t8thgr8
War Child
It's general consensus that Micheal Jordan is the greatest basketballer ever, possibly the greatest athlete. But when I think about it, Bono and Mike have had very similar careers. Almost to the date.
Bono started off very young but was great for his age, played to a big crowd early into his career. Signed a record deal at like , what?, 18? Debuted around '81.
Jordan started off at North Carolina and won a national championship in college as a freshman in '82.
Jordan went on to the NBA in '84-'85 and shined but his team couldn't quite get him a ring just yet. He started becoming a household name in around '87-'88 when he was winning dunk contests, scoring titles, and strangely enough, selling shoes.
Bono broke into the popular spotlight in '83 with War, including Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day. Shortly after, in 1985, Bono becomes a household name via Live Aid and everyone was a witness to his stage presence, or off-stage if you prefer, and his amazing voice.
Then in 1987 The Joshua Tree comes out. Bono's first number one single 'With Or Without You' followed by his second "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'. In 1988 he finds himself on the big stage projected at the big screen. Hollywood. Pop Culture. And Africa.
The late 80's produced the Air Jordan, a shoe turned into a pop icon. 'Michael' Jordan doesnt adequately describe what's going on any more. It's 'Air' Jordan now. Bigger than life but not on top. He shoots too much for his own good. Here comes the 90's.
The late 80's saw an end to a naive, clean cut, middle class kid with an amazing talent and the begining of a superstar... and the end of a moviestar. The 80's own Elvis. The 90's own Fly.
The early 90's also saw a criticised Air Jordan and Bono rise to greatness. Jordan has his first 3 championships... in a row, Bono sells out a 2 or 3 year world tour. And with the spotlight comes heat. For their own seperate resons, Bono and Michael Jordan disappeared in the mid 90's. In 1995- 1996 Jordan returned to the NBA after a 3 year hiatus. His comeback included a visit to the playoffs but no cigar. The next year saw another championship, followed by two straight.
In 1997 Bono made a comeback. It was a flaw but not a total loss. The next record is a smash hit, followed by a Grammy for Album of the Year the very next release.
Keep in mind, both have two successful side projects as well as the crown and septer for their day-jobs. Although Africa is slightly more important than footwear.
Heres where it could get kind of prophetic. Does Bono release one more great record then disappear only to make a third comeback and fail wearing teal and take his night job full-time? Or does he break the cycle?
As for the comparison, aside from the parrallel track record are their talents and skills. Both excelled at their game by being great at everything. Nobody's got range like Mike and Bono.
So where do you put Bono in a general consensus of music's elite? Could the title have been 'Is Michael Jordan the 'Bono' of basketball'?
Bono started off very young but was great for his age, played to a big crowd early into his career. Signed a record deal at like , what?, 18? Debuted around '81.
Jordan started off at North Carolina and won a national championship in college as a freshman in '82.
Jordan went on to the NBA in '84-'85 and shined but his team couldn't quite get him a ring just yet. He started becoming a household name in around '87-'88 when he was winning dunk contests, scoring titles, and strangely enough, selling shoes.
Bono broke into the popular spotlight in '83 with War, including Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day. Shortly after, in 1985, Bono becomes a household name via Live Aid and everyone was a witness to his stage presence, or off-stage if you prefer, and his amazing voice.
Then in 1987 The Joshua Tree comes out. Bono's first number one single 'With Or Without You' followed by his second "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'. In 1988 he finds himself on the big stage projected at the big screen. Hollywood. Pop Culture. And Africa.
The late 80's produced the Air Jordan, a shoe turned into a pop icon. 'Michael' Jordan doesnt adequately describe what's going on any more. It's 'Air' Jordan now. Bigger than life but not on top. He shoots too much for his own good. Here comes the 90's.
The late 80's saw an end to a naive, clean cut, middle class kid with an amazing talent and the begining of a superstar... and the end of a moviestar. The 80's own Elvis. The 90's own Fly.
The early 90's also saw a criticised Air Jordan and Bono rise to greatness. Jordan has his first 3 championships... in a row, Bono sells out a 2 or 3 year world tour. And with the spotlight comes heat. For their own seperate resons, Bono and Michael Jordan disappeared in the mid 90's. In 1995- 1996 Jordan returned to the NBA after a 3 year hiatus. His comeback included a visit to the playoffs but no cigar. The next year saw another championship, followed by two straight.
In 1997 Bono made a comeback. It was a flaw but not a total loss. The next record is a smash hit, followed by a Grammy for Album of the Year the very next release.
Keep in mind, both have two successful side projects as well as the crown and septer for their day-jobs. Although Africa is slightly more important than footwear.
Heres where it could get kind of prophetic. Does Bono release one more great record then disappear only to make a third comeback and fail wearing teal and take his night job full-time? Or does he break the cycle?
As for the comparison, aside from the parrallel track record are their talents and skills. Both excelled at their game by being great at everything. Nobody's got range like Mike and Bono.
So where do you put Bono in a general consensus of music's elite? Could the title have been 'Is Michael Jordan the 'Bono' of basketball'?
