Few figures in popular music inspire the same mixture of admiration, affection, frustration and ridicule as Bono. For a man who built his career on the belief that music could change the world, becoming one of rock’s most recognisable and divisive personalities has brought its own complications.
In this new video essay, I take a closer look at the three sides of Bono: the punk who wanted to be heard, the showman who turned himself into a living mythology, and the statesman who found himself in the corridors of political power.
From the early days of U2 and the theatrical excess of Zoo TV to celebrity activism, political influence and the complicated response to Carnival De Luz, this is an exploration of the contradictions that have followed Bono throughout his career.
It’s also a personal one. I’ve loved U2 for most of my life, but growing up means seeing the people we once placed on pedestals with a little more clarity. The things that made us fall in love with an artist can sometimes be the very things that make them difficult to love.
Watch the new video essay, Wrestling With Bono: The Difficulty of Loving an Icon, now.
The Last Mixed Tape is hosted by Stephen White, and is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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