Macphisto: stroke of genius or lapse of reason?

[2Hearts]

I'm sure this subject has came up before, but could everyone weigh in on the enigma that was Macphisto?


My vote: stroke of genius. Seeing multiple ZooTV shows, reading Bill Flanagan's "Until the End of the World", and Steve Stockman's "The Spiritual Journey of U2" have given me a great appreciation for him.

 

[Mullen4Prez]

stroke of genius

 

[miss becky]

Complete stroke of genius.

And let me add: Breathtaking brilliance. Sheer audacity. Incredible courage. And gold platform shoes to match.

 

[BVS]

Genius!!!

 

[dandy]

genius

(note subtle message in my avatar )

 

[forty]

Definitely a stroke of genius. It's amazing how Bono just melted into that character... It's hilarious listening to all of his phone calls and stuff during the Zooropa shows.

 

[2Hearts]

To me, this question is a no-brainer. I absolutely love the Macphisto segment (including Daddy's Gonna Pay/Lemon) on the Sydney DVD. The only reason I asked is b/c someone was calling Macphisto 'cheesy' on another thread, so I just wanted to see what the consensus was.

 

[beau2ifulday]

Genius.




and so damn hot too.

 

[Axver]

Stroke of genius. The depth of the character is astonishing. It seems the only people who don't like MacPhisto are those who see the white make-up and gold suit and go "OMG THAT'S TACKY!" without taking even a second to consider why Bono is doing what he's doing.

 

[Miggy D]

Lapse of reason.


Totally kidding. But I thought we should add some variety.

 

[If you shout...]

G-nius.

All the way.

 

[corianderstem]

Genius, and hot in a disturbing way ... at least until his face starts melting off under the stage lights.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Stroke of genius. The depth of the character is astonishing. It seems the only people who don't like MacPhisto are those who see the white make-up and gold suit and go "OMG THAT'S TACKY!" without taking even a second to consider why Bono is doing what he's doing.

Wow, that's really a compliment coming from someone who doesn't care for the Zoo era.

 

[Saracene]

Genius.

Except I hated, hated, hated his performance of WOWY on ZooTV Sydney.

 

[MsMofoGone]

Genius

 

[BONO'ppetit]

Sheer genius. Indicative of Bono's potential theatrical prowess.

 

[Ellay]

Genius.

The fallen star.

One of their best concepts of their entire career.

 

[MacPhistoPT]

Very very cool

 

[VintagePunk]

Genius. The evolution of the character as described in Flanagan's book is fascinating.

 

[prisz25]

Stroke of genius! I love how it just took on so much more than just a costume!

 

[Adam'sbaby]

Stroke Of Genius - freaky, scary, fascinating and cool!

 

[XHendrix24]

How can you NOT like Macphisto? He's got GOLD SHOES for God's sake.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

it's the songs

 

[Pero]

One of the best thing in perfect Zooropa show(ZOO TV)

 

[kellyo]

Genius.

 

[susanp6]

Genius - SO funny&brilliant when he made those calls! Such hilarious expressions!

 

[Jim]

Almost genius... the thinking man's MacPhisto = Gavin Friday

 

[Queen Bee]

Genius

Complete stroke of genius.

And let me add: Breathtaking brilliance. Sheer audacity. Incredible courage. And gold platform shoes to match.

 

[sarahlou]

geniuuuuuuuus

And so hot hot hot

 

[JOFO]

beyond genius.

no one in rock and roll has done anything comparable at that level since.

(and probably never will).