The exact moment Bono even admitted he “disappeared up his own arse”
Bono? Being humble? Well, I never. It just proves that it really is true what they say – there can absolutely be a first time for everything.
He may be hailed as a rock genius and a humanitarian god in some quarters of the industry, but to an outsider looking in, frankly, the man is not anywhere near as much of a martyr as he thinks he is. Sometimes it’s a wonder he can even make it through the door, given the size that his head has now inflated to.
However, to give credit where credit is due, at least the U2 frontman has somewhat come to realise the error of his ways as he continues to age into his latter years. Unless you are an actual bona fide messiah, no one likes a show off – and, to be honest, it was high time that Bono was brought back down to crash land on Earth.
Although it may have been slightly painful for him to not only reminisce on but also confess, Bono was forced to reckon with his former egotistical shadow in a recent interview with Esquire, when he was made to look back on the band’s first ever Grammy win in 1988 for their seminal album, The Joshua Tree. As it turns out, however, the frontman’s head wasn’t the only thing to be inflated that night – there was also the matter of his choice of hat.
“Look at that top hat – and the head! The head hasn’t a clue what’s going to happen to it over the next 30 years,” Bono exclaimed, before going on to contextualise his literal and metaphorical larger than life stance by adding: “I would say we were caught in an act of show business crime, thinking you could be authentic and real in the middle of an awards show. And I’m not sure we pulled that off – I think we ended up looking more smug.”
Of course, what he really needed was a kick up the backside to truly snap him out of his egotistical hypnosis, but the Bono of today seems to think that his whole arrogant swagger was just a ruse, because actually, he was really quite shy underneath the rock star veneer. He continued: “When I see myself I just go, ‘Oh, are you absent of any humility?’. But the truth is that’s always a sign of the opposite – you don’t feel you should be there; imposter syndrome. You do disappear up your own arse at that point, as the rocket is taking off, it’s fair to say.”
OK, sure. Let’s say we agree to disagree. Confidence can absolutely be used as a front to hide the inner self, but in Bono’s case, it just doesn’t seem to ring so true. He was a rock frontman in his ultimate prime, a superstar, a god – and although it may not have won him any favours, you can quite easily see how that went to his head.
The argument over whether Bono is still intoxicated by this self-absorbed enthral is a whole separate discussion to be had, as it seems to open a completely different can of worms. And despite it feeling critical, it’s worth noting that he is also far from the only one to have ever fallen victim to this. Lord knows the world of fame and fortune is also home to the most inflated egos and biggest heads on the planet. Much like his choice of headwear at the Grammys, they must never be able to find hats that fit them.
