And Fuck Rush Limbaugh while I'm at it here:

[BVS]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

*thin ice*

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Maybe he's just jealous because his girlfriend is seemingly so fond of Bono. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt somehow "threatened" by that, he seems like that type Who cares what he says anyway, but maybe he retracted because lawyers got nervous or something..

 

[joyfulgirl]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

Having known/met a number of famous 'great men' through my work who are happily married, and who I know for a fact also have mistresses, I am never shocked to discover these things. So for myself, I can honestly say that my opinion would not change but I am probably in the minority. I am so jaded by this sort of thing that, sadly, I almost assume there is or has been or could be in the future, a mistress.

 

[verte76]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

Part of my respect for Bono is the fact that he's been able to keep his marriage together, unlike most other celebrities, so yes, it would change my opinion of him.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I don't think we're supposed to be getting into that area of discussion.....

 

[Sherry Darling]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

In the interests of social science research, I volunteer to be Bono's mistress.

(Oh, and Rush is NOT worth the time or energy being expended on him here....)

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

i would not be shocked either way... so no, it wouldn't change my opinion.

 

[Iskra]

(to be read in a Robotic, I mean Republican, I mean rob, no I Did mean Republican voice) "If Rush said it, it must be true. We must trust him on this."

 

[Iskra]

PS: I love judgemental hypocrite ex-drug users.
However they should stay on the radio and not in office.

 

[Irvine511]

i would not be shocked either way... so no, it wouldn't change my opinion.

that's pretty much how i feel.

it's rather tremendous that he's stayed with his wife, appears to have a happy family, and maintained his status as the biggest and best front man in rock and roll since 1987. i'm sure women literally throw themselves at him, constantly, and it's remarkable that he's kept his eye on what really matters -- his family -- despite what may or may not go on now or in the past.

if there is/was/will be a mistress, it's none of our business, and it wouldn't make me think less of him. in fact, it would give me proof that he's human and hasn't descended to us from heaven. the man should be sainted, and that's just for writing "one," let alone all his charitable work.

i would point to the lyrics of "new york" -- "i found a friend/ to drown out the other voices."



i also want to say that i am very happy that i can post these thoughts in FYM because if i were to do so in PLEBA then i'd be decapitated.

 

[Danospano]

This thread reminded me:

The other day I was in the mood for talk radio, but because I live in the heartland the only option was Conservative bombasts like Rush. He said something that proved his blind support of anything "Republican"...

Paraphrase: "All these liberals are saying that Bush's appearance at a habitat for humanity site, in which he was seen hammering a nail, was a photo op...that he doesn't actually care about the people. Well I ask you?---What was the Today Show doing when they had a full week of habitat stories? I call THAT a photo op! I mean, really? "

Is he really so stupid that he can't see the difference? One is a guy going to a site ONCE for a few moments, and the other is a television show informing the public about a cause. The Today Show, while not MY idea of the best journalism, did a great service by doing interviews and spreading awareness. Bush just nailed a couple of nails (poorly), and waved goodbye. That is the definition of a photo op, isn't it?


Rush is a moron, yes.

 

[BonosSaint]

would it change anyone's opinion of Bono if he did have a mistress?

if so, why?

Hypothetically, yes it would. Another politician bringing out the happy family photos for the election ads while keeping a mistress on the side. The hypothetical mistress wouldn't bother me; the hypothetical hypocrisy would. The shattering of a carefully constructed image designed to publicly display him in a different light than his reality. There is a difference between an occasional casual encounter and a mistress. Unless there was an understanding, the presence of a mistress would indicate a cynical marital deception.

Would it lessen my appreciation for his charitable work or his music? No. Would I take anything he said with a larger grain of salt? Hell, yes. You don't get it both ways.

So far I think I have stayed within forum rules.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

if there is/was/will be a mistress, it's none of our business

Bingo .

LOL at some of the other recent posts, by the way-the Wiggles one and Sherry's .

Angela

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Hypothetically, yes it would. Another politician bringing out the happy family photos for the election ads while keeping a mistress on the side. The hypothetical mistress wouldn't bother me; the hypothetical hypocrisy would. The shattering of a carefully constructed image designed to publicly display him in a different light than his reality. There is a difference between an occasional casual encounter and a mistress. Unless there was an understanding, the presence of a mistress would indicate a cynical marital deception.

Would it lessen my appreciation for his charitable work or his music? No. Would I take anything he said with a larger grain of salt? Hell, yes. You don't get it both ways.

So far I think I have stayed within forum rules.

a) bono is not a politician, despite being a political figure
b) bono does not parade his wonderful family life around for the public eye. ask a non u2 fan what bono's wife's name is, and they will not be able to answer you, unless perhaps they are familiar with her charities. he does not use his family life to benefit his public image. he keeps them very much out of it.


and irvine put it best... look to new york...

bono is a human being, after all, he has faults. he is not perfect and never claimed to be.

so again... lastly... would i be shocked if he did/had? no... would i be shocked if he didn't/never did? no.

 

[BonosSaint]

Irvine asked a good faith question. I answered it in good faith. Would it change my opinion? Yes. He asked why. I answered it.
And yes, my answer is fair game.

 

[kellyahern]

and irvine put it best... look to new york...

Bono, re: New York:

"Like a few of Bono's characters on All That You Can't Leave Behind, the lyric outlines a man on a moral holiday, braving the temptations of escape and infidelity. Encouraging the theory that it's autobiographical is the fact that Bono has just bought an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

"It's important to describe your demons in order to deal with them," says Bono. "I have a side of me that wants to run really fast away from everything that you could call home and responsibilities. But I have another side, which is stronger, that draws me towards home and those very same responsibilities. When I'm at work I play out those things...but maybe if I hadn't found Ali and this community of people, then maybe I'm just lazy enough to have surrendered"

You kept in the bit about midlife crisis...

"I was seriously wondering whether to or not. Just looking at you when we played it to you in Dublin, I could see you writing the headline [laughs]. But it's just funnier, that line. From this character, it's believable."

Bono laughs, then frowns.

"It's not autobiography."

 

[kellyahern]

I don't think we're supposed to be getting into that area of discussion.....

I didn't think so either.

 

[Irvine511]

Bono laughs, then frowns.

"It's not autobiography."

no.

but anyone who's written fiction will tell you that elements of real life show up in your art.

bono maintains that this is a character, and i have no reason not to believe him, though i would venture the guess that he is fessing up to something, temption at least if not the real thing, and through the song do a sort of penance/atonement.

also, the song means more if he says "it's not autobiography" than if he were to say, "well, i was going through a rough patch and i befriended this East Village artist woman when i was staying in new york and getting away from dublin and trying to sort out my mind and thoughts after the mindfuck of Popmart and she was innocent and young and pixie-like and shrewd still in love with the world and she fascinated me and we hung out whenever i was in town on business and it went too far and it served to remind me of what matters to me most and that is my life in dublin and my family and i'd never do anything to endanger that and so i'm going to confess because i know that ali knows even if she doesn't say it and i've got to work this thing out and flush it from my system and, after all, why did i get into a rock band to begin with if it wasn't to examine myself and my own faults and shortcomings."

and that's purely hypothetical.

but it seems as likely as anything else.

and we'll never know, nor should we.

and i honestly feel like bono has alluded to some infidelity, as well as some drug use, more than enough for me to think that, yes, he's had experience with both.

and he's gotten through both. admirably. and he's stronger for it. and his songs are more powerful for it.

i remember watching the Sydney show with a friend and during RTSS he asked me if any of them had had drug problems, and i said, "no, not to my knowledge, save for a small marijuana bust in 1989," and he said, "i don't believe that; there's way too much empathy and compassion in that song for it not to have some autobiography."

again, just speculation.

but i do think we cheat ourselves out of a deeper honesty if we make the band not into saints, which they are, but into flawless, airbrushed people.

yes, this strays from the original thread, but i think this has now turned into a much more interesting thread.

 

[joyfulgirl]

no.

but anyone who's written fiction will tell you that elements of real life show up in your art.

bono maintains that this is a character, and i have no reason not to believe him, though i would venture the guess that he is fessing up to something, temption at least if not the real thing, and through the song do a sort of penance/atonement.

Exactly. I've worked with and talked to enough writers who say publicly "this isn't autobiographical" but privately tell me "yeah, that actually really happened" to know that real life works its way into the material whether they publicly admit it or not. But as you say, we've no reason to believe other than what Bono tells us and as others have said as well, it's really none of our business.

 

[BonosSaint]

Apologize if I took your tense wrong, Irvine. Assumed it was conditional, that hypothetically there IS a current mistress. Past resolved mistress situation wouldn't change my opinion in the least. Current--still would bother me for a variety of reasons. I don't see U2 as saints or flawless. Although I have my own sacred cows (whom I also view with jaded eye), U2 was never one of them. I may perceive the U2 machine differently than some others so in order not to offend anyone, I'll keep any further opinions on the band to myself, although I admire them immensely for a whole slew of things.

You had a lovely post, though.

 

[financeguy]

i remember watching the Sydney show with a friend and during RTSS he asked me if any of them had had drug problems, and i said, "no, not to my knowledge, save for a small marijuana bust in 1989," and he said, "i don't believe that; there's way too much empathy and compassion in that song for it not to have some autobiography."

Hmmm...I wouldn't really agree with your friend. That RTSS bit is an artistic performance, like theatre. Bono was close to people who immersed themselves in heroin. I wouldn't deduce that he ever tried it. I don't know if he did or not, but I seriously doubt it. There is no way back from serious heroin use, other than rehab or death. Neither has occured to Bono.

Also look at Achtung Baby - most tracks are about experiences the Edge was going through, not Bono personally.

Look at the band the Manic Street Preachers - the lead singer doesn't write ANY of the lyrics, yet can still invest the songs with passion. The same applies to Depeche Mode, now that I think of it.

 

[Irvine511]

Hmmm...I wouldn't really agree with your friend. That RTSS bit is an artistic performance, like theatre. Bono was close to people who immersed themselves in heroin. I wouldn't deduce that he ever tried it. I don't know if he did or not, but I seriously doubt it.

Also look at Achtung Baby - most tracks are about experiences the Edge was going through, not Bono personally.

Look at the band the Manic Street Preachers - the lead singer doesn't write ANY of the lyrics, yet can still invest the songs with passion. The same applies to Depeche Mode, now that I think of it.

yes, you're quite right.

i have no idea if Bono has done heroin or not.

but the songs mean more if i don't know, and have to imagine it.

 

[Irvine511]

Apologize if I took your tense wrong, Irvine. Assumed it was conditional, that hypothetically there IS a current mistress. Past resolved mistress situation wouldn't change my opinion in the least. Current--still would bother me for a variety of reasons. I don't see U2 as saints or flawless. Although I have my own sacred cows (whom I also view with jaded eye), U2 was never one of them. I may perceive the U2 machine differently than some others so in order not to offend anyone, I'll keep any further opinions on the band to myself, although I admire them immensely for a whole slew of things.

You had a lovely post, though.

thank you for the nice words.

i also asked for an opinion and you gave one and that's fine, as you said. i have a different opinion, but so what?

i hope you didn't think i was going after your post -- i was just discussing in general, and please don't keep your opinions to yourself -- share them!

(they're always very interesting)

 

[joyfulgirl]

I wouldn't deduce that he ever tried it. I don't know if he did or not, but I seriously doubt it. There is no way back from serious heroin use, other than rehab or death. Neither has occured to Bono.

I know many people who have tried heroin but not gotten addicted. It is possible. Trying heroin isn't the same as serious heroin use. That said, I don't otherwise disagree with your post.

You had a lovely post, though.

Re: Irvine's previous post...indeed.

 

[kellyahern]

We can all agree that Rush still sucks though, right?

 

[Irvine511]

We can all agree that Rush still sucks though, right?

oh yes.

 

[Iskra]

lib-rul.
I love that.
It speaks volumes.

 

[BonosSaint]

Nope, didn't think you were going after my post at all. (Though I just wanted it clear to the forum that any peccadillo on Bono's part would not cause my world or whole belief system to crumble. ) Even though I have to sometimes remember what website I'm on, even if it is FYM. So I wasn't worried about offending you.

You're a pleasure to discuss things with. You have a broad vision. I appreciate that. Sometimes that is rare.

 

[YBORCITY]

yes, you're quite right.

i have no idea if Bono has done heroin or not.

but the songs mean more if i don't know, and have to imagine it.

Excellent post as usual Irvine. But I ask one question to all of this. Doesn't it show what a decent guy Bono truly is? For Fat Bastard to retract anything that is spewed forth from that disgusting drug bloated face is truly remarkable. Assclown knows a lot of his tirades are half-truths anyways and for him to apologize to anything he says is unbelievable.


Another question that I ponder sometimes to myself is. Why in this god-forsaken world does Bono become such an easy target? What he does for all of his crusades are only for the good of the world? I know I'll here because; #1. He's doing this just for publicity of U2 or himself. #2 He has some kind of Jesus Complex and he has no right to go to Gov't's because he's just a rock star and on and on and on. I guess in the world we live in today you have to be a real ing hole to be liked by the mainstream public. Does anyone else think that's really screwed up or what?

 

[Irvine511]

You're a pleasure to discuss things with. You have a broad vision. I appreciate that. Sometimes that is rare.

thank you, and to you as well.

you often have really interesting threads, and i don't participate because they're almost too thoughtful -- it's one thing to dash of quick posts about politics, but it's quite another to sit down and give them the attention they deserve.

i do enjoy reading them, though.