The “wanker” Bono thought was “up there with” Paul McCartney
While musicians slinging muck at one another is nothing new, and has arguably been happening since the days when classical musicians were the primary artists of the time, it always seems to come as something of a shock when it happens. That is, except for when Bono is involved.
As one of the most vilified figures in rock music, Bono is often the sort of figure who appears on the receiving end of insulting remarks from other artists, either because they don’t appreciate what they see as his obnoxious brand of stadium-ready rock, or because they’re not fans of his pompous, holier-than-thou attitude that comes alongside it. It’s quite easy to poke fun at Bono, and by extension, U2, but sometimes, being a sponge for other people’s derision can lead to the Irish singer delivering some scathing criticisms of his own to those that he equally despises.
However, there’s a time and a place to deliver your scorn for someone, particularly if you’re going to dish out an expletive-laden tirade about your opposite. As Bono found out in 2009 while promoting U2’s new album on Jo Whiley’s BBC Radio 1 show, doing this during a live broadcast in the middle of the morning fits neither the temporal or spatial requirements for having a sweary meltdown over something as trivial as what you think of your contemporaries.
After Whiley chose to play a track from fellow stadium rock outfit Coldplay, she posed a question towards her guest, asking whether he thought that their frontman, Chris Martin, possessed a level of talent comparable to that of Paul McCartney. Unwavering in his response, Bono initially complimented Martin, before rudely insulting him with an unbroadcastable turn of phrase. “I think he’s that good a melodist,” he told the presenter, “but he’s a wanker.”
Rushing to get Bono to issue an apology for his unsavoury and unprofessional language, Whiley suggested: “Would you like to apologise for what you’ve just said live on my show?” However, the Irish star’s response was somewhat peculiar, suggesting that he was neither regretful nor ashamed of what he’d chosen to say in the early hours. “I’m a reformed character,” he retorted. “I don’t do that any more.”
While an apology at this point wouldn’t have gone amiss, Bono doubled down on both his disdain and his regretful admiration for Martin’s work. “He’s obviously a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin,” he continued, “but he happens to be a great melodist and up there with Ray Davis, Noel Gallagher and Paul McCartney,” although later on in the interview, he claimed to have been joking, and that Coldplay are “a great band, and actually, it turns out he’s a great soul as well.”
Whether Bono truly believes that Martin is a “wanker” or a talent, or indeed, both, this is perhaps one of the most unusual interviews that the U2 singer has ever found himself involved in, and the controversial nature of it is entirely down to his own social faux pas.
