The other day, I read a surprising news report about Bono,
the lead singer of the Irish band U2. It seems that on Sunday, November 16, 2014, Bono was involved
in a high-speed accident while cycling in Central Park. According to Eyewitness
News in NYC, “Hospital officials released new details Wednesday about the
injuries suffered by rock star Bono in a bicycle accident Sunday in Central
Park…he was admitted to the trauma ward with injuries that included a left
facial fracture involving the orbit of his eye, a shoulder blade fracture in
three different places, and left compound distal humerus fracture where the
bone was driven though his skin and broken into 6 pieces. He was taken to the
operating room for a 5-hour surgery Sunday evening, where his elbow … was
repaired with 3 metal plates and 18 screws. One day later, he had surgery on his left hand to repair a
fracture of his 5th metacarpal.”
As I learned about the accident, my immediate reaction was
to feel extremely sorry for the singer. I was horrified by the extent of his
injuries. I had biked for many years in Central Park, and, with its speed
bikers, pedicabs and oblivious tourists, riding the loop is like a bicycler’s
version of Roller Ball. I felt that
it could have been me in that smashup.
I have long advocated for cycling speed limits in the lower laps of the
Park since they are so highly congested and very tricky to navigate, and this
news story seems to have vividly confirmed my view. With all of the Citi Bikes
available and the City mandate to encourage cycling to reduce auto congestion
and pollution, I feel that bicycle safety education is a must.
When I took to social media, I realized that the bicycle
injury was only part of the story.
In fact, the incident quickly became a sort of referendum on Bono, the
man. My initial words of sympathy
for Bono only elicited comments of derision such, as “First the door of ur
Learjet falls off, then u have a bike accident. In the same week! Maybe he
shouldn't leave the house!” This
led me to wonder, “Where had all this Bono-hating come from?” Bono is no St.
Teresa, but he also isn’t Stalin.
Neither would I consider him in the ranks of Anne Hatheway, Taylor Swift,
Kim Kardashian, or even Keanu Reaves, among the celebrities the public loves to
hate.
Looking backward, I had come of age during the rise U2. While
I wasn’t a diehard groupie, I liked the music. In fact, in 1982, the year
before I entered Trinity College in Hartford, CT, I had learned that they were
the headlining act for Spring Weekend. In those early days, the band was a
unique blend of rock and pop led by Bono, the dynamic front man who brought a
soulful yet powerful voice to every song. U2 released their first album “Boy”
(1980) with the smash hit “I Will Follow,” followed by “October” (1981), “War”
(1983), “The Unforgettable Fire” (1984), and “The Joshua Tree” (1987). In
addition to their musical merits, these albums brought Irish social issues to
the forefront of American consciousness for the first time in rock and roll with
hits like “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day” directly referring to
war torn Northern Ireland and an impassioned plea for peace. Its hard to
remember now, but when those early albums came out, Bobby Sands, the Official
IRA’s former commanding officer, started a hunger strike which would end in his
death in Her Majesty’s Prison Maze in Northern Ireland.
U2 brought an exclamation point to the concert trail; they
were not a British band, but an Irish band. Their lyrics and their sound combined the energy and pulse
of New Wave with their Irish sound: militaristic drum beating, guitar riffs
sounding like Celtic pipes, and impassioned melodic phrases. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s, in
addition to U2 in the music scene, America became overflowing with cultural
products about “The Troubles.”
Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes chronicled his experiences in Northern
Island growing up during the fighting. Irish playwrights Martin McDonagh (The Beauty Queen of Leenane) and Brian Friel (Dancing at
Lughnasa) took over Broadway referencing the battles that were
being fought and the consequences of war. In movie theaters, Neil Jordan delivered
The Butcher Boy, The Crying Game and Michael
Collins while Jim Sheridan gave us My
Left Foot, In the Name of the Father,
and The Boxer, focused on Ireland’s
troubled past and present. One could argue that U2/Bono helped open the gates
to a deeper understanding of Irish history, heritage and culture for more of a
mass audience.
During the mid 1980’s, Bono became active in political
movements, working with Bob Geldof in Band Aid and Live Aid. He began visiting
the globe and advocating for justice in Africa and South America as well as
criticizing the warmongering policies of the Reagan/Bush and Thatcher administrations. He also set up philanthropic
organizations to help fight AIDS, third world debt, and poverty. However, none
of these activities were done without a media splash. Bono had been retooling
his image from a young, upstart protester to a more seasoned, pop superstar,
with fancy clothes, expensive cars and other displays of ostentation that
celebrity wealth can buy.
Unfortunately this move may have alienated his core group of followers. In
1993, U2 release “Zooropa,” an album that shifted in a different musical
direction, focusing more on experimental and dance music rather than the past
spirited and political anthems for which U2 was beloved. It seemed that Bono
had artistically sold out, and his liberal audience lost interest. U2 followed
up with “Pop” and several albums after leading up to “Songs of Innocence”
released most recently. While these albums may have politically themed lyrics,
the music overall never energized and engaged the audience the way the band’s
earlier offerings had done.
At the same time, criticism was lobbed at Bono for his
manager’s decision to move his financial assets to Amsterdam in order to avoid
paying homeland taxes before Ireland changed their tax policy. This action
seemed to smack of hypocrisy for a wealthy do-gooder trying to combat global
poverty and inequality. Where was
Bono’s street cred if he could act like other members of the wealthy elite
shielding their profits in offshore shelters?
While receiving honors and a knighthood, Bono also became
the target of journalists who criticized him for “narcissistic philanthropy.” From
this point, Bono was viewed merely as a “celebrity,” losing his reputation as
innovative artist. On December
15, 2005, Paul Theroux published
an op-ed piece in the New York Times called, “The Rock Star's Burden” that
referenced Bono, Brad Pitt,
and Angelina
Jolie as "mythomaniacs,
people who wish to convince the world of their worth.” Where others had toiled
in anonymity to help foster progressive change, Bono et al. could buy their
access to beleaguered nations and easily fund assistance programs. Adding fuel to the fire, as the disparity
between wage inequality grew worse in the United States and abroad, resentment
toward stars who could purchase overnight stays at the White House and a seat
at the table of third world policy crafting grew. Bono-hating was in full force.
I never jumped on that bandwagon. I remained pretty Bono-neutral. As his music grew more derivative, I lost interest in
U2. I was vaguely aware that Bono
and Bobby Shriver had even partnered with The Gap to sell his Inspi(red)
clothing line, with profits going to help combat HIV/AIDs in Africa. However, in
2010, at the behest of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Bono did a low profile visit to
the Park East Day School where my son was attending. Donning a white yamulke,
he spoke to the children about trying to do good in the world and ended by
singing the chorus from “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The Rabbi ran a visiting dignitaries
program, and I found it endearing that Bono came to a Jewish day school without
all the media hoopla. I developed a soft spot for the fellow.
Sadly, today his collaboration with Apple and iTunes has
only further called into question the depth of his integrity. What had begun as
his clarion call for peace, justice and rock and roll, today appears as another
symptom of our society’s 1 percenters’ display privilege? So is it that when a
liberal elite is literally struck down, we as a society experience cumulative
schadenfreude? Is Bono really worth all of our disdain? Or perhaps my disillusionment
lies with the perils of emotionally investing in an unstable and, in the end,
vapid cult of personality.
