The singer Bono called the antihero of rock and roll
As much as we tend to look at rock stars as idols who are beyond reproach, it’s fairly often the case that there’s a darker side to them or their outward personas waiting to be uncovered.
We obviously still idolise them in some cases, even though there is sufficient evidence in place to warn people of their wrongdoings, no matter how small they may be. We’re not necessarily talking about committing criminal behaviour, but there are faults that some of our musical heroes have exhibited that we wouldn’t exactly tolerate if they were part of our circle of friends, so why do we see them differently?
Take, for example, U2 frontman Bono, who presents himself as an upstanding model citizen when in the spotlight. There’s every chance that when the cameras aren’t on him, there are some aspects to his personality that would make one question whether he’s an honourable man, but that isn’t going to stop anyone from continuing to support him in all of his ventures.
We’re all prepared to bend the rules of what we consider tolerable behaviour in the people who we respect creatively, but then there are some examples of individuals who we will pour adulation over for their creative work, but find their personalities utterly reprehensible. They can be a hero to you in one regard, and the antithesis of this in another, and that’s a totally natural way to feel about someone whose work has touched you in a significant way.
Bono himself has always been vocal about his fandom of The Beatles, as many other notable stars are, but he’s also able to recognise that beneath the genius songwriting of John Lennon was a complicated figure who was constantly courting controversy for his statements and actions.
It’s one thing to adore what Lennon did in terms of his songwriting and performance abilities, but that also doesn’t excuse the way he treated the people in his life, especially the women who have accused him of being an abusive figure. However, perhaps the most damning published account of Lennon’s actions outside of music came courtesy of the controversial biography, The Lives of John Lennon, which was written by Albert Goldman and published in 1988.
While Bono wasn’t unaware of the person who Lennon was outside of his creative pursuits, he insisted during an interview with HotPress in the wake of the book’s publication that, despite Lennon’s flaws, the book had an agenda and wanted to portray the singer in the most negative light possible, which Bono believed warranted a more nuanced approach.
“I’m the sort of person who absolutely despises what Goldman did, yet still reads the book,” Bono claimed. “I had one advantage coming to it that I never thought of Lennon as a hero really, more as an anti-hero. Also when the book came out, [U2’s then producer] Jimmy Iovine was reading it in the studio and he knew John Lennon so Jimmy could point out where the guy was completely wrong. It’s laughable. I got an accurate picture of who John Lennon was through Jimmy Iovine. He saw him for the good, the bad and the ugly that he was. Personally I’ve got so much respect for him as a man and as an artist.”
While it’s clear that Bono knows just how problematic Lennon was as a person, learning about his flaws wasn’t something that deterred him from respecting him, but instead painted him as an untouchable figure who warranted respect in spite of how troubled he was. If anything, supporting the forbidden anti-hero is thrilling, even if that makes you a little less respectable in the process.
