Bono slags off Chris Martin live on Radio 1

[Dogg Thang]

And yes Bono has achieved a lot in his life compared to most ppl, but how has he been able to achieve this? - ????????????????????'s.

Eh, Tommy, he had to achieve the ???????s too.

[BeyondJumpFish]

I've got nothing against his charity work, good on him.
I guess you have to ask the question: "If i was sat in a room with Bono, would i get on with him?"
For me the answer is no...I think he's an arrogant wanker.

[MoFo2]

Here's a transcript:

Jo Whiley : Bono, you did an interview just now with Zane Lowe where you talked about Coldplay and said that Chris Martin is right up there, right up there with the likes of Paul McCarthey?

Bono: Yes, I did. I think he is that good a melodist. I mean, he's a wanker (more laughter)... but, eh...

Jo Whiley: Are you going to apologise for what you just said, live on my show on Radio 1?

Bono: (gasps, inhales sharply) Oh, sorry, I'm a reformed character, by the way! I don't do that any more!

JW: You're not showing signs of being reformed...

Bono: Can we delete that?

Jo Whiley: No we can't.

Bono: And he's a disfunctional character and a cretin.

Jo Whiley: (laughs) Again apologies..

Bono: (getting serious) But he happens to be a genius melodist and, I think, up there with Ray Davies and Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney and I absolutely think they're a great band and it actually turns out he's a great soul as well. So, I'm sorry, sorry about that...
(Both laugh)

Jo Whiley: And I am sorry if anybody is listening at the moment and you were offended by the bad word that Bono said just now, and I apologise on Bono's behalf too.

Bono: I was just joking entirely.

Jo Whiley: I know, it's pretty early.

[JP]

Just not sure why this seems to be an issue for some people.

Maybe Chris Martin is a wanker, maybe they both are, I've not met either of them so I wouldn't know. Even if Bono is a wanker, he's got as much right to think other people are as anybody else on here, or anywhere else has.

I do find it incredibly bland that Bono still feels the need to use language like that when ever he has a camera or mic pointed at him though. I could understand it if he was still a teenager but it grows old when you've been around as long as him.

As to the music, they've both released some stuff that I've enjoined but U2 seem to put far too much energy in sounding like U2 than they are in creating something interesting and Coldplay seem to feel exactly the same way about themseves. I'd really rather they both started taking risks to see what mistakes they make.

I do really object to Bono's statement that "The BBC is the best in the world at what it does", they certainly used to be but not for a very long time and I certainly don't think their programmes are worth the ?140 fine I have to pay each year to fund the shows even if I have no interest in them.

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Eh, Tommy, he had to achieve the ???????s too.

Yes he did. But for him its a natural progression that some people have. You have to have (or did have to back then!) something special in order to become famous. He didnt achieve anything until the money started rolling in. And lets face it he didnt have to work a hard 9-5 physically exhausting job like most of us. For him it was his dream come true. He didnt have to work hard at it, so not much of an achievement in my eyes. How many of us would change places with him to have what he's had? If we all had the money that Bono has then we'd all be able to achieve more & do more with our lives now wouldnt we?

[Dogg Thang]

He didn't have to work hard at it? Wow.

[sj33]

I don't think any of us are in a position to judge whether or not Bono had to work hard to get where he is. Unless the implication is that musicians don't work hard, which is obviously not true.

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Well when u weigh up who works the hardest - Bono or a regular guy then no he hasnt worked that hard because lets face it its not a job his is a labour of love, as it is with ALL bands inc Coldplay (who probably had it even easier judging their family backgrounds).

BTW I started this thread not to start a slanging match between Bono & Martin just simply because:

1. He's the bigger wanker calling someone a wanker LOL
2. After praising the BBC he then goes & does what Ross/Brand & Moyles did live on air. If he did do it by mistake (yeah right!) did the Moyles/Ross/Brand thing not pass thru his mind when he mentioned the BBC minutes b4?
3. His total lack of an apology from himself, & leaving the BBC to apologise like its their fault not his. Maybe he thinks he's above the rules of the BBC?
4. It was all a very good way to gain publicity, or should that be a pretty desparate way to sell records.

[Leon Retro]

Jo Whiley is someone I don't like at all. Talk about having bad taste in music. She is a nightmare. If only she was obese & ugly - then it match her personality - and everyone would know she is evil.

[abigsmurf]

The big problem is that, although the west feels good about Live Aid, it really did make Africa worse.

Bono's a hypocrite because he calls for people to be charitable yet charges a fortune for concert tickets. He calls for people to take climate change seriously yet lights up his huge house when he isn't there.

The simple fact is, lots of people dislike him because they don't want to be lectured by someone rich and famous.

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Jo Whiley is someone I don't like at all. Talk about having bad taste in music. She is a nightmare

Can stand the bint. There's something about her voice that goes thru me. Its got this Smashy n Nicey tone & she tries to act so cool & laid back when u can see it in her face on TV & in her voice on radio that she's on the edge of cracking up or snapping.

The big problem is that, although the west feels good about Live Aid, it really did make Africa worse.

Bono's a hypocrite because he calls for people to be charitable yet charges a fortune for concert tickets. He calls for people to take climate change seriously yet lights up his huge house when he isn't there.

The simple fact is, lots of people dislike him because they don't want to be lectured by someone rich and famous.

Exactly.



And, well well look what we have here:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090226/ten-u2-robbing-world-s-poor-ea4616c.html

[Dogg Thang]

Ireland's in the crapper right now. If they got any boost to the exchequer, it wouldn't be going on overseas aid.

[JP]

To be fair, I don't give everything that I can to help other people and I imagine that the vast majority of people are guilty of that.

I think they have every right to charge people what ever the hell they want to be entertained by the band and I certainly wouldn't want to control what people think they should be asking for their services, whatever their job is. I really don't like the energy wasted by bands like this when touring but I'd soon complain if they didn't do it. The cost of setting up and running tours of this sort of scale probably means that they don't result in the profits that people seem to think.

I don't like a lot of the music and I really don't like the stage character that is called Bono but I don't know Paul Hewson and because of that I'm in no position to comment on what he's like as a person. We find it so easy to criticise people in this part of the world for some reason but criticism seems meaningless if the people doing it aren't able to offer a better way to do these things themselves and put the energy into doing them better.

If people can do these things better themselves then I really do wish them all the best but, if they can't then their criticism seems cheap, personal & pointless.

I have no idea what people like Bono give to charity on a personal level or a professional level. He may well donate a higher percentage of his earnings than I do, it's just not something that would be published. I imagine like most large corporations U2 make some hefty tax savings by giving charities large lumps of cash.

[Stuart Smith]

The big problem is that, although the west feels good about Live Aid, it really did make Africa worse.

Bono's a hypocrite because he calls for people to be charitable yet charges a fortune for concert tickets. He calls for people to take climate change seriously yet lights up his huge house when he isn't there.

The simple fact is, lots of people dislike him because they don't want to be lectured by someone rich and famous.

I know that the pros and cons of the kind of intervention that events like Live Aid lead to are a thorny topic, but I do think it can be concluded fairly positively that the awareness generated is a good thing.

As for the hypocrisy point, maybe I'm just too soft on the likes of Bono, but I always think that's an incredibly unfair attack. I've been to a U2 gig, and bearing in mind the cost of booking venues like Twickenham, the cost of the lightshow, all the staff etc, I can only assume that such an event runs to a pretty high price. Now, obviously, U2 get a decent old cut from the ticket prices, but I imagine at least as much of it goes to the record label, a big chunk of that going to the actual process of putting on the gigs. If U2 turned around and said `you know what, we're not going to charge a penny for the No Line on the Horizon tour', their label would tell them exactly where to go. I'm pretty sure that even a band as successful as U2 would struggle to literally turn against the tide of the music industry.

And I think that the truth really is that people just don't like to be lectured, but celebrities are one of the few groups of people who have the access to do the lecturing. Now, arguably they aren't as qualified as politicians, but I think it's fair to say that people don't particularly pay attention to politicians, and academics don't have the spotlight. And I for one think that it's a lot more palatable to have Bono talking to me about climate change and so on when he has actually met with world leaders and attended summits, as opposed to an indie rock band who aren't part of any working process at all.

And just for the record, I heard the interview on Radio 1, and Bono apologised immediately for the use of the swear word, but didn't apologise specifically for the sentiment, because he didn't have to. He was complimenting Chris Martin's musical talent, but also noting that he didn't think much to his character, in his own opinion. Given that, when promoting his latest record, Chris Martin walked out of an on-air interview because he wasn't comfortable, which I presume is the kind of behaviour that Bono was referring to, I don't see why Bono should apologise for having a negative opinion of the guy. Maybe airing that opinion on radio was a little unnecessary, but it's arguably better than yet more inane sycophancy.

[Leon Retro]

The big problem is that, although the west feels good about Live Aid, it really did make Africa worse.

Bono's a hypocrite because he calls for people to be charitable yet charges a fortune for concert tickets. He calls for people to take climate change seriously yet lights up his huge house when he isn't there.

The simple fact is, lots of people dislike him because they don't want to be lectured by someone rich and famous.

I dislike rich people talking about charity and helping the poor, because on the one hand they fully subscribe to the system that is causing all the problems in the world, and on the other hand they moan about the poverty and hardship in the world.

Bono's whole existence is focused on monetary gain. He is fully subscribed to the greed mentality of the modern world.

It's like the being a satanist and then moaning about the amount of human sacrifices being too high. It's crazy. If you don't like something - then don't be such a big part of it. Bono is a capitalists dream. His group have made a ridiculous amount of money from charging high prices and focusing on personal wealth.

If someone like Bono wants real respect and credability, they need to stop embracing the system and actually campaign against it. I've seen Bono meeting world leaders( the bastards who are a major part of the problem ) and he seems all chummy with them.

The fact is, if he wasn't such a hypocrite, world leaders and powerful people in general.. wouldn't give him the time of day. The only reason he gets their time and attention, is because he isn't genuinely against them and their systems that cause all the suffering in the world.