U2 wants to change the world
Just when no one expected such idealism, compassion or humanitarianism
to thrive in the world of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, there was
Bono, Live Aid, the Jubilee 2000 coalition and the AIDS initiative.
For three decades, super-band U2 has turned hits into lobbies for
legislation, its lyrics suffused with undeniable spiritual undertones
into a tool for world change. This out of the depths of the music
business (whose soul-squelching mission revolves around units sold and
artist exploitation) is a little like turning water into wine. For a
multitude of U2 fans who faithfully buy CDs and concert tickets, its
charismatic leader, Bono, is more than just another rock hero.
Borrowing biblical imagery for sexually charged and politically
stinging lyrics and using poetry as prophecy, their most recent
release, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), launches a pointed
attack against poverty, sickness and political/religious division with
songs like "Love and Peace or Else," "Crumbs from your Table" and "Yaweh."
In soliciting support, Bono's diplomacy and social gospel extend
beyond political ideology. He is able to disarm the moralistic agendas
of conservatives by quoting their own scripture. Prior to meeting
President Bush about AIDS assistance, a recent New York Times article
reported that Bono told the driver to "circle the block a few times"
while he hunted frantically through a Bible for a verse about
shepherds and the poor. Finally, arriving late, he "presented Bush
with an edition of the Psalms for which he had written a foreword."
Treading between sinking into Christian stereotypes and walking on
water with mainstream success, certain U2 songs, such as "I Still
Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where the Streets Have No
Name," have crossed genres so fluidly that even as they spilled over
pop charts they literally became Christian anthems.
The Power of Grace
Bono, who has been silent in media discussions regarding his faith,
recently confessed in a Beliefnet.com interview, "As I said to the
Edge one day, I sometimes feel more like a fan (regarding
Christianity), rather than actually in the band. I can't live up to
it. But the reason I would like to is the idea of grace. It's really
powerful."
He continued, "I often wonder if religion is the enemy of God. It's
almost like religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the
building."
Setting aside contentions with fundamentalist positions on
contraception, abortion and the role of women, Bono has seemingly
reconciled with his Roman Catholic roots. In his new autobiography,
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books), he
states, "I can be critical. But when I meet someone like Sister
Benedicta and see her work with AIDS orphans in Addis Abada, or Sister
Ann doing the same in Malawi, or Father Jack Fenukan and his group
Concern all over Africa, when I meet priests and nuns tending to the
sick and the poor and giving up much easier lives to do so, I
surrender a little easier."
What propels a rock star with affluent tastes to campaign tirelessly
for aid to Africa? Was it losing his beloved mother who died suddenly
when he was 14? (He is a constant giver and seeker of affection.) Is
it the challenge to go head to head in a G8 summit with world leaders
like Bush, Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French
President Jacques Chirac? (He was playing international chess
tournaments at the age of 12.) Generating 14 critically acclaimed
albums with the same band and manager, remaining married to his first
wife, Ali (whom he met at age 12), and avoiding the pitfalls of drugs
and alcohol point to qualities of consistency and devotion.
Bono's hardworking band is in the midst of the third leg of their
second North American tour, which began in February. "Vertigo/2005"
will encompass 108 dates, 61 cities, 11 months and an exhaustive
interview and campaign calendar. Time is a precious thing; as Bono laments,
"I walk down the street and people say: I love what you're doing. Love
your cause, Bon. And I don't think 6,000 Africans a day dying from
AIDS is a cause—it's an emergency."
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