Time to Buy Bono Some New Glasses

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elevatedmole

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An absolutely horrid article from my local paper. Thought I might post it. Enjoy ripping it to bits.
smile.gif


**

By Jon Dahlager

If record sales were relevant, then J. Lo and Ja Rule should be messiahs. Or if not, at least spokespeople for their generation.
But Billboard chart positions don't make saviors. And neither do radioplay nor meaningless chunks of metal and plastic.
Judging my U2's reception at the Grammys, someone apparently thinks otherwise.
Indeed, with eight nominations and four wins this year, U2 re-elevated to heights they haven't seen since the mid-80s.
Now the self-styled "best band in the world" has been thrust back into the spotlight.
The terrorist attacks were like a shot of Viagra for Bono and the boys as an overly sensitive music industry looked to the most marketable and least interesting way to sell a mourning nation musical Kleenex.
Enter U2's Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, and Walk On, from their 2000 release, All That You Can't Leave Behind. With wonderfully ambiguous lyrics and a sound that reached back to the days of Radiohead's The Bends, the tracks were exactly what record companies told listeners they needed - something numbingly familiar and derivative.
Radio play increased, U2 ended up with the 26 best selling album of the year according to Billboard and the band took home a handful of Grammys.
But someone needs to take off the public's rose colored glasses and break Bono's blue ones - he doesn't need the damn things to see properly anyway - because U2 is not making music or statements that matter.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation gave Bono the Humanitarian of the Year award on Valentine's Day at the first Love Rocks benefit. Tom Cruise, Lauryn Hill and others, including a taped speech by Bill Clinton, paid tribute to the ego-maniacal, stuck-in-a-moment-in-1987-when-he-was-still-cool rocker.
Time plastered a smug Bono, complete with the US flag-lined jacket on its March 4th issue, along with a tagline reading "Can Bono save the world?".
As a spokesman for DATA (Debt, AIDS, and Trade for Africa) a group he founded to help Africa, Bono says he wants the world to focus on dropping the continent's countries' debts, altering the trade rules for poor countries and improving health care.
He met with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Bill Gates in February at the World Economic Forum, espousing his cases and impressing the Secretary.
Of course, this is nothing new to the ever-bespectacled political poet.
Ever since taking part in 1984's Band Aid and a subsequent trip to an Ethiopian orphanage, Bono has been politically conscious, hobnobbing with everyone from the Pope to Bill Clinton.
It all seems wonderful, Bono is the classic case of: guy gets power and money, guy uses power and money to "do good and make a difference," guy feels good as festering, starving Sudanese child manages one final smile before dying as a rich rock star he doesn't know holds his hand and sheds a tear.
Even though Bono speaks intelligently about world issues, it's hard to believe he actually realizes what he's saying.
In the Time article, he says he doesn't argue compassion. Instead, logic is his method.
One of the chief goals of DATA is to erase the accumulated $350 billion public debt of the world's 52 poorest countries, most of these being in Africa.
Bono says the countries should be funding health care and education rather than wasting money paying back loans taken by corrupt and defunct governments.
If he really cared about this sort of superfluous spending, Bono might focus on the expenses of his own band.
For the 1997 Popmart tour, the band spent more than $1.5 million per week to keep the show going.
Ticket prices for U2's recent U.S tour ranged from $45 for nosebleed-but-at-least-I-can-see-Bono's-glasses-on-the-Trinitron seats to $130 gold circle seats.
The band grossed $109.7 million on the tour, according to RollingStone.com, the highest of any musical act in 2001.
And since their stage show was much less extravagant than past years, the band ought to have enough money to personally help out - or outright purchase - at least one poor African nation.
And if not, they can always buy Bono a new pair of glasses.

------------------

"You must not look down on someone just 'cos they are 14 years old. When I was that age I listened to the music of John Lennon and it changed my way of seeing things, so I'm just glad that 14 year olds are coming to see U2 rather than group X." - Bono, 1988

[This message has been edited by elevatedmole (edited 03-05-2002).]
 
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What are we going to do now It's all been said,
No new ideas in the house and Every book has been read....
 
Talk about mean-spirited and a poor excuse for journalism. By his definition, Bono isn't allowed to talk about these issues because he's a rock star or because he's rich? Not to mention that to equate U2 with Bono is just ridiculous. How U2 runs their stage shows doesn't have jack to do with the Drop the Debt campaign.

This pathetic excuse for a writer obviously just has an axe to grind and isn't really interested in facts...just badly drawn conclusions.
 
wow. that is one of the most illogical pieces of writing i have ever read. this guys makes absolutely no sense. what does Bono's work with Drop the Debt have to do with how much money the band made last year? DTD is about making huge changes in various countries' foreign policy- it has nothing to do with individual monetary contributions. according to the author, it would be preferable for bono and his bandmates to donate a few million dollars to africa, which would have NO lasting impact, instead of trying to bring about a change that could affect the entire world for the forseeable future.

this guy clearly just hates bono. there is no logic at all involved in that article.

rolleyes.gif
 
I bet this journalist was one of all who praised U2 last spring when their tour kicked off and was fresh. Back then it was a "trend" to praise them and be a "huge" fan and love what they did. Now it seems like it's a trend to bash them and take the success of the tour and throw back at them.
They are jealous, or something....
 
Another dumb piece of crap article written by a dumb piece of crap asshole
mad.gif


Author (fictiously)-
"Hey-look at me-I'm a fucking nobody but I'm gonna shoot at the biggest target out there. Hey I hit it! WoW! Now I'm somebody! I made a name for myself now! I'm a BONOfide journalist now! YIPEE!"

Public Reaction (fictiously)-
No you are not, you are still a stupid fucking nobody journalist that now people are gonna look at and say "what a dumbass" you dumbass.
 
elevatedmole,

since this is your local paper, I recommend you write an intelligent response to this drivel for publication in the letters section. At the very least, the author should be corrected in that the $45 tickets were often the best tix in the house.
 
Originally posted by barlowdog:
elevatedmole,

since this is your local paper, I recommend you write an intelligent response to this drivel for publication in the letters section. At the very least, the author should be corrected in that the $45 tickets were often the best tix in the house.

Yeah -- I have been thinking of sending in a letter. Hopefully I'll get around to doing it sometime this month..

------------------

"You must not look down on someone just 'cos they are 14 years old. When I was that age I listened to the music of John Lennon and it changed my way of seeing things, so I'm just glad that 14 year olds are coming to see U2 rather than group X." - Bono, 1988
 
Is anyone else around here starting to feel like 2000-02 is a lot like 1986-88 again?

Example: 1986 U2 slowly gaining momentum with the Amnesty International Concert, garnering a lot of attention in US and Europe

1987: JT is released, sells like crazy, U2 are now at a legendary status, critics everywhere praise them--Time Mag, etc..., tix sell out in minutes, Bono becomes increasingly outspoken.

1988: U2 continue to tour, are bigger than ever; RAH, the book, album and motion picture are presented, critics feel the "need" to bring them down to size b/c "it is their job to do so," like our good friend Juan Rodriguez says.


Fast forward to 2000: U2 are back on the scene after an interesting and experimental 90's, promote new album, gain momentum.

2001: U2 stage the best tour in years, critics adore them, tix sell out in minutes; Bono speaks out about political matters after one of the world's greatest tragedies hit.

2002: After playing the SB, winning grammies and having a ubiquitous presence for a year and a half, the critics and some people are getting sick of U2 = time to bring them back down to size again!!!!!


Conclusion: I found most of the article to be pretty much the same criticism of Bono that I have heard since the 80's--he is a rock star, he is full of himself, he should'nt participate in political matters, the music industry jumped on the band-wagon, etc....There is nothing new here.

To be fair, when you are as big as U2, outspoken as Bono and constantly use the phrase BBITW(which, I must point out, was given to them BY the media in the 1st place!), you are a very easy target. U2 is not perfect and neither is Bono. However, at least they are trying to be. That is more than I can say for someone who CRITICIZES for a living!!!!!!
 
Originally posted by elevatedmole:
An absolutely horrid article from my local paper. Thought I might post it. Enjoy ripping it to bits.
smile.gif


**

By Jon Dahlager

If record sales were relevant, then J. Lo and Ja Rule should be messiahs. Or if not, at least spokespeople for their generation.
But Billboard chart positions don't make saviors. And neither do radioplay nor meaningless chunks of metal and plastic.
Judging my U2's reception at the Grammys, someone apparently thinks otherwise.
Indeed, with eight nominations and four wins this year, U2 re-elevated to heights they haven't seen since the mid-80s.
Now the self-styled "best band in the world" has been thrust back into the spotlight.
The terrorist attacks were like a shot of Viagra for Bono and the boys as an overly sensitive music industry looked to the most marketable and least interesting way to sell a mourning nation musical Kleenex.
Enter U2's Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, and Walk On, from their 2000 release, All That You Can't Leave Behind. With wonderfully ambiguous lyrics and a sound that reached back to the days of Radiohead's The Bends, the tracks were exactly what record companies told listeners they needed - something numbingly familiar and derivative.
Radio play increased, U2 ended up with the 26 best selling album of the year according to Billboard and the band took home a handful of Grammys.
But someone needs to take off the public's rose colored glasses and break Bono's blue ones - he doesn't need the damn things to see properly anyway - because U2 is not making music or statements that matter.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation gave Bono the Humanitarian of the Year award on Valentine's Day at the first Love Rocks benefit. Tom Cruise, Lauryn Hill and others, including a taped speech by Bill Clinton, paid tribute to the ego-maniacal, stuck-in-a-moment-in-1987-when-he-was-still-cool rocker.
Time plastered a smug Bono, complete with the US flag-lined jacket on its March 4th issue, along with a tagline reading "Can Bono save the world?".
As a spokesman for DATA (Debt, AIDS, and Trade for Africa) a group he founded to help Africa, Bono says he wants the world to focus on dropping the continent's countries' debts, altering the trade rules for poor countries and improving health care.
He met with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and Bill Gates in February at the World Economic Forum, espousing his cases and impressing the Secretary.
Of course, this is nothing new to the ever-bespectacled political poet.
Ever since taking part in 1984's Band Aid and a subsequent trip to an Ethiopian orphanage, Bono has been politically conscious, hobnobbing with everyone from the Pope to Bill Clinton.
It all seems wonderful, Bono is the classic case of: guy gets power and money, guy uses power and money to "do good and make a difference," guy feels good as festering, starving Sudanese child manages one final smile before dying as a rich rock star he doesn't know holds his hand and sheds a tear.
Even though Bono speaks intelligently about world issues, it's hard to believe he actually realizes what he's saying.
In the Time article, he says he doesn't argue compassion. Instead, logic is his method.
One of the chief goals of DATA is to erase the accumulated $350 billion public debt of the world's 52 poorest countries, most of these being in Africa.
Bono says the countries should be funding health care and education rather than wasting money paying back loans taken by corrupt and defunct governments.
If he really cared about this sort of superfluous spending, Bono might focus on the expenses of his own band.
For the 1997 Popmart tour, the band spent more than $1.5 million per week to keep the show going.
Ticket prices for U2's recent U.S tour ranged from $45 for nosebleed-but-at-least-I-can-see-Bono's-glasses-on-the-Trinitron seats to $130 gold circle seats.
The band grossed $109.7 million on the tour, according to RollingStone.com, the highest of any musical act in 2001.
And since their stage show was much less extravagant than past years, the band ought to have enough money to personally help out - or outright purchase - at least one poor African nation.
And if not, they can always buy Bono a new pair of glasses.

By the way, what publication was this printed in? Oh, one more thing, ANYONE who puts that money-making maching J-LO and that redundant(although entertaining) rapper Ja Rule in the same breath as U2, does not no the first thing about music! It's amazing how you put out one of the best albums the music industry has seen in years, and pricks like this feel the "need" to rip them. G-d, I hate critics!!!
 
If 2000-20002 were like 1986-1988, then I hope the next album gives them Achtung Baby era success again. U2 in 92 were not dogged by the press, they had an awesome album out, they enjoyed a great deal of success, they were not all over the news because of Bono's politicalness, and their shows sold out and were fun to attend.

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The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.
 
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