U2 IN Q

No surprise that U2 would grace the cover of Q magazine, as they are starting to promote their upcoming album, No Line On The Horizon. In the issue, Larry Mullen kind of complains about Bono's political activism. I think it's fair to say that the non-Bono members of the group get irked when they are working on a new album, and Bono has to go take a meeting at the U.N. or for the One campaign or for (RED). I get it, but the guy genuinely wants to make the world a better place, and he has used his celebrity and his charisma to do it for twenty years now (although he certainly has his critics who think that he should just shut up, and that celebrities and rock stars should stick to their day job). I myself am not of that mind, although I can sympathize with a band who want their singer around all the time.

But more than that, he mentioned cringing when seeing pictures of Bono with Bush and Tony Blair. I guess if you're in Bono's position, you can't be a die-hard progressive and not meet with Bush - he was the most powerful man in the world, and what are you going to do, wait until his term ends to meet with a more sensible, caring, intelligent president? People are dying every day. Still, as a U2 fan, and I'm sure for U2's drummer, it hurts seeing photos of Bono with Bush.

The quote from the magazine: "Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal. Then I see Bono and him as pals and I'm going, 'I don't like that.' Do I think George Bush is a war criminal? Probably -- but the difference between him and Tony Blair is that Blair is intelligent. So, he has no excuse."

Amen. I think Bono has enough sense to realize that all three of his bandmates, and probably most of his family and friends, feel the same way. Happily, Bono's next event with an American president will be the concert honoring Barack Obama on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.