Ridiculousness connected with U2??

[CKONE]

Music aside because its too objective but anyone think of any ridiculousness connected with U2.

I seem to recall Bono guesting on a song by an irish folk/rock band about 20 years ago.....Clannad it may have been (cant remember the song) but because U2 had fallen out with the producers of Top of The Pops (about playing live I think ie U2 wanted to but weren't allowed) and so hadn't appeared on the show Bono maintained this and Clannad appeared with a bloke dressed similar to Bono but with a big hat on to hide his face and mime to Bono's part of the song.

I remember at the time thinking just how ridiculous it was.

Anything else spring to mind?

 

[david]

the false story of bono paying a large sum of money to have one of his hats flown to him. it never happened and the story got so out of hand that even VH1 thought it was real and shown it on some celebrity countdown thing.

 

[sue4u2]

the false story of bono paying a large sum of money to have one of his hats flown to him. it never happened and the story got so out of hand that even VH1 thought it was real and shown it on some celebrity countdown thing.

and it was shown again just recently.. surfing around I ran across it.
How does VH1 get away with this???
I understand the tabloid and rag's ability to get around the facts..but to keep repeating it on a show over and over.. for the last few years..I don't know but couldn't PM stop it somehow??

 

[ntalwar]

The Kmart press conference.

 

[DarkAcrobat]

They have some ridiculous fans too...

 

[namkcuR]

The Kmart press conference.

That wasn't ridiculous. That was brilliant.

 

[david]

they never smiled in the 80s.

 

[BWU2Buffs]

Perhaps off topic, but similar for me -- what is ridiculous is how they seem to avoid getting in the American tabloids -- I would have thought by now that some celebrity oriented rag would have uncorked a story about Edges' daughter being ill; tour postponement yada yada -- makes me wonder how they stay OUT of these rags.

Playing on the back of a flatbed truck through New York City got pretty close to ridiculous to me -- and I'd echo the sentiment about the K-Mart press conference, if not ridiculous, darn close.

Bono doing crotch shots with the camera during Zoo TV came awful close as well.

 

[ntalwar]

That wasn't ridiculous. That was brilliant.

Assuming you're serious, what is brilliant about rich rock stars holding a press conference in a store where poor people shop?

Poor musicians holding a press conference at Neiman Marcus - now that's brilliant.

 

[angelordevil]

Assuming you're serious, what is brilliant about rich rock stars holding a press conference in a store where poor people shop?

Nah, I really think it was brilliant. It was very much a statement, a coded critique of a disposable culture. "Rich Rock Stars in aisle 7"...that kind of thing.

 

[ntalwar]

Nah, I really think it was brilliant. It was very much a statement, a coded critique of a disposable culture. "Rich Rock Stars in aisle 7"...that kind of thing.

I thought it was meant to be a parody of consumerism/materialism. And I think the irony was lost on a lot of people. Kmart is more a store for necessities than for luxuries. Why not go after the luxuries?

 

[BVS]

Assuming you're serious, what is brilliant about rich rock stars holding a press conference in a store where poor people shop?

Poor musicians holding a press conference at Neiman Marcus - now that's brilliant.

Oh come on, it was part of the theme of Popmart. Big, commercialism, mass consumption, this is what the tour was about...

 

[ntalwar]

Oh come on, it was part of the theme of Popmart. Big, commercialism, mass consumption, this is what the tour was about...

Sure - that theme became more obvious later and it's easy to state that after the fact. The irony of the press conference at the time was lost on a lot of longtime fans (including this one).

 

[BVS]

Sure - that theme became more obvious later and it's easy to state that after the fact. The irony of the press conference at the time was lost on a lot of longtime fans (including this one).

Well that's the audience's fault, isn't it?

I mean this is art we're talking about.

 

[ntalwar]

Well that's the audience's fault, isn't it?

I mean this is art we're talking about.

An aloof press conference is art? I think artists also can be at fault, escpecially if the fan base is established.

 

[BVS]

An aloof press conference is art?

Yes.

I think artists also can be at fault, escpecially if the fan base is established.

What does an established fan base have to do with it?

 

[ntalwar]

Yes.

Fine - then if you're going to mock Kmart or whatever to promote your album and tour, do it at the corporate headquarters where the rich execs work. Doing it in the store, where poor people shop and where workers earn low wages is in poor taste and beyond ridiculous.

 

[BVS]

Fine - then if you're going to mock Kmart or whatever to promote your album and tour, do it at the corporate headquarters where the rich execs work. Doing it in the store, where poor people shop and where workers earn low wages is in poor taste and beyond ridiculous.

WTF

They weren't mocking Kmart or the people who shop their...

You don't get it...

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

I don't shop at KMart because I'm poor, I shop there because I'm cheap.

Are U2 mocking me?

 

[ntalwar]

WTF

They weren't mocking Kmart or the people who shop their...

You don't get it...

Even YOU said "Big, commercialism, mass consumption... "
Sounds like Kmart (and many other things) to me.

And regarding the thing about the audience's fault - that implies artists are infallible. I disagree.

DreamOutLoud - Kmart might be less rundown now than it used to be. But poor people DO still shop there, although they are not exclusively poor.

 

[BVS]

Even YOU said "Big, commercialism, mass consumption... "
Sounds like Kmart (and many other things) to me.

Right, it was a mocking of society not the poor people.

And regarding the thing about the audience's fault - that implies artists are infallible. I disagree.

By no means.

 

[ntalwar]

Right, it was a mocking of society not the poor people.

Society? First time I've heard that one.

Bono's quote on the Kmart press conference:

"Question: And why did the band decide to begin their latest media blitz at a Kmart?

Bono's answer: "It made a lot of sense at the time."
"
from: http://us.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9703/07/u2/

That doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement from Bono after the fact.

 

[BVS]

Society? First time I've heard that one.

Society, pop culture, whatever you want to call it.

That doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement from Bono after the fact.

Ringing endorsement for what? What is he suppose to be endorsing?

 

[ntalwar]

Ringing endorsement for what? What is he suppose to be endorsing?

Endorsement of his former actions.
Usually when someone says "It made a lot of sense at the time." , it means "Oops..." to me. Maybe it means something different to you.

 

[BVS]

Endorsement of his former actions.
Usually when someone says "It made a lot of sense at the time." , it means "Oops..." to me. Maybe it means something different to you.

I think you may be reading too much into this...

 

[ntalwar]

I think you may be reading too much into this...

I'm not basing it only on that. The rest is my opinion. I haven't seen any arguments so far to convince me otherwise.

 

[IrishDawg]

Nah, I really think it was brilliant. It was very much a statement, a coded critique of a disposable culture. "Rich Rock Stars in aisle 7"...that kind of thing.

Bono once said "I could go onstage, unzip my pants, and hang my dick out, and people would think it was a statement about something."

I don't think the KMart thing was a statement, I think they were just being rediculous.

 

[BVS]

I don't think the KMart thing was a statement,

So it was just coincidence that it worked so well with the theme of the tour?

 

[ntalwar]

So it was just coincidence that it worked so well with the theme of the tour?

Worked well how - financially?

In that case, ATYCLB should have had an airport press conference. And HTDAAB should have had a missile silo press conference.

 

[junkydog]

back on topic.....

wasn't bono supposed to be a target of the IRA in the late 80's??

can someone either verify/expand on this or dismiss this as ridiculous??