rubberducky said:
I think that this whole "debate" about Bono smoking or not is a bit exaggerated. I agree with you all, that he shouldn't smoke, but we don't know his motives. I really think that his hectic lifestyle is to blame. I've heard a lot of people saying that it helps them coping with stress. He's very very intelligent so he probably knows that it damages his voice, but for some reason he can't quit. And I think we should accept this. And we can't forget, that like everything else, voice changes with age.
His voice sounds really, really great even now. Just listen to Kite from the WITS single. It's even better than the album version.
I agree with what you are saying.
I doubt his voice would sound the same it did 20 years ago even without the smoking.
Noone with his lifestyle would have the same voice over such a long period of time.
There are many factors that led to the voice change, smoking is only one of them.
Even opera singes who take very good care of their voices can't avoid that their voice is changing.
It cannot be denied that Bono had huge problems at the end of the 90s. And that his voice has improved so much since then. Today, especially during the last leg of the tour, his voice was surprisingly strong and clear.
He certainly is aware of the dangers of smoking, he has said so several times, and I just hope he can keep it under control to keep the great voice he has right now.
Personally, I'd rather he quit it totally, but I understand that he is under a lot of stress, and quitting is tough.
I know a lot of otherwise very intelligent people who do smoke, and some of them are really massive smokers.