Bono: Remember me for music not politics
U2 frontman Bono has said he would rather be remembered for his music than his political activism.
The Irish rocker said he wanted to see what could happen when a band resists burning out at 40 and carries on making “extraordinary” music.
“Actually oddly enough, I think my work, the activism, will be forgotten,” he told US network CBS.
“And I hope it will. Because I hope those problems will have gone away.”
Bono, 45, has used his celebrity status to lobby both British and US politicians to help erase third world debt, supply Africa with AIDS drugs and eliminate global poverty.
He has also used the band’s music to highlight issues of social injustice, ranging from the American civil rights movement to genocide in Bosnia.
And he predicted that his music would still be around in 100 years because the songs “occupy a sort of an emotional terrain that didn’t exist before our group did.”
He added: “You know I’m still hungry. I still want a lot out of music.”
Meanwhile, U2 guitarist the Edge is spearheading a campaign to replace musical instruments lost in Hurricane Katrina.
Following a visit to the ravaged city of New Orleans, he unveiled the Music Rising campaign to raise funds for up to 3,000 instruments and equipment.
“Anyone who has earned money from music owes a huge debt to New Orleans,” he said.
“It’s the birthplace of jazz, it has origins of rock ’n’ roll, and it’s spawned some amazing hip-hop. The music culture is so rich and unique that it’s absolutely crucial to support it.”
