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Famous rock star, seeks new look
As U2 hits Toronto next week, it's time for Bono to try on some fresh sartorial shtick
By GUY DIXON
The band has survived its pious phases and descent into 1990s irony. Bono has also survived (just) the mullet and then Rattle and Hum-era stoicism, back when U2 dressed as Badland bums, too earnest and angst-ridden to bother buttoning their shirts.
But as U2 embarks on a new North America tour (launching in Toronto on Monday), the band continues to commit, despite its longevity, despite its long repertoire of hits, one of the gravest sins for a group of its stature. It has never mastered a look.
True, the band seems more comfortable in its clothes than ever before, although it still relies on Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn to interpret its image. And although Bono can't go anywhere without his shades, he has such an array of wraparound specs that he has managed to keep at least that province of U2's image under check.
But it has taken two long decades to get to . . . what? Bono's straw cowboy hats, guitarist the Edge's black skullcap and leather jackets? While they may look cool around Dublin's Temple Bar district, will they go down as classic rock 'n' roll looks?
In an interview with the Guardian, Bono even admitted that from the start, "we knew we didn't know how to look good. We were acutely aware of that."
"Remember, this was the New Romantic era," he added. "People were dressing up as potted plants to go out for the night. And you know what? A lot of people still looked better than us!"
And for a more recent example: At the launch of Edun, an enviro-friendly, fair-trade clothing line which he started with his wife, Ali Hewson, and designer Rogan Gregory, Bono shrugged off his input in it all, describing himself as the bass player in the whole enterprise.
All of which is surprising since U2 is not fashion-oblivious. Bono has had many guises: Northern European freedom crier, with collar-less jackets and fringe blowing in the cold summer air; stern-faced spiritualist with a penchant for self-conscious hats; and his later reincarnation as the debauched rock star the Fly with oversized, insect specs (the beginning of his sunglasses compulsion).
But, set aside the music or the singer's admirable political causes, has anybody wanted to be Bono? A rock 'n' roll look should provide visual cues far beyond the music. Think of Bob Marley with his nascent, early-seventies dreadlocks and army surplus gear and your back straightens, and you feel ready to fight the unjust Babylon system. Imagine John Lennon in his tinted reading glasses and you sink back down into a fascinatingly psychedelic world view.
What do you get imagining Bono in his hats? Ironically, his lawyers recently had to go to court to retrieve the Stetson hat he wore on the Rattle and Hum cover from a stylist. Bono described it as an iconic item in U2's history. But there was never a rush of U2 fans buying their own Stetson hats.
The band came close to being trendsetters, however, with Achtung Baby's composite look of East Berlin boho meets a kind of Marrakesh pan-cosmopolitanism. Yet U2's nobler side nullified attempts to break barriers, such as the pictures from the band's famous photo shoot in drag, which were seen as too frivolous given the AIDS-related charity work U2 was doing at the time.
To read the entire article, go here.
As U2 hits Toronto next week, it's time for Bono to try on some fresh sartorial shtick
By GUY DIXON
The band has survived its pious phases and descent into 1990s irony. Bono has also survived (just) the mullet and then Rattle and Hum-era stoicism, back when U2 dressed as Badland bums, too earnest and angst-ridden to bother buttoning their shirts.
But as U2 embarks on a new North America tour (launching in Toronto on Monday), the band continues to commit, despite its longevity, despite its long repertoire of hits, one of the gravest sins for a group of its stature. It has never mastered a look.
True, the band seems more comfortable in its clothes than ever before, although it still relies on Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn to interpret its image. And although Bono can't go anywhere without his shades, he has such an array of wraparound specs that he has managed to keep at least that province of U2's image under check.
But it has taken two long decades to get to . . . what? Bono's straw cowboy hats, guitarist the Edge's black skullcap and leather jackets? While they may look cool around Dublin's Temple Bar district, will they go down as classic rock 'n' roll looks?
In an interview with the Guardian, Bono even admitted that from the start, "we knew we didn't know how to look good. We were acutely aware of that."
"Remember, this was the New Romantic era," he added. "People were dressing up as potted plants to go out for the night. And you know what? A lot of people still looked better than us!"
And for a more recent example: At the launch of Edun, an enviro-friendly, fair-trade clothing line which he started with his wife, Ali Hewson, and designer Rogan Gregory, Bono shrugged off his input in it all, describing himself as the bass player in the whole enterprise.
All of which is surprising since U2 is not fashion-oblivious. Bono has had many guises: Northern European freedom crier, with collar-less jackets and fringe blowing in the cold summer air; stern-faced spiritualist with a penchant for self-conscious hats; and his later reincarnation as the debauched rock star the Fly with oversized, insect specs (the beginning of his sunglasses compulsion).
But, set aside the music or the singer's admirable political causes, has anybody wanted to be Bono? A rock 'n' roll look should provide visual cues far beyond the music. Think of Bob Marley with his nascent, early-seventies dreadlocks and army surplus gear and your back straightens, and you feel ready to fight the unjust Babylon system. Imagine John Lennon in his tinted reading glasses and you sink back down into a fascinatingly psychedelic world view.
What do you get imagining Bono in his hats? Ironically, his lawyers recently had to go to court to retrieve the Stetson hat he wore on the Rattle and Hum cover from a stylist. Bono described it as an iconic item in U2's history. But there was never a rush of U2 fans buying their own Stetson hats.
The band came close to being trendsetters, however, with Achtung Baby's composite look of East Berlin boho meets a kind of Marrakesh pan-cosmopolitanism. Yet U2's nobler side nullified attempts to break barriers, such as the pictures from the band's famous photo shoot in drag, which were seen as too frivolous given the AIDS-related charity work U2 was doing at the time.
To read the entire article, go here.
oh well at least the musics good........
I know I could live without this kind of press.
