HENRY DILTZ, AFP/Getty Images When Rhode Island's Newport Jazz Festival…
U2 Admit They've 'Been on the Verge of Irrelevance for 20 Years'
- Posted on Sep 9th 2011 4:30PM by Sarah Kurchak
George Pimentel, WireImage
At a Toronto International Film Festival press conference Friday (Sept. 9) in support of the U2 doc, which explores the creative process and near destruction that went into making the band's 1991 album, 'Achtung Baby,' Bono was surprisingly candid and open about his feelings.
"There's a giant chasm between the very good and the great, and U2 right now has a danger of surrendering to the very good," he said. "In those times, 20 years ago and before that, we were crap and we were great. There wasn't much very good and I think that I was reminded of how crap we were, watching the film. I found it really awful and yet... it was a self-imposed crapness. We were trying to make music that we didn't understand and the band seems to do its best work when it's in that environment."
"When it gets comfortable, it's not as interesting. So there may be more crap coming up," he laughed.
Things took a more serious turn as the press conference was about to wrap up.
"I was asking a question to myself why we might have agreed to this film, having spent our whole life consciously ignoring anything we did yesterday, and I think we agreed to this because we are at that moment again where U2 has dodged being irrelevant."
"Well," he admitted, nearly choking up, "U2's been on the verge of irrelevance for 20 years. We've dodged and we've dived and made some great work along the way and occasional faux pas, but this moment where we're at, to me, feels really close to the edge of irrelevance. We can be successful, we can play big music in big places, but whether we can play small music, for radio or clubs, remains to be seen. And we have to get to that place again, if we are to survive."
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Add a Comment
Please remove all my comments except for the following/Sorry about that!:
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(We may have to dig deeper than accustomed to understand such things/anyone should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what' is right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Please remove all my comments except for the following/Sorry about that!:
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(We may have to dig deeper than accustomed to understand such things/anyone should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what' is right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Please remove all my comments except for the following/Soory about that!:
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(one may have to dig deeper than accustomed to understand such things/anyone should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what' is right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Sorry about amount of comments/didn't mean to direct it at any one person> having computer/technical difficulties also...!
Sorry about that!
Sorry about amount of comments/didn't mean to direct it at any one person> having computer/technical difficulties also...!
Sorry about that!
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(one may have to dig deeper than accustomed to be wise enough to understand such things/anyone with half a brain should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what' is right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(one may have to dig deeper than accustomed to be wise enough to understand such things/anyone with half a brain should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what' is right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(one may have to dig deeper than accustomed to be wise enough to understand such things/anyone with half a brain should be appreciative of U2's contributions, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic at best> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what's right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
(Sorry/this is rushed!)
Re: Negativity towards U2
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
Judgements are generally born of insecurities, etc...
... and so on.
(you may have to dig deeper than you're accustomed to be wise enough to understand such things, etc...)
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic> for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative... that we have no one fighting for what's right... peace, etc.?
Wow!
Wake up before it's too late!
Jealousy is not a virtue, etc...
(Also negativity towards Bono is laughable and pathetic/for example regarding trying to do good in the world. What's the alternative? That we have no one fighting for what's right... peace, etc.?
Wake up!
17 Comments