The Advanced Genius Theory by Jason Hartley

Author:Jason Hartley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2010-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

Bono

Bono has done many things that suggest that he wants to be Advanced: he and the rest of U2 always wanted to be the biggest band in the world (Overt bands usually turn up their noses at success); he had a mullet; he is religious; he loves Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Iggy Pop; his band invented its own distinctive sound; he collaborated with Brian Eno (the most Advanced producer); and he has been making great music for more than fifteen years. Plus U2 made the greatest debut album of all time and kept topping itself until it became the biggest, most respected band in the world, without ever compromising its principles. That’s why Bono is such a huge disappointment to me.

Adding insult, there was actually a period, beginning with Rattle and Hum, when I thought he was ready to commit to Advancement. Rattle and Hum was essentially a road movie, as well as a meditation on what it meant to be U2, like Some Kind of Monster with less therapy and better music. But with its celebration of Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the blues, rock stopping the traffic, and America, it was also a portrait of four artists on the verge of Advancement.

The movie marked virtually the first time U2 had gotten negative criticism, other than some complaints about Bono’s taking himself too seriously. Even their biggest fans were down on Rattle and Hum, feeling that the music wasn’t up to U2’s standards and that the whole exercise was narcissistic and self-indulgent. In other words, the time was right for Bono to Advance; the only question was whether he was ready. It appeared that he was indeed ready when the World’s Most Serious Band named its next record Achtung Baby (“baby” is an Advanced word, you may remember), but this turned out to be just another case of Fool’s Advancement, like the movie version of Tommy or The Return of Bruno.

In an eerie case of synchronicity, the album was released at about the same time the Advanced Genius Theory was being developed. Eerie because everything that Britt and I were thinking was being played out before our eyes. For instance, Bono started wearing black leather and sunglasses all the time. And when I saw U2 during the Zoo TV tour (Advanced name for a tour), there were signs of imminent Advancement before U2 even took the stage. First of all, BAD II and Public Enemy were the supporting acts, which is quite an Advanced opening combo. (BAD II seems Advanced, but I’m not totally sold on the Clash’s music; nevertheless it is a pretty Advanced choice for an opening act.) After BAD II and Public Enemy, music came on over the PA, with the last song played before U2 started being “Rock ’n’ Roll” by Led Zeppelin. Then the first song played after they finished was “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis. Best of all, Bono did a Natalie Cole–style “duet” with Lou Reed on “Satellite of Love” (Lou Reed prerecorded his vocal part and lip-synced on a giant screen, while the band played live).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.