U2's Drummer Speaks Out Against Bono's Political Inclinations
U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. who normally keeps quiet and bangs the drums, has surprised everyone by speaking out against frontman Bono's meetings with high-profile politicians. Speaking with the UK's Q Magazine, Mullen said:
"Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal. Then I see Bono and him as pals and I'm going, 'I don't like that'."
He continues and recognizes that Bono is "prepared to use his weight as a celebrity, at a great cost to himself and his family, to help other people, but as an outsider looking in, I cringe."
We all cringe too Larry. Unfortunately, advice suggesting he refrain from his political endeavors to avoid further annoying fans of the band will likely fall upon deaf ears.
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I cringe at you, Julie.
I cringe at you, Julie. Unfortunately, advice suggesting you use your journalistic skills to write about one of the many humanitarian issues that Bono publicizes will likely fall upon deaf ears.
Who cringes???
Yeah, that's really cool: killing the messenger. It's Larry criticizing Bono, not Julie! And I think he's right. Bono should write lyrics, sing, make music, record albums, appear in videos and posters, not try to save the world. And if he wants to try to save the world, he should not mingle with the ones who ruined it in the first place!
Don't criticise Bono for trying to make the world a better place
Maybe Bono decides to "mingle with the ones who ruined [the world] in the first place" because they are the ones who have the social and political power to make it right again. If he did nothing but write and perform music, he would be criticised for being a 'selfish' celebrity for not using his fame to change things. As Larry says, Bono is "prepared to use his weight as a celebrity, at a great cost to himself and his family, to help other people"
If you think about it carefully, it's easy to see that Bono does not agree with the lots of these people. Only look at his comments in "Bono on Bono" and you can see his distaste for George W Bush's government, yet his seemingly positive relationship with the man himself.
Just think about it this way - if you saw something you didn't like, but had the power to change it, would you worry about what people thought of you, or would you just go ahead and change it?
Politics is the art of compromise
A lot of the issues Bono takes on are only going to get fixed when someone throws money at them. He works with people he doesn't necessarily like in order to accomplish something for the better good. It's too bad Larry doesn't get that. Someone needs to explain it to him, apparently in words of one syllable.
I'd probably stop listening to U2 if Bono copped out on the things he believed in in order to be a crowd pleaser.
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