Bono has revealed the death threats he has faced during his career after crossing swords with the IRA, Dublin mobsters and the American far right.
In his soon-to-be released memoir U2’s lead singer recounts how the fear of violence has stalked the band with figures including Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, stoking anger against their pro-peace stance.
There’s a verse to Van Diemen’s Land which appears on the sleeve notes but not the track.
This song is about John Boyle O’Reilly, the leader of an 1864 Irish uprising after the Great Famine. He was banished to Australia for rebelling against the government.
That last verse?
Still the gunman rules and the widows pay
A scarlet coat now a black beret
They thought that that blood and sacrifice
Could out of death bring forth a life
Yeah, that’d piss Gerry off.
I’ve wondered, ever since I bought the album on release, whether there was a certain pressure over that last verse. Still don’t know of course…..
The American far right. Don’t worry about it, Bono. At least you have achieved the stature to be recognised as an opponent worthy of crossing swords with. Nobody agrees with them. Or is this a red herring/straw man?
There used to be clear blue water between “crossing swords” and death threats but as JK Rowling will testify those lines have been blurred even if 99.99% of the threats are mere posturing.
Without reading the article I doubt if the American far right was responsible for any death threat towards “the little twat with the big heart” as Viz refer to him. That sort of behaviour is or at least was far more typical of his old homeland.
“Bono has revealed the death threats he has faced during his career after crossing swords with the IRA, Dublin mobsters and the American far right”
That would make a superb TV mini-series.
I suspect the “far right” part is the usual legacy media reflex to try to obscure the truth, in the guise of “balance”.
Legacy media raising the thorny issue of his personal tax arrangement perhaps.
A company of which I was a director and part owner had a box at Suncorp. Accordingly, I had the opportunity, flights, accommodation and meals included, to see Bonio and his popular beat combo when they appeared there. As it happened, I was washing my hair that weekend.
It wasn’t the American far-right, it was American music listeners who’d heard Stiff Little Fingers and realized Bono was nothing more than a cross between Morrissey and Barry Manilow.
Dennis, Your Guide To The USA,
“Nice one, Centurion, like it, like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPi76KvQF1g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbBrnEU-ZUc
’nuff said.
FFS Paddy, if you can’t say thank you at least learn to let it go.
Fascinating to know the substantive diff between ‘Dublin mobsters’ and ‘the IRA’…
Sam Vara said:
“That would make a superb TV mini-series.”
Gameshow?