I felt when the Pope spoke about "Bono".... lot of laughs

 

[Liesje]

I think it doesn't really matter how he spells it since either way it sounds the same.

 

[U2girl]

Btw, I know we're originally talking about MacPhisto, but ypu know what "Bono" means in Italian slang? ...

It's quite fun, because of course it's a latin word and means good, but we use "Bono" as an adjective for hot guys...

Really? I knew that "bono" in Latin slang means good but I didn't know it was used in everyday talk in today's Italian language?

I have a Zoo TV show from Milano where Bono says "Bono (in a slightly Italian way, more like Bonno) ... sounds good to me!"

*edit* Is anyone familiar with the book Faust by German poet Goethe? (I think he wrote it) There is a character of a devil called Mefisto.

 

[JOFO]

I saw a German movie called MEPHISTO, or was it MEFISTO? Anybody ever seen this, about the cabaret singer? His face was painted white and he sure seemed a lot like our MacPhisto, I wonder if this was an inspiration?

yeah; it's undoubtably where he got the idea; the similarities are just to much.
I think it also ties in to the whole mephistopheles theme....bill flanagan's book talks about it too.

 

[U2Kitten]

Originally posted by JOFO
yeah; it's undoubtably where he got the idea; the similarities are just to much.

Yeah, it really was!

I think it also ties in to the whole mephistopheles theme....bill flanagan's book talks about it too.

The book mentions that movie? Or just the theme?

You saw the movie? Yeah, can't help but think of MacPhisto when you see that! As soon as I saw the package for it and the face on it I thought, this is what Bono saw to think of MacPhisto! I had to rent it!

Now this is going to be one of those movies all U2 fans must track down and see!

 

[FallingStar]

Yeah I know Mefisto. It's from Goethe's work Faust and it was also turned into a movie. the auctor that played Mefisto just passed away some months ago.

Since Gav brought Bono on the idea to create macPhisto I'm pretty sure that they thought of Goethe because Gav - as well as Bono - are literature freaks, so...yeah....*lost the thread*

 

[Liesje]

*edit* Is anyone familiar with the book Faust by German poet Goethe? (I think he wrote it) There is a character of a devil called Mefisto.

Yes (we just read this in World Lit.) von Goethe's Faust has the character Mephistpheles/Mephisto who is like the devil, I guess, who's Faust's slave/companion on earth and helps him find entertainment in various experiences.

 

[U2Kitten]

FS do you have a copy? Is it really famous over there? I rented it, it was in German overdubbed in English. When you see that face don't you think of our Bono as Mackie?

He's got a white painted face and an exaggerated red smile and he's the devil too.

 

[JOFO]

yeah, the whole character seems to be based on these things:

1. the character in faust

2. the movie character mephisto

3. the whole idea of "the fly when he's old and fat and playing vegas".

So Bono originally described him that way, as the tired old rock star who still just wants to be the showman. There are many layers to the character, no doubt, but it just seems so old now that I don't feel like writing an essay on it.

But I'll say: for a long time, for me it didn't get any better than the zootv sydney macphisto version of WOWY/love is blindness/can't help falling in love.

the contradictions were sublime.

btw, you gotta love the bono sense of humor:
the name "mephisto" is changed to "macphisto", no doubt to underline his Irish roots!

 

[U2Kitten]

Very good analysis JOFO!

 

[arw]

Yeah I know Mefisto. It's from Goethe's work Faust and it was also turned into a movie. the auctor that played Mefisto just passed away some months ago.

Since Gav brought Bono on the idea to create macPhisto I'm pretty sure that they thought of Goethe because Gav - as well as Bono - are literature freaks, so...yeah....*lost the thread*

Goethe's Faust

 

[U2zoogirl]

Yes (we just read this in World Lit.) von Goethe's Faust has the character Mephistpheles/Mephisto who is like the devil, I guess, who's Faust's slave/companion on earth and helps him find entertainment in various experiences.

I always thought that it has to be a link with Goethe too...
JOFO

 

[arw]

Yes (we just read this in World Lit.) von Goethe's Faust has the character Mephistpheles/Mephisto who is like the devil, I guess, who's Faust's slave/companion on earth and helps him find entertainment in various experiences.

There's also Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. It was written about 200 years before Goethe's Faust. There's some slight variations of the story/characters. Both stories have the Mephistpheles/Mephisto character.

I can't remember why but I know after I read both I like Goethe's version better.

 

[ewen]

Hi,

This is regarding the original post about the Glasgow show and Bono spelling out MacPhisto incorrectly.

it's definately 'MacPhisto' because I have the very sheet of paper He used as a prompt on the evening! I am 99.9999% certain that it's written in his own handwriting which makes it stranger that he spelt it out wrong.

I had a photo-pass on the second evening, August 8th 1993 - one of the roadies was sweeping the stage and swept the A4 sheet of paper into the photo-pit...and now I'm currently selling it on ebay! I was doing a search on the Internet for 'Macphisto Glasgow' and came across this forum.

 

[Liesje]

I had a photo-pass on the second evening, August 8th 1993 - one of the roadies was sweeping the stage and swept the A4 sheet of paper into the photo-pit...and now I'm currently selling it on ebay! I was doing a search on the Internet for 'Macphisto Glasgow' and came across this forum.

what's the auction #?

nevermind, I see it now. cool!

 

[Liesje]

man, I WANT that but I've already bid it up to 16.00 GBP and with the exchange rate sucking and me being gone when the auction ends, I have no chance...

 

[POPbr]

speaking of macphisto, are there any videos on the internet??
i've searched and didn't find any.. just audios..

 

[ewen]

speaking of macphisto, are there any videos on the internet??
i've searched and didn't find any.. just audios..

what do you mean? for sale? He's on the Zoo TV live from Sydney video and in the promo video for Lemon. Dunno if that answers your question, doubt it because I would have thought all U2 fans knew that. I probably don't understand your question correctly.

 

[Axver]

I think POPbr is looking for videos to download, like bootlegs. I don't know the addresses of any, unfortunately ...

 

[POPbr]

actually, im looking for videos of concerts and stuff, not the zoo tv (sidney) or the lemon video, i have both..
just videos from "anywhere" concerts..
thanks anyway!