The classic rock band Bono called his “role models”
Any good rock band gets its start out of some form of inspiration. No artist is created in a vacuum, and it usually takes a handful of people to convince them to their music from their little garage studios into the rest of the world. While Bono may not have looked like the type lacking in self-confidence, he admitted that U2 wouldn’t have come together were it not for The Who coming first.
Before Bono had even stepped behind a microphone, he was already an avid fan of any music that rock had to offer. After spending his days loving The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, the band eventually emerged from the depths of the post-punk genre, brandishing guitars that were being used much differently than the traditional setup.
Taking his cues from the punk rock mentality of John Lydon, Bono was writing songs that had to do with the greater issues of the world, from political problems to struggles with faith. Even though most people would be turned off the minute someone starts talking politics or religion in their music, Bono’s conviction in what he was saying was far too passionate to ignore outright, especially with massive hooks on ‘Pride’.
U2 may have been seen as the new important band of their genre, but Bono wasn’t saying anything that Pete Townshend wasn’t doing years before. Blowing the doors open for punk, Townshend took The Who far beyond any rock band that came before or after, crafting fantastic tales of rock and roll excess and the dangers of what spirituality can do on albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia.
While he was old enough to be most young rockers’ dad by the time U2 had come out, Townshend hadn’t lost respect from the younger crowd, either. For everyone that would have gladly taken a hatchet to their parents’ Simon and Garfunkel records, The Who were always considered cool, known for upsetting the establishment and emphasising why you should be able to say whatever you want in song.
For Bono, Townshend’s way of writing and the performance aspect of Roger Daltrey was more than enough to fall in love with all things rock and roll, remarking at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “More than any other group that ever was, The Who were our role models. I love them, and I hate them for that. They took on more than any other group and succeeded at a lot of it. Pete Townshend’s faith and doubt gave me great courage. We in U2 have been proud to be part of a tradition which holds them high”.
If Townshend had been talking about bringing life philosophies into his work, though, Bono might have taken that part a bit too seriously. While U2 has made excellent records, their frontman’s knack for putting his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion has given them just as many detractors as there are devotees to their work. Bono might be looking to shake the Earth every time he goes onstage with U2, but no one can fault him for his belief in the musical church that Townshend built.
