News: Awards & Honors Archives

February 15, 2008

Bono, Rice among those who remember Lantos as a force for freedom

By Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress, was remembered at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as a humanitarian who fought for the dispossessed worldwide.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Lantos, a Democrat who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, "the epitome of a true American hero."

Rock star Bono, a friend who'd worked with Lantos on issues including HIV/AIDS prevention, led the hundreds of House members and senators present in a chorus of the Beatles' "All You Need is Love."

Rice and Bono were among a string of luminaries, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, who delivered tributes in Statuary Hall.

Lantos' daughter Katrina Swett, is a Democratic activist in New Hampshire. Her husband, Dick Swett, represented the state in Congress.

"For Tom, freedom was not just an abstract ideal," Rice said.

"I can see him look at us with those piercing yet compassionate eyes and say, 'All right, you can pause for a moment to remember me, but then you must resume the struggle,'" she said.

A native of Budapest, Lantos escaped Nazi labor camps as a teenager before coming to the United States.

He was 80 and serving his 14th term representing a northern California district when he died Monday. He'd disclosed in January that he'd been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

During his congressional career Lantos advocated for human rights in Sudan, Myanmar, China and elsewhere with a unique moral authority that earned him bipartisan respect.

In 2006 he was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy protesting the killings in Darfur. Last year he called a hearing where he denounced Yahoo Inc. executives as "moral pygmies" for their involvement in China's jailing of a dissident.

"I saw him speak truth to power, to presidents, prime ministers and kings," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Lantos' childhood sweetheart and wife of nearly six decades, Annette, his two daughters and two of his 17 grandchildren also spoke.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:25 AM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2007

Bono Receives 2007 Liberty Medal

(AP) PHILADELPHIA - Irish rocker and activist Bono, accepting the Liberty Medal on Thursday night for his humanitarian work in Africa, exhorted Americans to keep working to solve the world's problems and spoke of those who are without freedom.

"When you are trapped by poverty, you are not free. When trade laws prevent you from selling the food you grew, you are not free," said Bono, wearing his trademark sunglasses even at night as he stood just steps away from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

"When you are a monk in Burma this very week, barred from entering a temple because of your gospel of peace ... well, then none of us are truly free," he said.

Bono and the organization he co-founded -- Debt AIDS Trade Africa received the award from former Liberty Medal recipient Pres. George H.W. Bush at the National Constitution Center.

The award comes with a $100,000 prize, which Bono said will be donated to the organization.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria who sits on the group's policy advisory board, accepted the award for the Washington-based group.

Bono, who fronts the band U2, co-founded Debt AIDS Trade Africa in 2002 to work with religious groups on global disease and hunger issues.

In 2005, U2 also was a headliner for the Live 8 concerts held to raise awareness about African poverty and pressure world leaders to cancel debt for the poorest African nations.

Calling America "my country," Bono said he's a fan of the United States despite its problems because of the country's contributions to the world.

"Your America is where Neil Armstrong takes a walk on the moon," Bono said. "Your America gave Europe the Marshall Plan. Your America gave the world the Peace Corps."

"America is not just a country, it's an idea, isn't it? It's a great and powerful idea," he said. "The idea that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Bono exhorted Americans to pledge to continue to help the world.

"America has so many great answers to offer," he said. "We can't fix all the world's problems, but the ones we can we must."

The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to honor individuals or organizations whose actions represent the founding principles of the United States.

Last year, former presidents Bush and Bill Clinton won the medal for putting politics aside to help raise more than $1 billion for disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia. Previous winners have included Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

The medal was first awarded in 1989, and six recipients have subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Posted by Jonathan at 01:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2007

Bono's tribute to Pavarotti

U2 frontman Bono has paid tribute to the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti on the band's website. Here is his full message.

Some can sing opera, Luciano Pavarotti was an opera.

"No one could inhabit those acrobatic melodies and words like him.

He lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time; a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilled over with a love of life in all its complexity, a great and generous friend.

Great, great fun, The Pavlova we used to call him. An emotional arm twister if he wanted you to do something for him he was impossible to turn down. A great flatterer.

When he wanted U2 to write him a song he rang our housekeeper, Theresa, continually so we talked about little else in our house.

When he wanted U2 to play his festival in Modena, he turned up in Dublin unannounced with a film crew, and door-stopped the band. His life and talent was large but his sense of service to the weak and vulnerable was larger.

We wrote Miss Sarajevo for him. He had worked on the humanitarian crisis that was the war in Bosnia.

We travelled together on a UN air force flight to Mostar... all of us earnest in hard hats, just about strapped into this industrial aircraft with the big man handing out parmigiano from Reggio Emilia, "the best cheese in the world" he kept saying, deadpan, to make us laugh.

In Pesaro, in his summer house, he lived an almost bohemian life with a recording studio set up in an out house - but did all his vocals in his bedroom... there was a hammock hung between two marine pines for a siesta.

He liked to eat, sleep and then warm up his vocals, though I remember more eating than warming up. When we first recorded with him I left a stone heavier than I arrived.

Intellectually curious, couldn't stick to his own generation - loved new ideas, new people, new song forms.

A sexy man whose life lit up again when he fell in love with Nicoletta and as he watched Alice play in the yard. He loved all his daughters so much.

The sadness of losing his only boy his only silence.

I spoke to him last week... the voice that was louder than any rock band was a whisper. Still he communicated his love. Full of love.

That's what people don't understand about Luciano Pavarotti. Even when the voice was dimmed in power, his interpretive skills left him a giant among a few tall men."

Posted by Jonathan at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2007

It's Dr. Edge - Berklee honors rocker, Estefans

By Jed Gottleib

Boston has long been U2's American home but it may be a while before the band's next Hub homecoming, The Edge told the Herald yesterday before accepting an honorary doctorate from Berklee at Agganis Arena.

When asked if 2008 would be the year the Irish megastars play Fenway, the iconic U2 guitarist smiled impishly and said that, while that would be great, the band hasn't planned that far down the road.

"We're still working on material for the new album so it's impossible to say what will happen when," he said, dressed in his usual uniform of black beanie cap, jacket and T-shirt. "I think it will be another while still before we think about touring."

Since the band's American beginnings at the Paradise rock club to its recent sold-out Garden shows, the city has always been a major U2 stronghold, so receiving the honor from a local college made it doubly special, he said.

"I was just blown when I looked at the list of previous honorees," he said. "I saw friends like B.B. King and Quincy Jones and legends like Duke Ellington. It's an incredible list to be part of."

Standing alongside Berklee College of Music's other honoraries - Gloria and Emilio Estefan and the widow of legendary jazzman Andrew Hill - after donning traditional academic robes and cap, The Edge was cited as one of the world's most recognizable players, a guitarist who spent the 1980s and '90s forging a layered, echo-filled tone that stood in stark contrast to the flashy, metal and blues playing of his peers.

After telling the 850 graduates to spurn imitation and "leave the official map," he left the crowd not with his or songwriting partner Bono's lyrics.

"In the immortal words of AC/DC," he said, concluding his acceptance speech. "For those about to rock, we salute you."

Posted by Jonathan at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2007

The Edge to Get Honorary Degree from Berklee

Music stars to get honorary degrees

Latin pop star Gloria Estefan and U2 guitarist The Edge will receive honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, US, at its graduation ceremony next month.

The music school also will present honorary degrees to Estefan's husband, Emilio, and Chicago jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill.

Berklee spokesman Allen Bush said the musicians were chosen for honorary doctorates based on their achievements in music and contributions to American and international culture.

Gloria Estefan, who has sold 70 million albums worldwide and won fame as the leader of the Miami Sound Machine in the 1980s, will deliver her commencement speech to 850 graduates on May 12 in the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena.

Past recipients of honorary doctorates from Berklee include Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Bonnie Raitt.

Posted by Brenda at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bono to Receive NAACP Chairman's Award

Joint Press Release from Fox and the Lippin Group

Musician and activist Bono will receive the NAACP Chairmans Award which will be presented to him during the March 2, 2007 live broadcast of the 38th NAACP Image Awards on FOX (8p.m. ET/PT), it was announced today by Vicangelo Bulluck, executive producer of the telecast.

The Chairmans Award, chosen by NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond, is bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.

Bono has been an inspiration to many people around the world through his music and humanitarian efforts, said Bond. We are delighted to honor him with this award in recognition of the difference he has made and to acknowledge his ongoing campaigning to actively engage Americans from all walks of life in the fight against extreme poverty and the global AIDS pandemic.

The Chairmans Award is one of three special NAACP Image Awards that will be presented this year, stated NAACP Image Awards Chairman Clayola Brown. The other previously announced honors include the Hall of Fame Award to be presented to Bill Cosby and the Presidents Award being given to Soledad OBrien. I think our honorees this year are diverse and inspiring. It should make for a very exciting and culturally informative show.

Posted by Brenda at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2006

Honorary Knighthood for U2's Bono

U2 frontman Bono is being awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen, the British Embassy in Dublin has said.

The singer, whose real name is Paul Hewson, has been given the honour for "his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work," it said.

Prime Minister Tony Blair congratulated him, telling the singer in a letter: "You have tirelessly used your voice to speak up for Africa."

The 46-year-old will receive the honour in Dublin early in the new year.

British ambassador David Reddaway will conduct the ceremony.

The embassy said the agreement of the Irish government was sought and granted for the Dublin-born singer to be honoured.

A statement on the band's website said the singer, who has lobbied Western leaders to increase aid to developing countries and cancel Third World debt, was "very flattered" to receive the award.

It added that he hoped it opened doors for his campaigning work against extreme poverty in Africa.

Pressure on leaders

Because he is not a British national, he will not be able to use the title "Sir". The honour is the same as that conferred upon fellow Dubliner Bob Geldof in 1986.

Other recipients of honorary knighthoods include Microsoft founder Bill Gates, singer Placido Domingo and film director Steven Spielberg.

In his letter to the singer, Mr Blair thanked Bono for his work in the run up to 2005's G8 summit, which had a focus on African poverty.

Alongside Geldof, Bono organised the Live 8 concerts to coincide with the summit, and increase the pressure on Western leaders to take action.

"I know from talking to you how much these causes matter to you. I know as well how knowledgeable you are about the problems we face and how determined you are to do all you can to help overcome them," he said.

'Invaluable role'

"I want personally to thank you for the invaluable role you played in the run-up to the Gleneagles G8 summit. Without your personal contribution, we could not have achieved the results we did.

"So thank you and I look forward to continuing to work together to maintain momentum on Africa, and ensure leaders around the world meet the promises they have made."

In 2003, Bono was presented with France's Legion D'Honneur by President Jacques Chirac, while in 2005 he was voted Time magazine's person of the year for his work promoting justice and equality, along with Bill and Melinda Gates.

Last year, he admitted that at one stage, he was worried his commitment to the cause might force him to leave U2.

In 2006 he was named the most influential pop star of the past 25 years by music network MTV, and in February U2 won five Grammy Awards, including song of the year for Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, and album of the year for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Posted by Jonathan at 01:45 AM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2006

Music Industry Honours Paul McGuinness

Paul McGuinness received the Peter Grant Lifetime Achievement /Manager of the Year Award in London last night. Bono and Adam joined a host of other industry friends as Chris Blackwell presented Paul with this prestigious award.

'Success has many fathers,' said Chris. 'But in U2 there's only one father - Paul McGuinness!' A series of video tributes to U2's manager came from well-known names in the music industry including Doug Morris, Louis Walsh, Jann Wenner and Jimmy Iovine.

The annual Roll of Honours Awards from the UK's Music Managers Forum was hosted by Paul Gambacini at the Hilton Hotel on London's Park Lane. Also honoured last night was another U2 friend, Garrett Lee, named as 'Producer of the year 2005'.

U2.Com caught up with Paul at the end of the evening: 'It's been a great night and this is a wonderful honour,' he said. 'And it's wonderful to see so many friends.'

Posted by Jonathan at 03:55 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2006

U2 Plus Five Is No. 1

Top Noms Kanye West, Mariah Carey Carry Home Three Trophies Each

By J. Freedom du Lac, Washington Post Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8

Neither time nor Time magazine covers can slow down U2. The Irish rock band with the crusading lead singer has defied the odds by releasing relevant albums for a quarter-century. Wednesday night the music industry saluted the band accordingly by awarding U2 with the album of the year Grammy for the soulful song cycle "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb."

The quartet won five Grammys in all -- its biggest-ever jackpot -- including best song ("Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own") and best rock album. Noting that there might be some concern his head would swell after all the honors, Bono, U2's notoriously self-assured singer, said: "It's too late!"

But better "Late" than never? Not quite. The acclaimed rapper Kanye West was denied a bid for the music industry's top honor for the second consecutive year as his superlative "Late Registration" met the same fate as 2004's "College Dropout." Nominated for eight awards, West was shut out in the major categories, including record and song of the year, for "Gold Digger." But he still took home three statuettes: best rap solo performance ("Gold Digger"), best rap song ("Diamonds From Sierra Leone") and best rap album ("Late Registration").

Mariah Carey, also nominated in eight categories, was unable to add an exclamation point to her comeback story, as she also lost out in the major categories. Carey, who last (and first) won a Grammy in 1990, still bagged three awards, for female R&B vocal ("We Belong Together"), R&B song (ditto) and contemporary R&B album ("The Emancipation of Mimi"). But none was presented during the 3 1/2 hour telecast, so we never did get to hear her crow about her comeback.

Green Day's ode to loneliness, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," won record of the year, besting "We Belong Together" and West's heavily favored "Gold Digger." Thus, one of the Grammys' most perplexing streaks was kept alive: No hip-hop single has ever won record of the year.

Throwback soul singer John Legend, who tied West and Carey with eight nominations, won for best R&B album ("Get Lifted") and male R&B performance ("Ordinary People"). He was also named best new artist, which isn't the kiss of death it used to be. (It should make for interesting banter between Legend and his friend and collaborator West, who somehow lost the best-new-artist award last year to Maroon 5.) U2's honors didn't stop with the four band members: Steve Lillywhite won for non-classical producer of the year for his work on "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" as well as on the Jason Mraz album "Mr. A-Z."

The focus during the no-host telecast on CBS was squarely on the music, as the scripted jokes were few and far between. There was this, though: To bring out Paul McCartney, Ellen DeGeneres said: "Our next performer needs no introduction." Period. She then walked off the stage and let McCartney be, for a performance of "Fine Line" and, interestingly, perhaps the noisiest of Beatles songs, "Helter Skelter."

McCartney, who'd never before played on the Grammys, reappeared later for an awkward "mash-up" with hip-hop star Jay-Z and rap-rockers Linkin Park. They threw "Yesterday" into the ill-conceived mix, and there's no question that McCartney is wondering today how he'd gotten himself into that mess.

Madonna, looking yoga-fit in a blue leotard, briefly performed a video duet with the animated dance-rock band Gorillaz before taking over the stage to play the delightful clubland hit "Hung Up."

Carey gave a relatively measured reading of "We Belong Together" before turning her multi-octave weaponry loose on the gospel song "Fly Like a Bird" with Hezekiah Walker. Sugarland's "Something More" literally offered something more: Control-room chatter bled into the live broadcast, marring the country-folk trio's otherwise sparkling performance. After an impassioned "Vertigo," U2 teamed with Mary J. Blige on "One." Unfortunately, the pitch-impaired soul singer sucked the air out of the soaring song.

The most interesting performance came courtesy of West, who was assigned the task of making the ubiquitous "Gold Digger" sound fresh. He recast the insanely catchy song as . . . a marching-band halftime special! West and his sidekick, Jamie Foxx (who channels Ray Charles in singing the "Gold Digger" hook), dressed as drum majors for the high-octane performance. The outspoken West, who has been known to give network censors the vapors, introduced it all by saying: "Start the five-second delay now."

One of the biggest headlines of the night had nothing to do with an award. It was the return of Sly Stone, the reclusive funk-rock icon who hadn't performed since 1987 and hadn't been seen in a major public setting since his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Following an all-star tribute to his band of nearly four decades ago, Sly & the Family Stone, the J.D. Salinger of pop shuffled onto the stage sporting a dyed-white mohawk and wraparound Dior sunglasses, a metallic silver overcoat draped over his back.

Looking tentative and frail, and wearing a cast on his hand, Stone stood hunched over a keyboard during a freewheeling version of "I Wanna Take You Higher." He played a little, sang less, raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd -- and then disappeared before the song was over. Will we ever see him again?

Fittingly, the segment was introduced by comedian Dave Chappelle, who knows a thing or two about dropping off the radar. "The only thing harder than leaving show business is coming back," Chappelle said.

Another major shocker: In an interview backstage, West came on all humble about having lost album of the year. "It's all good. Because U2, those are my boys right there," said West, dapper as always in a lavender Yves Saint-Laurent suit and white leather gloves. "U2 deserves it."

West added that he'd return to the studio to make an album that the Recording Academy couldn't deny. "It gives me another goal, to go back and work on 'Graduation,' to show them I really deserve album of the year."

It was a big night for longstanding academy favorites like R&B great Stevie Wonder, who took home two awards (R&B duo with vocal and male pop vocal), giving him 24 in his lifetime. Only Quincy Jones (27) and the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti (31) amassed more Grammys in their trophy cases.

McCartney, however, gleaned no gold for his night's work. His three nominations all drew blanks.

Bluegrass star Alison Krauss won three statuettes with her band, Union Station: best country album, country performance by a duo or group with vocal and country instrumental. Krauss has won a total of 20 Grammys, making her the all-time female leader. (Aretha Franklin, whose reading of "A House Is Not a Home" won for best traditional R&B vocal tonight, now has 17.) No doubt endearing herself to the show's producers, Krauss also delivered one of the shortest acceptance speeches of the night: It took her less than 30 seconds to say "Hi" to he folks back home, and then thanks. Krauss was similarly stingy with her words backstage, where she was asked what makes her such a big Grammy favorite. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not going to ask questions."

Kelly Clarkson didn't, either. Or maybe she did, but we just missed it: The first "American Idol" winner said so much, and so much of it was . . . indecipherable. Upon accepting the award for best female pop vocal for "Since U Been Gone," Clarkson cried, talked and squeaked, sometimes all at once.

When Clarkson was called back to the stage later to accept the award for best pop vocal album ("Breakaway"), she didn't cry. But she may have set a Grammy record for most words spit out during a single acceptance speech. "I don't know what's going on, but thank you Jesus and God and everybody that's supported me," she said before motormouthing her way through a dizzying riff on . . . well, who knows? We just couldn't keep up.

We did, however, ask her later whether she'd intentionally left "American Idol" off her thank-you list. The show's snarky judge, Simon Cowell, recently said some unflattering things about Clarkson. But she said there was no slight intended. "I forgot to thank my dad, the rest of my family! But I did thank the fans, and that's 'American Idol.' "

As is often the case, politics was in the air at the awards show. But not all of the soapboxy statements came from the usual suspects.

The usually mild-mannered composer Burt Bacharach, for instance, took aim at the Bush administration in an interview after his politically inspired "At This Time" won for best pop instrumental album.

With his two preteen children standing by his side, Bacharach said: "I've never seen times like we've got right now. I'm really upset. This is the future I'm leaving behind for these kids, and I'm concerned. I think we've really made a mess of it. If the president had just gotten up and said, 'I made a mistake. I take full blame for it. There are no weapons of mass destruction; our information was wrong. Bear with me and we'll get through this together.' But to be stonewalled -- " Bacharach shook his head. "I never like to be lied to by a girlfriend or an agent. And certainly not the president of the United States."

During the telecast, Bruce Springsteen performed a chilling version of his acoustic ballad "Devils & Dust" and then referenced the American troops, saying: "Bring 'em home."

More than 1,000 individuals were nominated in 108 categories, but only a handful got any serious airtime. Just 11 awards were presented during the telecast from the Staples Center. The rest were handed out during a swift-moving ceremony at the Convention Center next door -- 97 awards in less than 2 1/2 hours.

The awards America forgot, or at least didn't get to see, included best Hawaiian music album (for the compilation "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Vol. 1"), historical album ("The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax"), spoken-word album (Sen. Barack Obama's "Dreams From My Father"), long-form music video (Martin Scorsese's superlative Bob Dylan documentary "No Direction Home"), New Age album ("Silver Solstice," by the Paul Winter Consort), gospel performance (CeCe Winans's "Pray") and Tejano album (Little Joe y La Familia's "Chicanisimo"). There was also, of course, the polka album award, which went to "Shake, Rattle and Polka!" by Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra. No surprise there: Sturr pretty much owns the category, with 15 wins over the past 20 years.

The early awards segment included some entertaining, even priceless, moments that didn't make the telecast. When Dianne Reeves was announced as winner of the jazz vocal album award for her work on the "Good Night, and Good Luck" soundtrack, presenter Giselle Fernandez waited a beat and then said, "We will accept . . ." before Reeves, who was rushing to the stage, shouted, "NO YOU WON'T!!"

Posted by Jonathan at 12:56 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2005

"Time" Taps Bono

by Gina Serpe

Time is on Bono's side.

After a whirlwind year--the Live 8 organization, a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, flirtation with the World Bank, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and album chart domination--the U2 frontman has a new item to tack on the old CV.

He has been named one of Time magazine's "Persons of the Year," alongside fellow do-gooders Bill and Melinda Gates.

"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's 'Persons of the Year,' " the magazine said.

The trio was honored during a year of tremendous worldwide charity-giving, said Time, citing the South Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina as primary causes for donation. But the Bono-Gates troika went above and beyond the call of duty.

"Natural disasters are terrible things, but there is a different kind of ongoing calamity in poverty and nobody is doing a better job in addressing it than Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono," said Jim Kelly, Time's managing editor.

The humanitarian rocker was singled out for his participation in reducing global poverty and improving overall world health, issues which came to a head during the G8 summit in Scotland this summer. Bono met with several world leaders to address the problems.

"Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest," the magazine notes.

"Bono's great gift is to take what has made him famous--charm, clarity of voice, an ability to touch people in their secret heart--combine those traits with a keen grasp of the political game and obsessive attention to detail, and channel it all toward getting everyone, from world leaders to music lovers, to engage with something overwhelming in its complexity."

Bono's efforts have even elicited high praise from both sides of Congress.

"I knew as soon as I met Bono that he was genuine," the staunchly conservative former Sen. Jesse Helms, who worked with Bono on his AIDS awareness campaign, told the magazine.

The How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb singer shared cover space with the Gates, whom Time praised for building the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic organization. The foundation has a $29 billion endowment and, according to the magazine, has spent 2005 "giving more money away faster than anyone ever has."

The couple's foundation has invested in vaccination programs in Third World countries, donated computers and Internet access to 11,000 libraries and sponsored the biggest scholarship fund in history. All told, the duo's charity work has saved more than 700,000 lives.

"When an Irish rock star starts talking about it, people go, yeah, you're paid to be indulged and have these ideas," Bono told the magazine. "But when Bill Gates says you can fix malaria in 10 years, they know he's done a few spreadsheets."

Bono first met the Gates in 2002, when he approached the billionaire couple to talk about their common benevolent interests. The rocker told Time that the charitable works dwarf Bill Gates' day job as Microsoft mastermind and richest man in the world.

"And the second act for Bill Gates may be the one that history regards more," said Bono.

Posted by Jonathan at 12:01 PM | Comments (2)

December 10, 2005

Art for Amnesty: U2 Receives Highest Human Rights Award

Today, U2 band members were awarded Amnesty International's highest human rights accolade -- the "Ambassador of Conscience" Award for 2005.

"U2 have sung themselves to where great singing comes from, that place where art and ardency meet in the light of conscience," said Nobel Literature Laureate Seamus Heaney, upon hearing of the award to U2 band members Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. Adam Clayton and manager Paul McGuinness.

Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan also praised the work of the band and their ongoing commitment to human rights and Amnesty International, which stretches back over 21 years. "On the day when human rights are being celebrated around the world and Amnesty International launches its first global music venture 'Make Some Noise', U2 is being honoured with this year's 'Ambassador of Conscience' Award," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

"From Live Aid in 1985 and Amnesty International's 1986 'Conspiracy of Hope' tour, through to Live 8 this past July, U2 has arguably done more than any other band to highlight the cause of global human rights in general and Amnesty International's work in particular. Their leadership in linking music to the struggle for human rights and human dignity worldwide has been ground-breaking and unwavering. They have inspired and empowered millions with their music and by speaking out on behalf of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed."

Bill Shipsey, founder of "Art for Amnesty" -- the organization's global artist support network that organises the annual Award event -- said that "for their art and music alone U2 would be worthy candidates of Amnesty International's most prestigious human rights Award. With songs like 'Pride (In The Name of Love)', 'MLK', 'Miss Sarajevo', 'Mothers of the Disappeared', 'Walk On' (written for Burmese political activist Aung San Syu Kyi), and of course the song that has become an anthem to Amnesty, 'One', U2 has helped spread the human rights message of Amnesty International to a global audience."

He continued, "But U2 is, and always has been, about much more than just music. Band members have used their music and celebrity to champion countless human rights causes. Through their more recent involvement with DATA and The One Campaign they have brought the issues of debt, aid and trade -- particularly as they affect Africa -- to the world's attention. They have shown that it is not enough to leave it to the politicians and 'traditional' world leaders to change the world. They have empowered and inspired millions of people with their music, their example and their action."

The Award announcement also cited U2's promotion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which features prominently on a giant video screen during all concerts on U2's current "Vertigo" World Tour. U2's Edge is quoted as saying that they regard the Universal Declaration as the "greatest piece of literature ever written”"

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson joined in the tributes, quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, who stressed the importance of human rights "mattering in small places close to home". She added that "it helps to have them matter under bright lights on a big stage in front of thousands of people”"

Background

Amnesty International's "Ambassador of Conscience" Award recognises exceptional individual leadership and witness in the fight to protect and promote human rights.

The Award, inspired by a poem written for Amnesty International by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, aims to promote the work of the organization by association with the life, work and example of its 'Ambassadors', who have done so much to inspire and uplift.

U2 joins past winners, including Vaclav Havel and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson as recipients of this distinguished human rights Award.

For more information, please see the Art for Amnesty "Ambassador of Conscience" website.

--Amnesty International

Posted by Jonathan at 05:56 PM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2005

U2 handed top Portuguese honour

Irish rock band U2 have been awarded Portugal's highest honour for their humanitarian work.

President Jorge Sampaio bestowed the Order of Liberty honour on the group hours before they went on stage for a concert in Lisbon on Sunday.

Singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr all attended the investiture ceremony at the presidential palace.

"It is of course for the four of us a great, great honour," said Bono.

'Better world'

Bono played a major role in the Live Aid concert for African famine relief 20 years ago and has since campaigned to alleviate global poverty - including taking part in the recent Live 8 concert.

He has also brought many human rights issues to public attention.

After receiving the honour, the U2 frontman urged the Portuguese to help Africa, saying it was unacceptable for children to go hungry and for 3,000 a day to die from malaria.

"If we really believed that an African life was equal to a European life we would not stand by with watering cans while an entire continent was bursting into flames," he said.

Before presenting U2 with their honours, Mr Sampaio said: "Over the last 25 years you have shown that it is possible to combine the pleasure of artistic creation with civic and humanitarian intervention to help build a better world."

It is the first time that Portugal has awarded the Order of Liberty to a foreign music group.

Posted by Jonathan at 05:28 PM | Comments (5)

August 11, 2005

U2 awarded top Portuguese honour

Irish rock band U2 will receive one of Portugal's highest honours before giving a concert in Lisbon on Sunday.

President Jorge Sampaio will present the Order of Liberty to the veteran four-piece in recognition of their humanitarian efforts.

"Over the past 25 years the band has allied its public exposure to the defence of human rights," said a presidential spokeswoman.

Sunday's concert marks the end of the European leg of U2's world tour.

According to the president's office, the Order of Liberty honours efforts "to defend civilised values, dignify mankind and the cause of liberty".

It praised the band's campaigning for Third World debt relief, most recently in last month's Live 8 concert in Hyde Park.

U2 opened the event by singing Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with Sir Paul McCartney.

All four members of the group - Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen - are expected to attend the investiture ceremony.

U2 will conclude their world tour in the United States in December.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:18 AM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2005

Bono's in the Book

U2 star gets place in history

Suzanne Kerins, The Mirror

We all all know Bono is a bit of a legend -- but now the Bard of Ballymun is set to go down in history. Literally.

The 41-year-old U2 frontman is being graced with his own entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Kristine A. Strom, Senior Media Editor with Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., has contacted Irish website www.ShowBizIreland.com trying to get information on Bono and his career.

Bono -- whose real name is Paul Hewson -- will no doubt be listed for his musical achievements with U2 as well as his campaigning work against the spread of AIDS and Third World Debt.

The singer will take his place among the great and the good of Ireland past and present, as well as some of the country's most famous brands and events.

He will join the likes of W.B. Yeats and his painter brother Jack, former Presidents Mary Robinson and Jack Lynch, poet Oscar Wilde, novelist James Joyce, Guinness and St. Patrick.

Ray Senior of www.ShowBizIreland.com said he was only to delighted to help the encyclopaedia with their research on Bono.

He told me: "I don't know if people understand what a massive achievement it is to be listed in this famous 32-volume Encyclopaedia.

"I remember referencing it numerous times when I was in University -- to think that our photos of Bono will be published in Britannica for countless generations is mind blowing."

Earlier this week Bono pledged to end ALL Third World poverty before he dies.

The U2 frontman promised to dedicate himself to saving the lives of children in famine and AIDS-stricken countries.

As he launched his fundraising drive in the U.S., the campaigning Dubliner said: "I'm going to spend the rest of my life on this, I'm going to make that kind of extreme poverty history."

Father-of-four Bono, who has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, is among a host of celebrities featured in a new ad campaign for ONE, which is waging "war" on poverty and AIDS in Africa.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:48 AM | Comments (16)

April 03, 2005

Bono Honors the Pope

Bono paid tribute to Pope John Paul II during U2's show in Anaheim, California last night (April 2).

Five songs into the Dublin band's sold out concert at the Anaheim Pond the singer began speaking about the head of the Catholic Church, who passed away Saturday evening at the age of 84.

"I met the Holy Father and I was so taken by this showman, even if I didn't agree with everything he said," the singer, whose father was Roman Catholic, said to the crowd as the band began playing the intro to new song 'Miracle Drug'.

Bono carried on speaking about a time six years ago, when he met the church head and gave the Pope his trademark sunglasses.

"I said 'Holy father, do you want a pair of fly shades?' and he said 'yes' and he put them on and he made a face kind of like this."

After scrunching his face to resemble Pope John Paul II, Bono showed the crowd he still carries with him a token of their meeting.

"He reached out and gave me this sort of crooked cross. It was designed by Michelangelo. They're my rosaries and I wear them around my neck, and I take them off and put them in my pocket during a rock show, you understand [why]."

The band then launched into the full version of 'Miracle Drug' which Bono dedicated to "anyone who is sick." Before the U2's next song, recent single 'Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own', Bono called out the name of the Pope - "John Paul" to the crowd and described him as "an Italian who knew the right person to get into heaven."

U2 played to the packed house for two hours including 'Mysterious Ways', 'The Fly' and 'Electric Company', which he said the band had not played for years. On the final song of the night, '40', Bono took out the rosary given to him by the Pope and hung it on his microphone stand.

U2's 'Vertigo' tour continues in Los Angeles on Tuesday (April 5).

--NME

Posted by Jonathan at 11:16 PM | Comments (19)

March 17, 2005

Transcript: Bruce Springsteen Inducts U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

text by Bruce Springsteen

Uno, dos, tres, catorce. That translates as one, two, three, fourteen. That is the correct math for a rock and roll band. For in art and love and rock and roll, the whole had better equal much more than the sum of its parts, or else you're just rubbing two sticks together searching for fire. A great rock band searches for the same kind of combustible force that fueled the expansion of the universe after the big bang. You want the earth to shake and spit fire. You want the sky to split apart and for God to pour out.

It's embarrassing to want so much, and to expect so much from music, except sometimes it happens -- the Sun Sessions, Highway 61, Sgt. Peppers, the Band, Robert Johnson, Exile on Main Street, Born to Run -- whoops, I meant to leave that one out (laughter) -- the Sex Pistols, Aretha Franklin, the Clash, James Brown...the proud and public enemies it takes a nation of millions to hold back. This is music meant to take on not only the powers that be, but on a good day, the universe and God himself -- if he was listening. It's man's accountability, and U2 belongs on this list.

It was the early '80s. I went with Pete Townshend, who always wanted to catch the first whiff of those about to unseat us, to a club in London. There they were: A young Bono -- single-handedly pioneering the Irish mullet; (laughter) the Edge -- what kind of name was that?; Adam and Larry. I was listening to the last band of whom I would be able to name all of its members. They had an exciting show and a big, beautiful sound. They lifted the roof.

We met afterwards and they were nice young men. They were Irish. Irish! Now, this would play an enormous part in their success in the States. For what the English occasionally have the refined sensibilities to overcome, we Irish and Italians have no such problem. We come through the door fists and hearts first. U2, with the dark, chiming sound of heaven at their command -- which, of course, is the sound of unrequited love and longing, their greatest theme -- their search for God intact. This was a band that wanted to lay claim to not only this world but had their eyes on the next one, too.

Now, they're a real band; each member plays a vital part. I believe they actually practice some form of democracy -- toxic poison in a band's head. In Iraq, maybe. In rock, no! Yet they survive. They have harnessed the time bomb that exists in the heart of every great rock and roll band that usually explodes, as we see regularly from this stage. But they seemed to have innately understood the primary rule of rock band job security: "Hey, asshole, the other guy is more important than you think he is!" They are both a step forward and direct descendants of the great bands who believed rock music could shake things up in the world, who dared to have faith in their audience, who believed if they played their best it would bring out the best in you. They believed in pop stardom and the big time. Now this requires foolishness and a calculating mind. It also requires a deeply held faith in the work you're doing and in its powers to transform. U2 hungered for it all, and built a sound, and they wrote the songs that demanded it. They're keepers of some of the most beautiful sonic architecture in rock and roll.

The Edge. The Edge. The Edge. The Edge. (applause) He is a rare and true guitar original and one of the subtlest guitar heroes of all time. He's dedicated to ensemble playing and he subsumes his guitar ego in the group. But do not be fooled. Take Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Pete Townshend -- guitarists who defined the sound of their band and their times. If you play like them, you sound like them. If you are playing those rhythmic two-note sustained fourths, drenched in echo, you are going to sound like the Edge, my son. Go back to the drawing board and chances are you won't have much luck. There are only a handful of guitar stylists who can create a world with their instruments, and he's one of them. The Edge's guitar playing creates enormous space and vast landscapes. It is a thrilling and a heartbreaking sound that hangs over you like the unsettled sky. In the turf it stakes out, it is inherently spiritual. It is grace and it is a gift.

Now, all of this has to be held down by something. The deep sureness of Adam Clayton's bass and the rhythms of Larry Mullen's elegant drumming hold the band down while propelling it forward. It's in U2's great rhythm section that the band finds its sexuality and its dangerousness. Listen to "Desire," "She Moves in Mysterious Ways," [sic] the pulse of "With or Without You." Together Larry and Adam create the element that suggests the ecstatic possibilities of that other kingdom -- the one below the earth and below the belt -- that no great rock band can lay claim to the title without.

Now Adam always strikes me as the professorial one, the sophisticated member. He creates not only the musical but physical stability on his side of the stage. The tone and depth of his bass playing has allowed the band to move from rock to dance music and beyond. One of the first things I noticed about U2 was that underneath the guitar and the bass, they have these very modern rhythms going on. Rather than a straight 2 and 4, Larry often plays with a lot of syncopation, and that connects the band to modern dance textures. The drums often sounded high and tight and he was swinging down there, and this gave the band a unique profile and allowed their rock textures to soar above on a bed of his rhythm.

Now Larry, of course, besides being an incredible drummer, bears the burden of being the band's requisite "good-looking member," (laughter) something we somehow overlooked in the E Street Band. (laughter) We have to settle for "charismatic." Girls love on Larry Mullen! I have a female assistant that would like to sit on Larry's drum stool. A male one, too. We all have our crosses to bear.

Bono...where do I begin? Jeans designer, soon-to-be World Bank operator, just plain operator, seller of the Brooklyn Bridge -- oh hold up, he played under the Brooklyn Bridge, that's right. Soon-to-be mastermind operator of the Bono burger franchise, where more than one million stories will be told by a crazy Irishman. Now I realize that it's a dirty job and somebody has to do it, but don't quit your day job yet, my friend. You're pretty good at it, and a sound this big needs somebody to ride herd over it.

And ride herd over it he does. His voice, big-hearted and open, thoroughly decent no matter how hard he tries. Now he's a great frontman. Against the odds, he is not your mom's standard skinny, ex-junkie archetype. He has the physique of a rugby player...well, an ex-rugby player. Shaman, shyster, one of the greatest and most endearingly naked messianic complexes in rock and roll. (laughter) God bless you, man! It takes one to know one, of course.

You see, every good Irish and Italian-Irish front man knows that before James Brown there was Jesus. So hold the McDonald arches on the stage set, boys, we are not ironists. We are creations of the heart and of the earth and of the stations of the cross -- there's no getting out of it. He is gifted with an operatic voice and a beautiful falsetto rare among strong rock singers. But most important, his is a voice shot through with self-doubt. That's what makes that big sound work. It is this element of Bono's talent -- along with his beautiful lyric writing -- that gives the often-celestial music of U2 its fragility and its realness. It is the questioning, the constant questioning in Bono's voice, where the band stakes its claim to its humanity and declares its commonality with us.

Now Bono's voice often sounds like it's shouting not over top of the band but from deep within it. "Here we are, Lord, this mess, in your image." He delivers all of this with great drama and an occasional smirk that says, "Kiss me, I'm Irish." He's one of the great front men of the past twenty years. He is also one of the only musicians to devote his personal faith and the ideals of his band into the real world in a way that remains true to rock's earliest implications of freedom and connection and the possibility of something better.

Now the band's beautiful songwriting -- "Pride (In The Name of Love)," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "One," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Beautiful Day" -- reminds us of the stakes that the band always plays for. It's an incredible songbook. In their music you hear the spirituality as home and as quest. How do you find God unless he's in your heart? In your desire? In your feet? I believe this is a big part of what's kept their band together all of these years.

See, bands get formed by accident, but they don't survive by accident. It takes will, intent, a sense of shared purpose, and a tolerance for your friends' fallibilities...and they of yours. And that only evens the odds. U2 has not only evened the odds but they've beaten them by continuing to do their finest work and remaining at the top of their game and the charts for 25 years. I feel a great affinity for these guys as people as well as musicians.

Well...there I was sitting down on the couch in my pajamas with my eldest son. He was watching TV. I was doing one of my favorite things -- I was tallying up all the money I passed up in endorsements over the years (laughter) and thinking of all the fun I could have had with it. Suddenly I hear "Uno, dos, tres, catorce!" I look up. But instead of the silhouettes of the hippie wannabes bouncing around in the iPod commercial, I see my boys!

Oh, my God! They sold out!

Now...what I know about the iPod is this: It is a device that plays music. Of course their new song sounded great, my guys are doing great, but methinks I hear the footsteps of my old tape operator Jimmy Iovine somewhere. Wily. Smart. Now, personally, I live an insanely expensive lifestyle that my wife barely tolerates. I burn money, and that calls for huge amounts of cash flow. But I also have a ludicrous image of myself that keeps me from truly cashing in. (laughter) You can see my problem. Woe is me.

So the next morning, I call up Jon Landau -- or as I refer to him, "the American Paul McGuinness" -- and I say, "Did you see that iPod thing?" And he says, "Yes." And he says, "And I hear they didn't take any money." And I said, "They didn't take any money?!" And he says, "No." I said, "Smart, wily Irish guys." (laughter) Anybody...anybody...can do an ad and take the money. But to do the ad and not take the money...that's smart. That's wily. I say, "Jon, I want you to call up Bill Gates or whoever is behind this thing and float this: A red, white, and blue iPod signed by Bruce "the Boss" Springsteen. Now remember, no matter how much money he offers, don't take it!" (laughter)

At any rate...at any rate, after that evening, for the next month or so, I hear emanating from my lovely 14-year-old son's room, day after day, down the hall calling out in a voice that has recently dropped very low: Uno, dos, tres, catorce. The correct math for rock and roll. Thank you, boys.

(applause)

This band...this band has carried their faith in the great inspirational and resurrective power of rock and roll. It never faltered, only a little bit. They believed in themselves, but more importantly, they believed in "you, too." Thank you Bono, the Edge, Adam, and Larry. Please welcome U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Posted by Jonathan at 07:35 AM | Comments (3)

Transcript: U2's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speeches

Bono: Born in the U.S.A., my arse. That man was born on the north side of Dublin. Irish. His mother was Irish. The poetry, the gift of the gab, isn't it obvious? In fact, I think he's tall for an Irishman.

It's an Irish occasion this evening. Paddy Sledge, the O'Jays -- they're a tribe from the west of Ireland. This is a bit of an Irish wedding. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a bit of an Irish wedding -- beautiful girls, beautiful frocks, fights in the bathrooms, managers and clients again, lawyers with bloody noses. It's an Irish wedding. It's a great occasion.

I even like it when it gets dirty. I've seen it get really dirty over the years here -- that's what rock and roll is, the sound of revenge. So make your enemies interesting, I would say, ladies and gentleman. But not tonight. When I, when we look out we don't see any enemies, we just see friends. And this country has taken this band into its bosom all the way. (applause) It's an amazing thing.

Frank Barselona early on, he's a great friend. Chris Blackwell, what an incredible man he was to have looking after you. Can you imagine your second album -- the difficult second album -- it's about God? Everyone is tearing their hair out and Chris Blackwell says, "It's okay. There's Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, it's a tradition. We can get through it. And I think about what Frank Barselona said earlier about long-term vision because you know without the long term vision of Frank Barselona, Barbara Skydell and Chris Blackwell, there would be no U2 after that second album. It would have been cut. No "Sunday Bloody Sunday," no "Unforgettable Fire," no "One," no "Where the Streets Have No Name," no "With or Without You."

That's what I'd like you to take away from tonight. I would like to ask the music business to look at itself and ask itself some hard questions. Because there would be no U2 the way things are right now. That's a fact. Only friends out here. But still Rolling Stone puts us on the cover, thank you very much. MTV, VH1 still play our videos. College radio still believes in our band and makes our band believe in ourselves. It's an amazing place to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, feeling like this -- feeling like you've just made your first album. It's a great feeling, a very special feeling.

And I see around friends and people that we've worked with for a very long time -- and generally I don't do big Thank You speeches because they're boring and why stop a tradition of a lifetime? It's too many people in the room to thank, but I'd like to thank the really gorgeous women that work for us. Because they're fun to thank. Beautiful, gorgeous women of Principle Management. Ellen Darst, thank you very much. Sheila Roche, thank you very much. Anne Louise Kelly, thank you very much. Keryn Kaplan, thank you very much. Beautiful, sexy, sometimes Irish, sometimes American women, thank you. And lots of bodyguards around here. No bigger bodyguards than Jimmy and Doug. Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris continue in the tradition of Chris Blackwell, which is pretty much letting us get away with anything we want. So I want to thank them very much. I'm trying to think of what else...The biggest bodyguard of all has to be our manager, Paul McGuinness. You see him right there. The reason no one in this band has slave scrawled across their face, thank you very much.

I'm going to go on and list three Kodak moments over twenty-five years I'd like to share with you. One -- it's 1976 -- Larry Mullen's kitchen. About the size of the drum riser he uses now. It's a bright red -- scarlet, really -- Japanese kit and he's sitting behind it in his kitchen. And he's playing and the ground shakes and the sky opens up -- and it still does, but now I know why. Cause Larry Mullen can't tell a lie. His brutal honesty is something that we need in this band.

Second Kodak moment. It is 1982. New Haven, I believe. Things are not going very well. There's a punk band onstage trying to play Bach. A fight breaks out. It's between the band. It's very very messy. Now you look at this guitar genius, you look at this Zen-like master that is the Edge, and you hear those brittle icy notes and you might be forgiven for forgetting that you cannot play like that unless you have a rage inside you. In fact, I had forgotten that on that particular night, and he tried to break my nose. And I learned a great, great lesson that night. You do not pick a fight with someone who for a living lives off hand-eye coordination. Dangerous, dangerous man, the Edge.

Third Kodak moment. 1987. Somewhere in the south. We'd been campaigning for Dr. King, for his birthday to become a national holiday. In Arizona, they are saying no. We're campaigning very hard for Dr. King. Some people don't like it. Some people get very annoyed. Some people want to kill us. Some people are taken very seriously by the FBI. They tell the singer that he shouldn't play the gig because tonight his life is at risk, and he must not go on stage. And the singer laughs. Of course we're playing the gig. Of course we go onstage, and I'm singing "Pride (In the Name of Love)" -- the third verse -- and I close my eyes. And you know, I'm excited about meeting my maker, but maybe not tonight. I don't really want to meet my maker tonight. I close my eyes and when I look up I see Adam Clayton standing in front of me, holding his bass as only Adam Clayton can hold his bass. There are people in this room who'd tell you they'd take a bullet for you, but Adam Clayton would have taken a bullet for me. I guess that's what its like to be in a truly great rock and roll band.

(Makes way for the Edge...)

Bono: He's got a BlackBerry. (Edge has his speech on a handheld.)

Edge: I am, in the end, the technology guy of U2. Which really, all it means is I can fix the printer. You turn it on. I don't tell them that.

Above all else what U2 have tried to avoid over the last twenty years is not being completely crap. But next on the list down from that was to avoid being typical and predictable and ordinary. Because it's so very hard to avoid the cliches. Everyone else's of course, but more than that your own. It's hard to keep things fresh and not become a parody of yourself. And if you've ever seen that movie Spinal Tap, you'll know how easy it is. It's a parody of what we all do. The first time I ever saw it, I didn't laugh. I wept. I wept because I recognized so much in so many of those scenes. I don't think I'm alone amongst all of us here in that.

You know, we're all guilty of taking ourselves and our work way too seriously. And we've all gone to hang out in a hotel lobby like we were doing something really important. But the reason we're all here tonight is that in spite of all the cliches which do exist, you know, rock and roll, when it is great, it's amazing. It changes your life. It changed our lives. Witness, for instance, tonight. The O'Jays, Percy Sledge, Bo Diddley, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, the Pretenders. I mean, Amazing. Really magic stuff.

People break it down. You can study it all you want but you can't just dial it up. It doesn't work like that. And as far as U2 goes, I've stopped trying to figure out how, or more importantly when our best moments are going to come along. But I think that's why we're still awake. And that's why we're still paying attention. We know in the end, see...we know that it is magic. And so we end up waiting around. Like we all do sometimes. Like actors in some Beckett play, just like they did in that movie, in the lobby, waiting around for some magic to happen. And we've done a lot of that over the years. I have to say...I've done a lot of waiting with Bono, with Adam and Larry and Paul for those moments to come along.

And we've had some great people with us during those times those times. (muffled) Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite, Danny Lanois, Jimmy Iovine, Nellee Hooper, our great engineers, Principle Management. The team that was talked about. Flood. Our show collaborators -- Willie Williams and all his team. A crew of fantastic people. Joe O'Herlihy. Bucky, Jake, Dallas, Frasier who isn't here, Stuart. Incredible people that we couldn't have come through the last twenty-five years without. And tonight it feels like it's just about half the room has been along with us on that journey. So I just wanted to say thank you to my family for being so patient. The main guy for showing me how. The rest of the band particularly, and tonight, you know, all of you for this evening and most of all, I guess, for making space for me as we always wait together for something magic to happen. Thank you.

Larry: I promise I'll be brief. Thanks for this tonight. We really appreciate it. It's very special. I feel like we've cut the line or jumped the queue along the way, someplace along the way. And we never would have got out of my kitchen in our town in Dublin had it not been for people like the Sex Pistols, Tom Verlaine and Television, Roxy Music, Patti Smith. These people are in our rock and roll hall of fame. Thank you.

Adam: The bass player approaches the microphone. What's he gonna say? I feel bassless. Okay, yesterday, it was my 45th birthday. That's a fine age to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That means twenty-five years ago we released our first recording. That means twenty-nine years ago we all met and formed our band. Thirty years ago I got my first bass guitar, or as I thought, a guitar with only four strings. I had no idea what bass was. I had not heard of James Jameson, Doug Dunn, Jack Bruce, John Entwhistle, or Bootsy Collins. I just needed a weapon and a shield to take on the world.

When we all got together in Larry's kitchen we didn't know about the great traditions of American music. We didn't know the blues or soul or R&B or country but we did know that together we had a chance to change the world by making a noise. This was punk and it saved my ass. We needed someone to get us gigs and to pay for demos. We met Paul McGuinness and he became our manager. Next we needed a record deal. We were turned down by many people until Nick Stewart offered us a deal at Island Records. This was the start of a long relationship with Island. Many people along the way helped us develop and grow. Rob Partridge and of course Chris Blackwell. We made three records with Steve Lillywhite, came to America and Frank Barselona and Barbara Skydell were our U.S. agents. They introduced us to a network of promoters. Ellen Darst and Keryn Kaplan ran our U.S. office, and they taught us how radio and promotion worked.

As we were learning all this about the music business, we were also learning about American music and the kind of artists that are honored her by the Hall of Fame. John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan. Now our generation is being inducted and our time has come to join those we did not know 25 years ago. I hope that in 25 years when this room is full of hip-hop and pop artists that they will enjoy joining the diverse list of talents that the Hall of Fame recognizes.

It took many people to get this band here tonight and I'd like to thank some of them personally. Paul McGuinness and Kathy, Anne-Louise Kelly, Ellen Darst, Sheila Roche, Keryn Kaplan, Regine Moylette, Barbara Galvin, Susan Hunter, Trevor Bowen, Gavin Friday, Chris Blackwell, Anton Corbjin, Steve Lillywhite, Danny Lanois, Brian Eno, Jimmy Iovine, Doug Morris, Arthur Fogel and Michael Cole, Denny Sheehan, Joe O'Herlihy, Willie Williams, Dallas, Sammy, Stuart and Terry.

But in the end the people who really got me here tonight and who I must thank for everything I have, are Ali, Ann, Morleigh, Suzie, Larry, Edge and Bono. And I'd really like to thank Bruce for what he said, and I fortunately can remember the names of everybody in the band as well.

Bono: We've about 35 songs to play. Won't be long.

(band plays)

Posted by Jonathan at 07:31 AM | Comments (1)

March 16, 2005

U2, Guy Rock the Hall

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrated its twentieth anniversary -- and the fiftieth anniversary of rock itself -- Monday night in a ceremony that peaked with Bruce Springsteen inducting U2 and Neil Young ushering in the Pretenders. Justin Timberlake welcomed the O'Jays into the Hall, B.B. King and Eric Clapton joined forces to pay tribute to fellow bluesman Buddy Guy, and Rod Stewart inducted soul singer Percy Sledge. "They're both a step forward and direct descendants of bands who thought they could shake up the world," Springsteen said of U2. "This was a band that wanted to lay claim to this world and the next one, too."

"Born in the U.S.A., my ass," U2's Bono said as he took the stage. "That man was born on the north side of Dublin." U2 then closed the ceremony with a four-song set, including "Until the End of the World," with Bono wandering through the high-powered crowd, spraying champagne and singing to the likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones. They then moved into "Pride (In the Name of Love)," with Bono adding a few lines from Springsteen's "The Promised Land."

Springsteen joined them to trade vocals on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and the band finished with a supercharged "Vertigo." "Uno, dos, tres, catorce -- that translates as one, two, three, fourteen," Springsteen said of that song's opening count-off. "That is the correct math for a rock & roll band -- it has to be more than the sum of its parts."

Neil Young offered high praise for New Wave rockers the Pretenders, explaining that he and Crazy Horse mined the band's debut album for ideas in the early Eighties. "They went through all the heartache that rock & roll is built on. They lost two key members and they never gave up," said Young, referring to the deaths of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and the band's current lineup -- which includes founding drummer Martin Chambers -- then blasted through fierce, punked-up versions of "Message of Love," "My City Was Gone" (with Young adding squalling lead guitar) and "Precious."

Timberlake seemed in awe of Philly Soul legends the O'Jays: "Anyone who's ever written, produced or performed something soulful stands in the shadows of these giants," he said. "Few musical messengers ever delivered the word as powerfully or soulfully." O'Jays leader Eddie Levert rejoiced in his group's entrance into the Hall. "To be mentioned in the same breath as B.B. King and people like U2 and the Beatles, this is a great honor," he said. "Now I'm one of them."

After a brief speech by Rod Stewart, Percy Sledge -- best known for his 1966's "When a Man Loves a Woman" -- took the stage and reminisced about his childhood days picking cotton in Alabama. He said that his boss once told him, "Perce, that voice coming out of your throat, the whole world is gonna hear it one day." Then he performed a full-throated rendition of his greatest hit -- which he dedicated to his wife, Rosa.

Earlier in the evening, Little Steven Van Zandt took on his Silvio Dante persona from The Sopranos -- complete with wig and silent companion James Gandolfini -- to welcome the first of the evening's non-performing inductees, concert industry innovator Frank Barsalona. "He's the godfather of rock & roll -- and we don't use that term lightly," Van Zandt said. Ice-T, along with Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, did the honors for Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein. Quipped Stein, "It feels like my bar mitzvah."

Clapton, who once famously called Guy the greatest living guitar player, kept the praise coming on Monday, saying that the veteran Chicago axeman's playing still reduces him to a "helplessly ecstatic teenager." King said of Guy, "I never was as handsome as he is." He added of his famous guitar, "I think Lucille liked him better." Before playing his latter-day trademark tune "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues," and jamming with Clapton and King on the blues standard "Let Me Love You Baby," Guy used his speech to make a case for his music's universality: "If you don't think you have had the blues, just keep living."

Brian Hiatt
Rolling Stone, 2005.

Posted by Jonathan at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2005

U2 Sings Tribute to Bono's Dad

2.14.05 - Associated Press

By David Bauder, Associated Press Writer

U2 may have captured the most attention -- and a Grammy Award -- for the song "Vertigo," but the band chose to make a very personal statement with its performance on the show Sunday.

They performed "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," dedicating it to lead singer Bono's father, who died in 2001.

Bono described him as a postal clerk who sang opera into the night in a beautiful tenor voice.

"I'd like to think when he passed away he gave that to me," he said. "I wish I got to know him better."

The stately song forced Bono and the Edge to match falsettos in the chorus. It was a rare moment of tenderness and vulnerability in rock 'n' roll, and when Bono sang a lyric about two men who would have liked each other more if they hadn't been so much alike, he spoke for generations of warring fathers and sons.

The easy choice would have been to sing "Vertigo," which won the Grammy for best rock song, just to show people they still stand on top of the rock pack. Instead, they chose a better song, and made a stronger connection with millions of people watching at home.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:13 AM | Comments (2)

January 20, 2005

U2 to Perform on 47th Annual Grammy Awards

1.20.05 - Business Wire

Green Day, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw and U2 to Perform on 47th Annual Grammy Awards; Ellen DeGeneres, Christina Milian and John Travolta to Appear as Presenters

Superstar Artists Are the First Announced Performers and Presenters for Music's Biggest Night(TM) to Be Hosted by Queen Latifah and Broadcast on the CBS Television Network Feb. 13

Green Day, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw and U2 are the first performers announced for the 47th Annual Grammy(R) Awards telecast, it was announced today by The Recording Academy(R). Ellen DeGeneres, Christina Milian and John Travolta will appear as presenters. The music industry's premier event will be hosted by Queen Latifah and will take place on Feb. 13 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at Grammy.com.

Grammy-winning punk rock trio Green Day is up for six Grammy Awards: Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album for "American Idiot," and Record Of The Year, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Short Form Music Video for the title track.

Five-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys currently holds eight nominations: Album Of The Year and Best R&B Album ("The Diary Of Alicia Keys"); Song Of The Year and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("If I Ain't Got You"); two nominations in the Best R&B Song category ("My Boo" and "You Don't Know My Name"); and two nominations in the Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals category ("Diary," featuring Tony! Toni! Tone! and "My Boo," with Usher).

Grammy-winning country superstar Tim McGraw is nominated for two awards: Best Country Album ("Live Like You Were Dying") and Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the album's title track.

Thirteen-time Grammy Award winner U2 is currently nominated for three Grammys: Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Short Form Music Video for "Vertigo."

Host of the daytime Emmy-winning talk show "Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and current Grammy nominee (Best Comedy Album) Ellen DeGeneres will appear as a presenter, along with recording artist/actress and current Grammy nominee (Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration) Christina Milian, and Oscar-nominated actor John Travolta.

The 47th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Cossette Productions for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer, Tzvi Small is executive in charge of production, and Anthea Bhargava is associate producer.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers, and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the Grammy Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education, and human services programs -- including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download(R) (www.WhatsTheDownload.com). For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:10 AM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2004

Bushes, Carter, Bono Headline Clinton Library Ceremony

11.13.04 - Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK - President George W. Bush and former presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will speak, and rock legends Bono and The Edge will perform, to honor Bill Clinton at the dedication of his presidential library Thursday.

More than 30,000 invited guests - including dignitaries, celebrities and contributors to the $165 million private library construction effort - will be packed into temporary bleachers on the newly landscaped Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.

Another 20,000 people are expected to flood the neighboring city streets that morning to watch the grand opening festivities on JumboTron screens.

A White House spokesman confirmed Friday the current president's plans to participate in the ceremony. He, his father and Carter are scheduled to speak. Former President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty were invited but could not attend.

It won't be the first time George W. Bush has commemorated Clinton's presidency. The Republican president praised Clinton this summer at a White House ceremony to unveil the Democrat's official portrait. Clinton did the same for the elder Bush's portrait ceremony and library opening in College Station, Texas.

After the presidential speeches, the politically outspoken Bono and guitarist The Edge will perform. They are two of the four members of the Irish band U2, which has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and won 14 Grammys. Like Clinton in his post-presidential foundation work, Bono is a champion for fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa and has been since he helped start Band Aid in the early 1980s.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela will give a video greeting near the beginning of the program. Other foreign leaders, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper, first lady Laura Bush and former first ladies Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter will be introduced to the crowd.

Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson has been ill and cannot attend. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also was not able to come, library officials said.

The U2 members will be followed to the grassy plateau that will serve as a stage by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who will introduce her husband for what are scheduled as brief remarks.

The former president and Arkansas governor will be followed by daughter Chelsea, who will speak and present ceremonial keys to the 150,000-square-foot library to National Archivist John Carlin. The library project has been financed by Clinton's private foundation since 1999, but becomes the 12th presidential library run by the National Archives and Records Administration on Thursday.

Mickey Mangun, a Pentecostal gospel singer from Pineville, La., who performed at both Clinton inaugurations will perform before a fleet of F-16s from the Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith, wrap up the program with a flyover.

Before the official ceremony, legendary trumpeter Phil Driscoll will play "America," several Arkansas musicians will perform and Rita Dove, who Clinton appointed as the first black U.S. poet laureate in 1993, will read her poem "This Life."

Bagpipers from Lyon College in Batesville will start the program by marching in along President Clinton Avenue to Celebration Circle, the cul-de-sac in front of the massive steel-and-glass library. The marching band from Clinton's alma mater, Hot Springs High School, and African Drum Ballet, a group from Clinton's birthplace of Hope will also take the stage.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:02 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2003

The Clash, Police Join Rock Hall of Fame

3.12.03 - AP

By David Bauder, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - The annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony featured the spirit of 1970s British punk, some anti-war sentiments and probably the loudest noise ever heard at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

In what's often the case at the glittery ceremony, the honor also brought together a long-estranged group, in this case the Police.

The British trio played publicly Monday for the first time in 18 years, singing the reggae-tinged "Roxanne," the obsessive hit, "Every Breath You Take" and "Message in a Bottle."

"I'd like to make it very clear that there is absolutely no ego in our band whatsoever," guitarist Andy Summers (news) joked.

Ego splintered the band in the mid-1980s. And it hasn't dulled with time: singer Sting said Stewart Copeland (news) grumbled about the song selection for the reunion because there wasn't enough drumming in them.

They were inducted by No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani (news), who praised their "fruit salad" of sound. Stefani showed a picture of herself as a chubby 13-year-old, getting a backstage autograph from Sting.

Hopes for another big reunion were dashed when Joe Strummer (news), lead singer of the Clash, died on Dec. 22.

The surviving members were saluted by guitarist the Edge of U2 and Tom Morello of Audioslave, who both recalled being awed by a Clash concert when they were teenagers.

The Clash, whose original lineup broke up shortly after recording "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" burned bright and fast.

"If they had been around 10 years earlier, they would have given the Beatles, the Kinks and the Stones a run for their money," the Edge said. "If they had arrived 10 years later, they might have resolved their internal conflicts and stayed the course."

Bass player Paul Simonon said he missed "my big brother Joe."

A third potential reunion, of Elvis Costello (news) and his longtime backing trio, the Attractions, was scuttled by bad blood. Costello currently tours with two of its members, but has long feuded with bass player Bruce Thomas.

Handed his trophy, Thomas said, "thanks for the memories. That's it," and walked off stage and out the door.

Costello marked his departure with a lewd gesture.

He was saluted in a profane and funny speech by Elton John (news), his weaved hair teased in a punk style.

"He's like a chameleon, Elvis," he said. "He writes wonderful lyrics, and his songs know no musical boundaries."

Costello and his new band played their adrenalized anthem, "Pump it Up," and a medley of his own, "Deep, Dark Truthful Mirror" with the Smokey Robinson (news) hit, "You Really Got a Hold on Me." They also played "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."

A more explicit anti-war message came from Neil Young (news), appearing to honor the longtime Warner Brothers Records executive Mo Ostin.

"Tonight we're having a good time," Young said. "But we're going to kill a lot of people next week. Let's not forget about that ... We're making a huge mistake."

Australian hard rockers AC/DC made the staid Waldorf Astoria paint peel with thunderous versions of "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long," the latter joined by Aerosmith (news - web sites) lead singer Steven Tyler.

Singer Billy Joel (news) inducted Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley -- the Righteous Brothers, whose smooth hits "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" graced radio in the mid-1960s.

"Sometimes people with blue eyes transcended the limitations of what their color and culture can actually be," Joel said. "Sometimes white people can actually be soulful. This was a life-changing idea. It changed my life."

The Righteous Brothers were disciples of legendary producer Phil Spector, usually a fixture at the rock hall dinners. Spector was arrested for investigation of murder after an actress' body was found at his suburban Los Angeles home on Feb. 3. He hasn't been charged and is free on $1 million bail.

The Rock and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland but the induction ceremonies are held in New York. Highlights of the ceremony will be shown on VH1 at 9 p.m. on March 16.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:47 AM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2003

Bono Honored As MusiCares Person Of The Year

2.25.03 - Launch

Bono was feted with the MusiCares Person Of The Year award on Friday night (February 21) at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York City. In attendance was a wide variety of figures from pop to politics.

Hosting the event was Ashley Judd, and comic relief was provided by Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon, who made fun of Bono for winning so many awards. Also attending the event were former President Bill Clinton, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Isaac Hayes, Robert De Niro, and others.

Music stars including Norah Jones, Sly & Robbie, No Doubt, Elvis Costello, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Wynonna with B.B. King, and Garbage all performed cover versions of U2 classics.

Performance highlights were Sly & Robbie with No Doubt performing "Sweetest Thing," Norah Jones singing "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of," Elvis Costello singing "Kite," and Garbage performing "Pride (In The Name Of Love)."

Bono himself closed the show with three songs--"My Way," "Night And Day" (with the Edge), and U2's latest single, "The Hands That Built America" (from the film Gangs Of New York).

-- Darren Davis, New York

Posted by Jonathan at 02:41 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2003

Pro Bono: Ten reasons U2 belongs in the Rock Hall

2.8.03 - Cleveland Scene

by Michael Gallucci

With the February 9 opening of In the Name of Love: Two Decades of U2 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Irish quartet is finally getting a corner to claim as its very own within the coveted corridors. Not that Bono and the boys really need the Rock Hall -- which is gathering two decades of memorabilia, such as the Edge's studded jeans, the leather jacket last seen on Bono at Super Bowl XXXVI, and various promotional materials -- to present them with such an honor. We already know that U2 is one of the greatest bands in the world.

So while you contemplate the Stetson that Bono wore during The Joshua Tree tour and production notes by producer Daniel Lanois, consider what secured the group this artifact-packed exhibit in the first place: the music. Below, U2's greatest hits -- the perfect soundtrack to your Rock Hall gawk.

1. "Beautiful Day" -- When it was released in 2000, it sounded big, gorgeous, and anthemic. It's even more so today.

2. All That You Can't Leave Behind -- There's a resonance to this, U2's greatest album. It's simultaneously elated and weary. And aware of every note being played.

3. Achtung Baby -- They've reinvented themselves so many times since this 1991 outing that it's easy to forget just how un-U2-like it originally sounded. It's when they first proved they wanted to do more than just save the world.

4. The Joshua Tree -- The 1987 album that elevated the band from cult status to rock stars. The best of it -- "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" -- still matters.

5. Zooropa -- It's the most overlooked of the top albums, an experimental tour de force that makes room for everything from the Edge reciting a mantra to Johnny Cash chiming in.

6. War -- This 1983 opus sounds a little naive 20 years later. But everything U2 would become -- the ringing guitars, the fist-in-the-air sloganeering -- forms here.

7. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" -- A warm and angry tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., it's the boys' first great single (from the murky The Unforgettable Fire). Overly earnest, but they mean each and every word of it.

8. "One" -- It implies anything you want it to -- a death march for an AIDS victim, a spiritual call for solidarity, the gospel according to the prophet Bono. And that's the beauty of it.

9. "Walk On" -- Like "Beautiful Day," this moving song from All That You Can't Leave Behind takes on even more significance post-9-11.

10. "With or Without You" -- The Joshua Tree's finest song is among its most conventional. The slow build, the sweeping chorus, the redemption at the very center of its message -- classic U2, at the very moment they became classic.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2003

Bono Introduces 'Gangs Of New York,' Lets Slip Some Slang

1.20.03 - Launch

U2 frontman Bono can add "Golden Globe winner" to his already impressive resume. The Irish performer presented a vignette on Gangs Of New York, and later in the evening scooped up a Golden Globe for U2's song "The Hands That Built America," from the movie's soundtrack.

Bono introduced the Gangs feature, and explained the movie's significance. "It took an Italian to make a movie about Irish people--that's great isn't it?" Bono said. "Like James Joyce took Dublin, Martin Scorsese (news) took New York City to be his muse. For pretty much his whole cinematic life, this city has been his subject. He wanted to know everything about his muse: her every avenue, her every dark corner, where and how she was born. Gangs Of New York is that story. How his muse came into the world: kicking and screaming, as it happens."

The singer-songwriter was so enthused about U2's Globe win that he must've forgotten he was on live TV; bandmate the Edge also pipes in to accept the award. "Ah, this is really, really f--king brilliant (crowd cheers)," Bono said. "Really, really great. And, you know, there's a lot of songs in films, and a couple of great songs, and a couple of U2 songs, but not often [do] the songs come out of the characters, and out of the story of the film. And this goes back to a conversation I had with Martin Scorsese over 10 years ago. It's really a very, very special night for our band. Would you say something, the Edge, please?"

The Edge responded, "Yes. The films of Martin Scorsese made a massive impact on us growing up in Dublin in the '70s. It's such a privilege to be a small part in one of his movies. Thank you so much!"

-- Steve Iervolino, New York

Posted by Jonathan at 02:30 AM | Comments (1)

November 09, 2002

U2's Bono To Be Honored By Wiesenthal Center With Humanitarian Laureate Award

11.9.02 - Launch

U2's Bono will be honored for his humanitarian deeds by human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York on November 18.

The singer will receive the Humanitarian Laureate Award "for his keen sense of social justice and his tireless efforts on behalf of the underprivileged and disenfranchised of the world," according to Doug Morris, CEO of Universal Music Group, the parent company of U2's label, Interscope Records.

The presentation will take place during the organization's dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Morris will chair the event.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, and fostering tolerance, understanding, and international human rights.

U2's new hits collection, The Best Of 1990-2000, featuring the new tracks "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America," was released Tuesday (November 5).

Posted by Jonathan at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)

October 09, 2002

Bono Named MusiCares Person Of The Year

10.9.02 - MTV UK

Rock uber-star and humanitarian action-man Bono has been named 2003 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science's, in recognition of his efforts on behalf of African and worldwide charities as well as his work in the music industry.

The U2 frontman will be officially bestowed his MusiCare honours at a ceremony in New York on February 21. Bono, who has also just been named Most Powerful Person In Music in a poll by Q Magazine, will be presented the title by 2002 MusiCare Person Of The Year, Billy Joel. The MusiCares initiative was started by the Recording Academy back in 1989.

Over the past 12 months, Bono has focussed his fundraising efforts on poverty and HIV/AIDS in the Third World, campaigning strongly for greater efforts in eradicating both. As part of his campaign, the U2 frontman has toured Africa with US Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill. Bono has also continued to support Jubilee 2000 Drop The Debt; a campaign for the clearing of outstanding international debts currently owed by the world's 57 poorest countries.

In between Bono's global efforts, U2 still find time to record cracking tunes and make great videos. Testament to this, is the 'Electrical Storm' video, currently available to enjoy in full on mtv.co.uk.

Posted by Jonathan at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2002

Eminem, Coldplay, Pink, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, & Kylie Minogue Lead MTV Europe Noms

10.1.02 - All Star News

Diversity rules the MTV Europe Music Awards 2002 nominations, as a rapper, two Latin artists, a dance act, an alternative Britpop band, and a sassy pink-haired popster lead the pack with four nominations each.

The nomination leaders for the awards -- set for Nov. 14 at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain -- are Eminem, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, and Pink. Hot on their heels with three nominations are U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nelly. Logging in with a pair of nominations each include No Doubt, Linkin Park, Nickelback, Jennifer Lopez, Korn, Lenny Kravitz, and Roeyksopp.

Up for one of the most coveted awards of the night, Album of the Year, are Coldplay (A Rush of Blood to the Head), Eminem (The Eminem Show), Kylie Minogue (Fever), No Doubt (Rock Steady), and Pink (Missundaztood).

As previously reported, Robbie Williams will perform at the show (allstar, Sept. 20), along with the newly announced Coldplay, Pink, Iglesias, and Wyclef Jean. Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, meanwhile, will serve as one of the presenters.

Here is a select list of MTV Europe Music Awards 2002 nominees:

Best Group

Coldplay
Linkin Park
No Doubt
Red Hot Chili Peppers
U2

Best Rock

Bon Jovi
Coldplay
Nickelback
Red Hot Chili Peppers
U2

Best Live Act

Depeche Mode
Korn
Lenny Kravitz
Red Hot Chili Peppers
U2

Posted by Jonathan at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

February 28, 2002

U2 Wins Four Grammy Awards, Including Record Of The Year

2.28.02 - Launch

(2/28/02, 12 a.m. ET) -- U2 walked away with an impressive four Grammys last night: record of the year, best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal, best rock album, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal.

The band's "Walk On" won for record of the year, beating out stiff competition from India.Arie, Alicia Keys, OutKast, and Train. They picked up best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of."

"Elevation" won the band best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal. And All That You Can't Leave Behind won best rock album in the pre-telecast ceremony.

The band opened the show with "Walk On," and was then the first artist to pick up an award on the Grammy telecast, landing best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of." In accepting the honor, U2 frontman Bono explained why the award was extremely important to the band. "Oh, thank God--that's two in the bag. Being Irish, if you get eight nominations and get no awards, they wouldn't let you back in the country, so this is a public safety issue. Thank you," he said.

In the band's second trip to the podium, accepting best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals for "Elevation," Bono joked to the crowd that he hoped the band didn't win another Grammy. Prior to that comment, guitarist the Edge made fun of his own lengthy acceptance-speech habits, but Bono interceded. "Well, you know, there was a lot to go on about last year. Last year was a great year," Edge said. "And this year there are some very special things also that have happened to me which I just want to tell you about."

Bono interrupted, "He's a guitar player. I do the talking. I'm the singer."

Finally, when U2 came up to take its big prize, record of the year, Bono didn't speak until the end of the closing speech, leaving the Edge and bassist Adam Clayton to acknowledge those who helped them this year.

-- Darren Davis and Jason Gelman

Posted by Jonathan at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2002

You Heard It Here First

2.24.02 - Los Angeles Times

Often but not always the most deserving, U2 and Alicia Keys are likely to snag the top honors.

By Robert Hilburn

The Grammy Awards show producers should open the telecast Wednesday with U2's "Beautiful Day," because there's no real suspense when it comes to naming the best album this year.

The Irish quartet's "All That You Can't Leave Behind," which includes the song, is the runaway favorite to win in the most prestigious Grammy category, which would make it the first rock band to win the best album award twice. "The Joshua Tree" was named best album in 1988.

A victory would climax a remarkable 15 months for the band, whose album and world tour not only reestablished it as a critical and commercial cornerstone in rock, but also helped restore confidence in rock music's ability to inspire a mass audience. That kind of momentum could lead to a sweep of the top Grammy categories most years, but it's not likely this time because 21-year-old Alicia Keys generated considerable momentum herself. The singer-songwriter, who was the Cinderella story of pop last year, is nominated in six categories and she stands a strong chance of winning in most of them.

Here's a guide to some of the most interesting Grammy matchups. Wednesday's ceremony will be held at Staples Center and broadcast on KCBS-TV at 8 p.m.

Album of the Year

The nominees: India.Arie's "Acoustic Soul," Bob Dylan's "Love and Theft," OutKast's "Stankonia," U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack.

Ever since the Grammy brain trust gave final responsibility for choosing nominees in the top categories to a blue ribbon committee in 1995, the best album nominees have been impressive.

"All That You Can't Leave Behind" isn't as inspiring as "The Joshua Tree," but it is a passionate and well-crafted work and it would be a popular choice in this category. But "Love and Theft" and "Stankonia" were even more acclaimed, and a victory by either would also be hailed by many pop observers.

The OutKast collection would be the first hard-core rap album to win in this category, while "Love and Theft" is even more ambitious than Dylan's 1997 Grammy winner "Time Out of Mind."

The remaining albums are respectable, but a notch or two below the other choices. The longshot would be "O Brother," which could emerge on top if Dylan draws enough votes from U2. The soundtrack will draw a lot of support from Nashville and fans of the Coen brothers movie.

Likely winner: U2.

Most deserving: Bob Dylan.

Record of the Year

The nominees: India.Arie's "Video," Alicia Keys' "Fallin'," OutKast's "Ms. Jackson," Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and U2's "Walk On."

India.Arie picked up more nominations (seven) than Keys, which was a surprise because Keys got more radio play, more enthusiastic reviews and more sales during the year. But while the screening committee put Arie in this field, the full academy membership, which now exceeds 13,000 will likely side with Keys. If for no other reason, she has greater name recognition, often an important factor in a lengthy Grammy ballot (101 categories this year).

U2 is also a force, but "Beautiful Day" won last year in this category (which honors a single track rather than an entire album), so it's unlikely voters will honor the band two years in a row for best record, especially when "Beautiful Day" was a more compelling track.

Key's "Fallin'," a soul-accented expression of being helplessly in love, brings a modern sensibility to the classic soul tradition. "Video" is a liberating expression of self-affirmation, but it wasn't as big a hit, so it probably won't be as familiar to the mass membership.

Likely winner and most deserving: Alicia Keys.

Song of the Year

The nominees: Train's "Drops of Jupiter," Alicia Keys' "Fallin'," Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird," U2's "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," India.Arie, Carlos Broady and Shannon Sanders' "Video."

The wild card here is U2. If there is a U2 sweep, "Stuck" could be carried along. It's a moving statement of emotional disconnection. But there is usually a correlation between this category, which is for the songwriter only, and the best record category, which considers all the elements in a single recording, including song, vocal and instrumentation. Because different U2 works were nominated in the categories, it suggests that neither was dominant in voters' minds. The Keys song has more of a universal feel--it's the kind of song that could have been sung in the '60s by Aretha Franklin or be revived 30 years from now by a new generation of soul artists.

Likely winner and most deserving: Alicia Keys.

Best New Artist

The nominees: India.Arie, Nelly Furtado, David Gray, Alicia Keys and Linkin Park.

Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" was the biggest-selling album of 2001, but the rap-rock group's appeal is almost exclusively to teens, and there is little reason for adult Grammy voters to identify with it. Besides, this award usually goes to a solo artist. Keys and Arie are worthy, but Keys has the wider range and more striking ambition.

Likely winner and most deserving: Alicia Keys.

Pop Vocal Album

The nominees: Nelly Furtado's "Whoa, Nelly!," Janet Jackson's "All for You," Elton John's "Songs From the West Coast," 'N Sync's "Celebrity" and Sade's "Lovers Rock."

Sade's smooth, understated style would seem to be tailor-made for mainstream Grammy voters, but she's only won twice (best R&B vocal with a group in 1993 and best new artist in 1985). John has won five times but never in a high-profile category, so he is overdue. It helps that this is his strongest album in decades--easily the class of the field.

Likely winner and most deserving: Elton John.

Rock Album

The nominees: Ryan Adams' "Gold," Aerosmith's "Just Push Play," PJ Harvey's "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea," Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory," U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind."

U2 is a cinch here. The media buzz about Adams probably hasn't infected the membership, and the critically adored Harvey is considered too much an outsider in Grammy circles.

Likely winner and most deserving: U2.

R&B Album

The nominees: Aaliyah's "Aaliyah," India.Arie's "Acoustic Soul," Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama," Destiny's Child's "Survivor," Alicia Keys' "Songs in A Minor."

This is one of the most competitive fields. The big if is whether voters want to pay tribute to Aaliyah, the young singer who was killed in a plane crash last year. Everyone here has a chance.

Likely winner and most deserving: Alicia Keys.

Rap Album

The nominees: Eve's "Scorpion," Ja Rule's "Pain Is Love," Jay-Z's "The Blueprint," Ludacris' "Back for the First Time;" OutKast's "Stankonia."

There is a lot of commercial firepower here, but the best album nomination for "Stankonia" makes OutKast the odds-on favorite.

Likely winner and most deserving: OutKast.

Contemporary Folk Album

The nominees: Bob Dylan's "Love and Theft," Buddy & Julie Miller's "Buddy & Julie Miller," various artists' "Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt," Gillian Welch's "Time (The Revelator)," Lucinda Williams' "Essence."

This category, a dumping ground for albums a little left of rock and a little right of country, is a critic's delight. Just look at the winners over the past five years: Emmylou Harris' "Red Dirt Girl," Tom Waits' "Mule Variations," Lucinda Williams' "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" and Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Dylan and Williams are back again, and both had marvelous albums, but Dylan will reign.

Likely winner and most deserving: Bob Dylan.

Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)

The nominees: T Bone Burnett, Dr. Dre, Gerald Eaton/ Brian West, Nigel Godrich, Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis.

Dr. Dre is the greatest hip-hop producer ever, but he won in this category last year, when he had much stronger credits. He's back this time chiefly on name value and respect. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are also much respected, they've won before in this category, and their work in 2001 (including the Janet Jackson album) wasn't strong enough to earn them a repeat. The competition will be Burnett, the guiding force behind the "O Brother" album. Eaton/West worked with Nelly Furtado; Godrich produced the Travis and Radiohead albums.

Likely winner and most deserving: T Bone Burnett.

Robert Hilburn, The Times' pop music critic, can be reached at robert.hilburn@latimes.com

Posted by Jonathan at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)

February 04, 2002

Halftime Show: An American Tribute

2.4.02 - Associated Press

By Brett Martel, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - U2 had the Super Bowl halftime stage all to itself, and the Irish rockers delivered a moving tribute to America and the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Lead singer Bono walked onto the field with a slow, shoulder-wagging swagger, singing the group's recent hit, "Beautiful Day," as he climbed onto the point of a pink, heart-shaped catwalk that surrounded the stage.

As the first song wound down, a giant screen scrolled the names of victims in the attacks, and the group broke into the 1980s hit, "Where the Streets Have No Name."

The names also reflected in overlapping patterns across the stands, which were dark, save for the countless camera flashes.

Unlike glitzy halftime shows of the past, the effects were limited to standard strobe lights. But all attention was on Bono anyway, who pulled back his lapel to reveal an American flag to the roars of the crowd.

Sunday's pregame lineup opened with the Boston Pops. Wearing white coats and black bow ties, the musicians drew enthusiastic applause when they finished their first session with "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The pregame lineup also featured Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, James Ingram, Wynonna, Yolanda Adams and Mariah Carey.

Carey, wearing a long, royal blue dress, performed the national anthem for the first time, her renowned high inflection peppering several verses. As she sang with the stadium lights down, fans in the Superdome's three levels held red, white and blue glow sticks, respectively, from top to bottom. A giant American flag in the shape of the United States was unfurled on the field.

Producers said most of the musical performers prerecorded their sound tracks to reduce the possibility of technical problems. However, U2, played live.

The pregame show also included a video of current and former star players reading the Declaration of Independence. In another video, former presidents Carter, Clinton, Ford and Bush joined Nancy Reagan in quoting Abraham Lincoln. The videos concluded with fans chanting "U-S-A!"

McCartney, who was in New York when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, sang his Sept. 11-inspired song, "Freedom."

He took the stage, acoustic guitar in hand, as cheerleaders with silver, glittering pompoms spelled out "freedom" across the field. Others marched with dozens of flags from foreign nations.

"I'm proud to be here and stand up with America," McCartney said in a TV interview shortly before halftime ended.

Earlier, LaBelle, Ingram, Wynonna and Adams joined Manilow in singing "Let Freedom Ring," a song Manilow wrote years ago to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.

As the group sang, servicemen marched around the perimeter of the field with American flags while women wearing red, white or blue statue-of-liberty outfits marched in front of the stage, forming the ribbon that has stood as a symbol of national unity since the attacks.

The song concluded with a young boy in a camouflage military uniform ringing a replica of the Liberty Bell.

Anthony and Blige then sang "America the Beautiful," accompanied by the Pops and flanked by flag-bearing law officers.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)

January 06, 2002

U2, India Arie and Alicia Keys Lead Grammy Nominations

1.6.02 - New York Times

By Jon Pareles

U2 dominated the nominations for the 44th annual Grammy Awards, which are to be announced on Feb. 27 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences during a CBS broadcast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

U2's album "All That You Can't Leave Behind," released in 2000, garnered eight nominations, including ones for album, song and record (the recording of a single song) of the year. Two U2 songs are competing in the best rock song category: "Elevation" and "Walk On."

The other performers with the highest number of nominations were the rhythm- and-blues singers and songwriters India Arie, with seven, and Alicia Keys, with six. Both were nominated in rhythm-and-blues categories, as well as for record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. Ms. Arie's "Acoustic Soul" was also nominated for album of the year, while Ms. Keys's "Songs in A Minor," an album that sold four million copies and appeared on many critics' lists of the year's best recordings, was not.

The other nominees for album of the year were Bob Dylan's "Love and Theft," Outkast's "Stankonia" and the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," which was a top-selling country album for much of the year. Although individual songs from "O Brother" were nominated in country categories, the album itself was not nominated for best country album, but for best compilation soundtrack album.

In the best new artist category, Ms. Keys and Ms. Arie are to compete with the songwriters Nelly Furtado and David Gray and with Linkin Park, the rap-rock group that made the year's best-selling album.

In hip-hop, Outkast drew a total of five nominations for "Stankonia" and its single "Ms. Jackson," edging out Ja Rule and Jay-Z, with three each. Only one new category was added to the Grammys this year: best rap/sung collaboration, reflecting the number of hits in which rappers take verses while singers provide choruses.

U2 received Grammy awards in 2001 for song and record of the year with its single "Beautiful Day" from "All That You Can't Leave Behind." The Grammy Awards represent the year of releases between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30. Because "Beautiful Day" was released before Oct. 1, 2000, and the album was released afterward, U2 was eligible for awards in successive years.

The nominees for best classical album include two conducted by Pierre Boulez: one with the works of Varse and the other the Schoenberg Piano Concerto, with Mitsuko Uchida as soloist. Also nominated were Sir Colin Davis conducting Berlioz's "Troyens," Sir Charles Mackerras conducting Janacek's "Sarka," and Richard Hickox conducting Vaughan Williams's "London Symphony."

Possible reactions to the Sept. 11 attacks could be seen in the best male rock vocal performance category, which includes John Mellencamp's "Peaceful World" and Ryan Adams's "New York, New York" (the music video, made before Sept. 11, shows the World Trade Center), and in the spoken-word category, which includes "War Letters," read by Tom Brokaw and others. U2's "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," nominated for song of the year, received widespread radio play after the attacks.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:01 PM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2001

U2, Gwen Stefani Dominate My VH1 Music Awards Nominees

11.3.01 - CDNow Allstar News

Nov 2, 2001, 1:45 pm PT

The fans have spoken, and they've nominated U2 in six of this year's My VH1 Music Awards, and No Doubt singer gone solo siren Gwen Stefani in five.

As previously announced, the awards will be held Dec. 2 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and air on VH1 that night at 9 p.m. ET/PT (allstar, Oct. 2).

U2 is up for My Favorite Group, Must Have Album (All That You Can't Leave Behind), My Favorite Video ("Beautiful Day"), Damn I Wish I Wrote That Song ("Beautiful Day"), Hottest Live Show, and Coolest Fan Web site (U2 Station).

Stefani nabbed noms for My Favorite Female, Navel Academy, My Favorite Video with Moby for "Southside," and There's No I in Team (Best Collaboration) for "Southside" and for her duet with Eve on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

Other multiple nominees include videos by Staind and Alicia Keys with four apiece; Destiny's Child, Enrique Iglesias, Train, and the ladies of "Lady Marmalade" with three; and Elton John and Lenny Kravitz with two, among others.

Meanwhile, the first batch of performers has been announced as well. Mick Jagger, Creed, Sting, Nelly Furtado, Lenny Kravitz, Destiny's Child, and No Doubt will perform, while a host and other presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The U2 Station News Blog

February 15, 2008

Bono, Rice among those who remember Lantos as a force for freedom

September 29, 2007

Bono Receives 2007 Liberty Medal

September 07, 2007

Bono's tribute to Pavarotti

May 14, 2007

It's Dr. Edge - Berklee honors rocker, Estefans

April 15, 2007

The Edge to Get Honorary Degree from Berklee

January 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Bono to Receive NAACP Chairman's Award

December 24, 2006

Honorary Knighthood for U2's Bono

April 21, 2006

Music Industry Honours Paul McGuinness

February 09, 2006

U2 Plus Five Is No. 1

December 22, 2005

"Time" Taps Bono

December 10, 2005

Art for Amnesty: U2 Receives Highest Human Rights Award

August 15, 2005

U2 handed top Portuguese honour

August 11, 2005

U2 awarded top Portuguese honour

April 12, 2005

Bono's in the Book

April 03, 2005

Bono Honors the Pope

March 17, 2005

Transcript: Bruce Springsteen Inducts U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Transcript: U2's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speeches

March 16, 2005

U2, Guy Rock the Hall

February 14, 2005

U2 Sings Tribute to Bono's Dad

January 20, 2005

U2 to Perform on 47th Annual Grammy Awards

November 13, 2004

Bushes, Carter, Bono Headline Clinton Library Ceremony

March 12, 2003

The Clash, Police Join Rock Hall of Fame

February 25, 2003

Bono Honored As MusiCares Person Of The Year

February 08, 2003

Pro Bono: Ten reasons U2 belongs in the Rock Hall

January 20, 2003

Bono Introduces 'Gangs Of New York,' Lets Slip Some Slang

November 09, 2002

U2's Bono To Be Honored By Wiesenthal Center With Humanitarian Laureate Award

October 09, 2002

Bono Named MusiCares Person Of The Year

October 01, 2002

Eminem, Coldplay, Pink, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, & Kylie Minogue Lead MTV Europe Noms

February 28, 2002

U2 Wins Four Grammy Awards, Including Record Of The Year

February 24, 2002

You Heard It Here First

February 04, 2002

Halftime Show: An American Tribute

January 06, 2002

U2, India Arie and Alicia Keys Lead Grammy Nominations

November 03, 2001

U2, Gwen Stefani Dominate My VH1 Music Awards Nominees