Killing Bono

by **fat cherry** » Thu May 26, 2011 7:33 am

Just reading Neil McCormick's 'Killing Bono', previously published as 'I was bono's doppleganger'. Anyone read it? Not far in but its a very engaging read, occasionally laugh out loud funny.Not sure if I'll tire of the self deprecation though. Only in the prologue does he sound genuinley cheesed off that his old mate is a megastar and keeps ringing him up. Seems that even at the tender age of 15 bonio's smarm offensive personality was pretty much fully formed. And, contrary to popular opinion, i.e., mine, they did have a bit of a punk phase with bonio turning up to schol with a safety pin through his cheek - until the lovely Ali split up with him and he revealed it wasn't actually pierced, just clevely placed to look so. chortle. But they did do the punk thing and alot of covers, but it was v short lived. Interestingly... at the time it was Clayton who was the other uberconfident one, cheekily blagging support slots and gigs all over dublin and even then with a propensity for getting his nob out all over the place. And the gig where they (still called Hype and a five piece) open up, to be followed by a couple of bands including a fledgling virgin prunes, and then headline as the slimmed down four piece U2 we know and love - all originals and no covers. Plus he confirms what I'd always thought that the early stuff bonios rambling lyrics are largely made up on the spot.

Scanned a bit for buns references and only a passing one but it was Drummond who signed the author's band to WEA with a 30K advance only for the evil one known as rob dickens to can it a week later (after returning from the US with a flea in his ear for not making enough cash), but as bionio keeps saying in the bits I've read - that's rock'n'roll. Apparently its a film now.

by **withahip** » Thu May 26, 2011 8:38 am

Posted the movie preview link - http://forum.villiersterrace.com/viewto ... lling+bono

Didn't realize it had been a book - your review is pretty interesting - making me think I will up the book. On cd of course, as I am unable to read.

by **withahip** » Thu May 26, 2011 8:40 am

http://books.google.com/books?id=6kbLon ... &q&f=false

by **Malbert** » Thu May 26, 2011 8:41 am

Hmmm....I may have to read that. I started reading "U2 by U2" but even for a die hard fan (at the time) like myself I found it very dry, and I kept saying to them "get on with it already". But frankly, the politics of the band is getting in the way of my enjoying their music as I get older.

by **withahip** » Thu May 26, 2011 9:04 am

Do they have a politics? Choose the most universally embraced theme that is least likely to offend and make everyone feel good for cheering Bono when he does his 10 minute speech in the middle of every third song.

Maybe it is the speeches you are tired of?

by **zabird** » Thu May 26, 2011 12:27 pm

So there's a book too? Will have to read it ... the movie preview looked great.

by **fat cherry** » Sat May 28, 2011 8:37 am

withahip wrote:Do they have a politics? Choose the most universally embraced theme that is least likely to offend and make everyone feel good for cheering Bono when he does his 10 minute speech in the middle of every third song.
Maybe it is the speeches you are tired of?

I know what you mean and generally agree, but his enniskillen speech in the middle of rattle & hum film's fairly powerful, not least because its delivered to you americans on your own soil and preserved in a film no less. but the gobbing off was one of the factors that led me to stop taking any notice, along with increasingly bland records.

by **withahip** » Sun May 29, 2011 7:41 pm

Making a speech about Enniskillen on American soil - wouldn't it have been more of a statement to do it in Ireland? In Enniskillen?

I don't see how delivering it to us Americans making it anything profound. Perhaps had he done it in Belfast. Did he expect the crowd to get on the phone and call the IRA and give them a good talking to?

We were plenty aware of what was going on in Ireland at the time. Not only was it on the news, but like myself many had friends whose parents had just arrived from Ireland.
I asked my friends father what was going on (I was 12) and he simply said, "I don't know what the fuck they are on about" or something to that affect.

The Troubles.

by **kook** » Mon May 30, 2011 12:11 am

withahip wrote:

I don't see how delivering it to us Americans making it anything profound.

Perhaps it was the fact that Noraid was openly gathering a lot of financial support in the USA at the time and was always tolerated?

by **fat cherry** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:31 am

withahip wrote:Making a speech about Enniskillen on American soil - wouldn't it have been more of a statement to do it in Ireland? In Enniskillen?

I don't see how delivering it to us Americans making it anything profound.
The Troubles.

didn't say profound i said powerful. Dont think they are synonyms. Kook's right.

by **withahip** » Mon May 30, 2011 8:44 am

fat cherry wrote:didn't say profound i said powerful. Dont think they are synonyms. .

Sorry Jack, er I mean Cherry.

by **fat cherry** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:44 am

where is he when you need him.

by **withahip** » Mon May 30, 2011 6:22 pm

I dunno, but my punctuation, grammar, and word usage is going to hell.

by **moses (2)** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:29 am

kook wrote:Perhaps it was the fact that Noraid was openly gathering a lot of financial support in the USA at the time and was always tolerated?

NORAid

Was that held in Wembley?

by **Voodoo Billy** » Tue May 31, 2011 4:51 am

moses (2) wrote:NORAid

Was that held in Wembley?

Hell of a gig, blew the crowd away and took the roof off.

Killing Bono

Killing Bono

Who is online