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October 17, 2005
Bono's Double Standard
The Irish rock star, Bono, has been angered by Senator Hillary Clinton’s use of a U2 concert this week to raise funds for her political campaign coffers—even though he is a good friend of her husband, Bill.“U2 concerts are categorically not fund-raisers for any politician. They are rock concerts for U2 fans,” said his close associate, Jamie Drummond, who runs Data, the Third World advocacy group set up by Bono with Sir Bob Geldof.
“If any political fund-raising events take place at a U2 concert, it is without the involvement or knowledge of Data, U2 or Bono.”
Mrs Clinton, the frontrunner to be the Democrat candidate for the White House in 2008, is charging 18 guests $2,500 (£1,400) a head to join her in a luxury box for the sold out show in Washington on Wednesday. Despite U2’s public criticism, she is pressing on with the fund-raiser, which will bring in $45,000 for an outlay of about $7,000 on the box, and her staff are unapologetic.
So let me see if I have this right, if you make millions with lyrics like "There are no Russians and there ain't no yanks / Just corporate criminals playing with tanks."; then your concerts can't possibly be a place for politics? When in life have I ever heard anything so hypocritical? Never.
I couldn't invent this.
Oh God I hope this becomes a trend. What I wouldn't give to see some political opportunism become so wedded to Hollywood that actors start saying things like "Hey I'm just entertainer, I don't want to be involved with party politics in any way." It would be a dream come true. And to think, it took somebody like Hillary Clinton, the scapegoat of first resort, to kick it off. I watch people burst blood vessels over Clinton with bemused befuddlement, but this has got to be the first time I really like what she's done.
Crank up the volume. Garafolo standup is next.
Posted by mbowen at October 17, 2005 03:10 PM
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Comments
Look, Bono gives me a headache, but how is this a double standard? U2 isn't denying that their songs are political, just that they don't want to be used as political shills for partisan races. Makes sense to me.
It would only be a double-standard if they allowed themselves to be used by one party and not the other, all the while claiming that they had no say or influence in how their music was being used for fund-raising purposes. Doesn't look like that's what's going on here. Reminds me of the Republicans getting upset because Springsteen took issue with their use of "Born in the USA".
Posted by: La Lubu at October 17, 2005 04:03 PM