Thursday 4 June 2015

Return to Peripatetica



As I prepare to go out on the road (or rather, into the air) again, I wanted to revive this blog to share more travel experiences and philosophies.

But first, I have this to say:  Can we stop with the Bono bashing, already?  The man is 55 years old, he and his bandmates are beginning to show their age, and yet they still put on the best show in rock ‘n’ roll (according to reviews of Innocence and Experience).

In fact, for me, a lapsed Episcopalian and aspiring pagan, a U2 show is the Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and it’s been a terrible long time since I’ve gotten to participate in the Eucharist.  I’ve yet to meet a single person (in 35 years) who has not been inspired and uplifted by a U2 concert.

He doesn't mean to bug ya. 

This bashing of Bono must stop.  He’s just a guy, a middle-class Irish guy, who happened to hook up with three other guys to make some great music.

And because of their middle class values, they were compassionate, and when they were asked to take part in a charitable event, they did.

Then Bono did what I would be thrilled if any titan of industry did—he made the effort to look deeply at the problem and tried to understand its complexity. He became the conscience of the band, of the fans, of a generation.  He took his concerns from the performance stage to the audience of public opinion to the political arena.  He got his hands dirty.  And he changed some minds.

He’s a decent guy.  He’s been married to the same woman his entire adult life, with four children, whom he has amazingly, heroically kept out of the spotlight. 

He’s well aware of both the temptations of having such a megaphone as well as his own tendency towards pomposity and preaching and publically ridicules himself for it regularly.

I can understand if you don’t like U2’s music—well, not really.  I guess it’s more like I’m aware that there are people who say they don’t like U2.  I’m not part of the really messianic cult, but I’m way up there in the second tier.  

But there are so many actually shitty human beings on this planet who are doing real damage, either individually or as part of a larger instrument, with malice aforethought. 

Bono’s just a guy who got to do what he loves and tries to use his voice and popularity to influence life and death on this planet.  Whether he actually is doing good, or the value of his contribution, can certainly be analysed and questioned; that’s not the issue. But hating on a man who is just trying to do some good in the world—I don’t get it. 

Why concentrate your hate on Bono?  Make fun of him, sure, fine.  But give the guy a break.  He’s just a guy.