(10-07-03) Bono talks to Dominic Mohan - theSUN *

salomeU2000 · 10-07-2003, 09:54 AM

[SIMG]http://images.thesun.co.uk/picture/0,,2003460722,00.jpg[/SIMG]
"I still go to phone my dad ... then remember he's been dead for two years"

In The Name Of Love ... Bono's book project is tribute to his dad

BONO talks to DOMINIC MOHAN

U2 star Bono is still haunted by the death of his beloved father and has picked up the phone to call him several times, forgetting he died two years ago from cancer.

In a moving interview, the millionaire frontman admitted that he�s subconsciously taken on Bob Hewson�s mannerisms and has started to walk and even cough like his dad.

Bono regrets not having got to know his father better � and has put together paintings for a new book and CD of the children�s classic Peter And The Wolf in tribute to Bob, who died aged 75.

Speaking to me over a glass of wine in Dublin�s City Hall, I can tell the scars still run deep as Bono, 42, says: �It�s two years since he died. It�s a strange thing, it really turns everything on its head because you start to remember when you were a child yourself.

We three ... Gavin, Dominic and Bono

�You go through all kinds of things � the things that formed you come back on you.

�My wife Ali would say: �You�re walking differently,� or �Are you coughing, have you got a cold?� And I�d say no, but then cough.

�I wish I�d got to know him more. We used to go out drinking on Sundays but we wouldn�t talk, we�d talk around things.

�I just wish I had more time with him because you get to understand yourself more.

�A couple of times I�ve gone to call him and he wasn�t there.

�I picked up the phone to ring the number and there was a sick feeling, but I know I�ll see him again � I�ve got that sense, that faith.�

Bono�s routine is non-stop and he rarely takes a day off. He can phone up Tony Blair, George W Bush, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton or the Pope and they will take his call.

He chuckles when I ask him about those relationships and says: �I�ve got them all programmed in my phone. Air Force One is under A, you know.

�I have a lot of respect for the office of prime minister or president. I�m amazed that they take my calls.

�It�s not because it�s me, it�s because I represent a large constituency of people who are interested in the problem of Aids in Africa or fair trade in Africa.

�Remember, people from 18 to 30 generally haven�t decided which way they are going to vote. That is our audience.

Bono and the wolf ... singer with his art

�Bill Clinton told me these leaders are very interested in people who go to our shows because they are the swing vote.

�I am still a very big fan of Tony Blair, even though I disagree with the way they went about the war. I think he�s an honest man and he has great conviction ... and he understands how to tune a guitar.

�I have checked his guitar. I pulled it out of the case at Downing Street and it was perfect. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain is too big.�

The music on the new CD was written by his pal Gavin Friday with all profits going to the Irish Hospice Foundation who volunteered to treat Bono�s dying dad.

The conversation returns to Bob and he says: �The book is a tribute to my dad. The hospice offered to look after my father when he was dying.

�In the end he died in the hospital but I was very grateful and very touched that they offered.

�These people are like angels, or midwives, as you�re born into your next life.

�They are very special people and they asked me to do this and I just said yes.

�I�m very aware of what nurses and doctors do and as transcendent I think a U2 show is, it�s not a life and death experience. This is what up-ends the whole idea of celebrity.

Tough love ... Bono with his dad in 2000

�You live in that world where you have to deal with celebrities and there�s some fun and interesting characters but in the end, they�re not heroes and we�re not heroes.

�The heroes are doctors and nurses and mothers and people who deal with life and death issues.

�They�re not paid enough and they work so hard, they�re the best people that we have.

�If my dad saw these pictures he�d say: �They�re crap � don�t cash in your day job, and by the way, you�re crap at that, too.� He was really tough but he was fantastic.

"Overcoming my dad telling me I would never amount to anything is what has made me the megalomaniac you see today.

�I used to paint long before I dreamed of putting on wraparound shades and selling tunes for U2.�

The father-of-four has also almost finished the new U2 album which should be out next year � followed by another world tour.

He reveals that it�s an aggressive album, born out of bandmate The Edge�s anger at the singer�s hob-nobbing with politicians.

Bono says: �We�re nearly finished � we�re in the home straight. There�s only one reason for U2 to put an album out right now � it has to be a monster, a dragon, and this is.

�It�s filled with big tunes and it�s driven by a guitar player who is sick of the sight of me shaking hands with dodgy politicians. The anger is unbelievable.

Self portrait ... Bono paints Bono

�The Edge is the most gifted guitar player of his generation � that�s obvious. He�s driving it and he�s going, �This is enough, if I see one more photo of you with a dodgy politician I�m going to throw up.�

"We�re going to be touring again next year and I can�t wait. It�s a hard thing to explain but, next to being with my friends and family, the place I feel most comfortable in my life is on stage in front of 20,000 of my closest friends, or 150,000.

�People say that�s not the real me but it is � because I�m an awkward person I�m not comfortable in every situation.

�As regards shaking politicians� hands, shaking the tree or, in fact, climbing the tree and pulling the f***ing apples off with my bare hands if I have to, that�s also me.

�But it�s me doing a job I shouldn�t have to � I feel somebody else should. Chris Martin from Coldplay is very good at that.

�He�s a fan of U2 but he�s taken on the fair trade thing. He�s an extraordinary singer and talent.

�I�m not handing on the baton but I�m giving him another one and he can run very fast and I believe in him.�

Peter And The Wolf, published by Bloomsbury, with a CD by Gavin Friday is available now priced �12.99, with royalties in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation. Bono�s artworks are on show at Christie�s, London, SW1, and will be auctioned next month.

ON BLAIR
I�m a fan. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain�s too big

ON MEDICS
Doctors and nurses aren�t paid enough, they�re the best people we have

ON COLDPLAY
Chris Martin is an extraordinary talent, he�s taken on the Fair Trade thing

ON THE EDGE
He�s angry. He�s sick of seeing me shaking hands with dodgy politicians

ON HIS DAD
I wish I had got to know him more, it helps you understand yourself

Pictures: DAVE HOGAN

Actual online article can be found at http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,5-2003461503,00.html

Thanks Scarletwine

Headache in a Suitcase · 10-07-2003, 10:07 AM

very nice... perhaps on this next tour we could see a "handing of the batton" similar to what we saw on the conspiracy of hope tour... the police bowing out to u2... only this time, u2 bowing out to coldplay... hmmmmm

coldplay opens for u2, bono becomes chris' mentor... this is all seeming very good to me...

*BOOMCHAA!* · 10-07-2003, 10:47 AM

verte76 · 10-07-2003, 11:33 AM

Cool.

U2andPolitix · 10-07-2003, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Headache in a Suitcase
very nice... perhaps on this next tour we could see a "handing of the batton" similar to what we saw on the conspiracy of hope tour... the police bowing out to u2... only this time, u2 bowing out to coldplay... hmmmmm coldplay opens for u2, bono becomes chris' mentor... this is all seeming very good to me...

its too early to hand off the baton. the police were over when they handed over the baton to U2, as long as U2 is still a band they should keep the baton THEN hand it over to coldplay when, heaven forbid, U2 is no longer a band.

verte76 · 10-07-2003, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by U2andPolitix

its too early to hand off the baton. the police were over when they handed over the baton to U2, as long as U2 is still a band they should keep the baton THEN hand it over to coldplay when, heaven forbid, U2 is no longer a band.

I agree-the Police had broken up. U2 doesn't need to hand over a baton or whatever if they are not breaking up.

Peter · 10-07-2003, 01:24 PM

I thought Bono meant to hand on the baton of the fair trade thing, the political thing. Not about U2...

I read somewhere that he wanted to have others to do the politicial work he's done.

Moonlit_Angel · 10-07-2003, 01:47 PM

"I still go to phone my dad ... then remember he's been dead for two years"

s

...poor guy...

...that's just seriously heartbreaking...

On a more uplifting note, this news involving the album sounds really interesting. Edge's anger coming through...hmmm...this should be good to hear.

And the tour. Hehe. Looking forward to that BIG TIME.

I WILL find a way to see them when the tour starts. You'd better believe I will.

Angela

cnelson · 10-07-2003, 04:11 PM

Ya, Bono definately meant passing on the baton for Africa, not his music. I agree, as long as U2 play, they'll always have the baton musically. Can't get much better than a band that's creative, spiritual and real!

verte76 · 10-07-2003, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter
I thought Bono meant to hand on the baton of the fair trade thing, the political thing. Not about U2...

I read somewhere that he wanted to have others to do the politicial work he's done.

I think he does want all the help he can get with his political causes and is delighted that Chris wants to help.

EvolutionMonkey · 10-08-2003, 04:33 PM

Cool, this is the first time i'm getting excited about the next tour, this time i'm gonna venture outside of Vancouver to Seattle and maybe Calgary or Edmonton as well, whoohoo!

Some of the stuff Bono says just makes me laugh:

ON BLAIR
"I�m a fan. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain�s too big"

sarah_U27 · 10-10-2003, 04:20 PM

He sure is busy!

Allegra · 10-12-2003, 01:17 AM

Poor Bono!

I understand how he feels. I lost my Mom to liver cancer last year. She went very quickly, and it is still weird that she is gone. She didn't get sick until April 2002, and she pasted away three months later. We all thought she would live to be 100 since she seemed very healthy. Also this next tour will be bitter sweet because after I told her about the Elevation show and how they just blew me away, she said she wanted to go with me to the concert the next time they came through town. She will be there in spirit!

kellyahern · 10-12-2003, 04:01 PM

There is an audio version of this interview available for download at http://www.u2achtung.com/01/news/index.php3

Allegra

I'm so sorry.

Allegra · 10-12-2003, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kellyahern
There is an audio version of this interview available for download at http://www.u2achtung.com/01/news/index.php3

Allegra I'm so sorry.

Thanks a bunch...we just take one day at a time. Family, friends, Bono, U2, and U2 fans have helped me out a lot. Coming to Interference is like a huge stress reliever.

As Bono says, "Walk On."

Moonlit_Angel · 10-12-2003, 10:00 PM

Thanks for the interview link, kellyahern. I'll check it out soon.

Quote:

Originally posted by kellyahern
Allegra I'm so sorry.

Me, too. *

s Allegra.

It's good to hear that you've got people around you to help you through this rough time...definitely nice to know that you're not alone. And having U2's music to help you out is great, too...kind of like a hug from them or something.

.

Angela

Allegra · 10-13-2003, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Moonlit_Angel
Thanks for the interview link, kellyahern. I'll check it out soon.

Me, too. *s Allegra.

It's good to hear that you've got people around you to help you through this rough time...definitely nice to know that you're not alone. And having U2's music to help you out is great, too...kind of like a hug from them or something. .

Angela

Aaaawww...thanks too Angela. And yes, U2 is like a big warm fuzzy!

10-07-2003, 09:54 AM	#1
salomeU2000 The Fly Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Dallas Posts: 285 Local Time: 10:14 AM	(10-07-03) Bono talks to Dominic Mohan - theSUN * [SIMG]http://images.thesun.co.uk/picture/0,,2003460722,00.jpg[/SIMG] "I still go to phone my dad ... then remember he's been dead for two years" In The Name Of Love ... Bono's book project is tribute to his dad BONO talks to DOMINIC MOHAN U2 star Bono is still haunted by the death of his beloved father and has picked up the phone to call him several times, forgetting he died two years ago from cancer. In a moving interview, the millionaire frontman admitted that he�s subconsciously taken on Bob Hewson�s mannerisms and has started to walk and even cough like his dad. Bono regrets not having got to know his father better � and has put together paintings for a new book and CD of the children�s classic Peter And The Wolf in tribute to Bob, who died aged 75. Speaking to me over a glass of wine in Dublin�s City Hall, I can tell the scars still run deep as Bono, 42, says: �It�s two years since he died. It�s a strange thing, it really turns everything on its head because you start to remember when you were a child yourself. We three ... Gavin, Dominic and Bono �You go through all kinds of things � the things that formed you come back on you. �My wife Ali would say: �You�re walking differently,� or �Are you coughing, have you got a cold?� And I�d say no, but then cough. �I wish I�d got to know him more. We used to go out drinking on Sundays but we wouldn�t talk, we�d talk around things. �I just wish I had more time with him because you get to understand yourself more. �A couple of times I�ve gone to call him and he wasn�t there. �I picked up the phone to ring the number and there was a sick feeling, but I know I�ll see him again � I�ve got that sense, that faith.� Bono�s routine is non-stop and he rarely takes a day off. He can phone up Tony Blair, George W Bush, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton or the Pope and they will take his call. He chuckles when I ask him about those relationships and says: �I�ve got them all programmed in my phone. Air Force One is under A, you know. �I have a lot of respect for the office of prime minister or president. I�m amazed that they take my calls. �It�s not because it�s me, it�s because I represent a large constituency of people who are interested in the problem of Aids in Africa or fair trade in Africa. �Remember, people from 18 to 30 generally haven�t decided which way they are going to vote. That is our audience. Bono and the wolf ... singer with his art �Bill Clinton told me these leaders are very interested in people who go to our shows because they are the swing vote. �I am still a very big fan of Tony Blair, even though I disagree with the way they went about the war. I think he�s an honest man and he has great conviction ... and he understands how to tune a guitar. �I have checked his guitar. I pulled it out of the case at Downing Street and it was perfect. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain is too big.� The music on the new CD was written by his pal Gavin Friday with all profits going to the Irish Hospice Foundation who volunteered to treat Bono�s dying dad. The conversation returns to Bob and he says: �The book is a tribute to my dad. The hospice offered to look after my father when he was dying. �In the end he died in the hospital but I was very grateful and very touched that they offered. �These people are like angels, or midwives, as you�re born into your next life. �They are very special people and they asked me to do this and I just said yes. �I�m very aware of what nurses and doctors do and as transcendent I think a U2 show is, it�s not a life and death experience. This is what up-ends the whole idea of celebrity. Tough love ... Bono with his dad in 2000 �You live in that world where you have to deal with celebrities and there�s some fun and interesting characters but in the end, they�re not heroes and we�re not heroes. �The heroes are doctors and nurses and mothers and people who deal with life and death issues. �They�re not paid enough and they work so hard, they�re the best people that we have. �If my dad saw these pictures he�d say: �They�re crap � don�t cash in your day job, and by the way, you�re crap at that, too.� He was really tough but he was fantastic. "Overcoming my dad telling me I would never amount to anything is what has made me the megalomaniac you see today. �I used to paint long before I dreamed of putting on wraparound shades and selling tunes for U2.� The father-of-four has also almost finished the new U2 album which should be out next year � followed by another world tour. He reveals that it�s an aggressive album, born out of bandmate The Edge�s anger at the singer�s hob-nobbing with politicians. Bono says: �We�re nearly finished � we�re in the home straight. There�s only one reason for U2 to put an album out right now � it has to be a monster, a dragon, and this is. �It�s filled with big tunes and it�s driven by a guitar player who is sick of the sight of me shaking hands with dodgy politicians. The anger is unbelievable. Self portrait ... Bono paints Bono �The Edge is the most gifted guitar player of his generation � that�s obvious. He�s driving it and he�s going, �This is enough, if I see one more photo of you with a dodgy politician I�m going to throw up.� "We�re going to be touring again next year and I can�t wait. It�s a hard thing to explain but, next to being with my friends and family, the place I feel most comfortable in my life is on stage in front of 20,000 of my closest friends, or 150,000. �People say that�s not the real me but it is � because I�m an awkward person I�m not comfortable in every situation. �As regards shaking politicians� hands, shaking the tree or, in fact, climbing the tree and pulling the f*ing apples off with my bare hands if I have to, that�s also me. �But it�s me doing a job I shouldn�t have to � I feel somebody else should. Chris Martin from Coldplay is very good at that. �He�s a fan of U2 but he�s taken on the fair trade thing. He�s an extraordinary singer and talent. �I�m not handing on the baton but I�m giving him another one and he can run very fast and I believe in him.� Peter And The Wolf, published by Bloomsbury, with a CD by Gavin Friday is available now priced �12.99, with royalties in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation. Bono�s artworks are on show at Christie�s, London, SW1, and will be auctioned next month. ON BLAIR I�m a fan. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain�s too big ON MEDICS Doctors and nurses aren�t paid enough, they�re the best people we have ON COLDPLAY Chris Martin is an extraordinary talent, he�s taken on the Fair Trade thing ON THE EDGE He�s angry. He�s sick of seeing me shaking hands with dodgy politicians ON HIS DAD I wish I had got to know him more, it helps you understand yourself Pictures: DAVE HOGAN** Actual online article can be found at http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,5-2003461503,00.html Thanks Scarletwine __________________

10-07-2003, 10:07 AM	#2
Headache in a Suitcase Blue Crack Distributor Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: This forum just ain't what it was pre-2007 but I still post here Posts: 71,325 Local Time: 05:14 AM	very nice... perhaps on this next tour we could see a "handing of the batton" similar to what we saw on the conspiracy of hope tour... the police bowing out to u2... only this time, u2 bowing out to coldplay... hmmmmm coldplay opens for u2, bono becomes chris' mentor... this is all seeming very good to me... __________________

10-07-2003, 01:47 PM	#8
Moonlit_Angel Blue Crack Addict Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: In a dimension known as the Twilight Zone...do de doo doo, do de doo doo... Posts: 20,771 Local Time: 04:14 AM	"I still go to phone my dad ... then remember he's been dead for two years" s ...poor guy......that's just seriously heartbreaking... On a more uplifting note, this news involving the album sounds really interesting. Edge's anger coming through...hmmm...this should be good to hear. And the tour. Hehe. Looking forward to that BIG TIME. I *WILL* find a way to see them when the tour starts. You'd better believe I will. Angela

10-07-2003, 04:11 PM	#9
cnelson The Fly Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sarnia, ON Posts: 93 Local Time: 06:14 AM	Baton Ya, Bono definately meant passing on the baton for Africa, not his music. I agree, as long as U2 play, they'll always have the baton musically. Can't get much better than a band that's creative, spiritual and real!

10-12-2003, 01:17 AM	#13
Allegra Refugee Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The stars at night are big and bright clap, clap, clap, clap Posts: 2,027 Local Time: 05:14 AM	Aaaaawwww! Poor Bono! I understand how he feels. I lost my Mom to liver cancer last year. She went very quickly, and it is still weird that she is gone. She didn't get sick until April 2002, and she pasted away three months later. We all thought she would live to be 100 since she seemed very healthy. Also this next tour will be bitter sweet because after I told her about the Elevation show and how they just blew me away, she said she wanted to go with me to the concert the next time they came through town. She will be there in spirit!

10-07-2003, 10:47 AM	#3
BOOMCHAA! Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: may I touch you? Posts: 9,106 Local Time: 04:14 AM

10-07-2003, 11:33 AM	#4
verte76 Blue Crack Addict Join Date: May 2002 Location: hoping for changes Posts: 23,331 Local Time: 10:14 AM	Cool.

10-07-2003, 01:24 PM	#7
Peter War Child Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Belgium Posts: 540 Local Time: 12:14 PM	I thought Bono meant to hand on the baton of the fair trade thing, the political thing. Not about U2... I read somewhere that he wanted to have others to do the politicial work he's done.

10-08-2003, 04:33 PM	#11
EvolutionMonkey Acrobat Join Date: May 2003 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 489 Local Time: 02:14 AM	Cool, this is the first time i'm getting excited about the next tour, this time i'm gonna venture outside of Vancouver to Seattle and maybe Calgary or Edmonton as well, whoohoo! Some of the stuff Bono says just makes me laugh: ON BLAIR "I�m a fan. He�s skinny enough to be a rock star but his brain�s too big"

10-10-2003, 04:20 PM	#12
sarah_U27 The Fly Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Twin Cities Posts: 159 Local Time: 04:14 AM	He sure is busy!

10-12-2003, 04:01 PM	#14
kellyahern Blue Crack Supplier Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: 8 years and I still can't think of anything witty to put here Posts: 34,698 Local Time: 06:14 AM	There is an audio version of this interview available for download at http://www.u2achtung.com/01/news/index.php3 Allegra I'm so sorry.

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