Bono
Birthday:
10 May 1960, Dublin, Ireland
Birth Name:
Paul David Hewson
Height:
168 cm
Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, Ireland on May 10, 1960, to Iris (Rankin) and Brendan Robert Hewson. He has been the lead singer of the rock band U2 since 1976. U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards to date, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Lauded by fans and critics as an outstanding performer and songwriter, Bono has...
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Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, Ireland on May 10, 1960, to Iris (Rankin) and Brendan Robert Hewson. He has been the lead singer of the rock band U2 since 1976. U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards to date, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Lauded by fans and critics as an outstanding performer and songwriter, Bono has also been praised by world leaders as an accomplished activist due to his powers of persuasion and knowledge of the issues. He travels extensively to give speeches and lobby politicians. Bono's career as a socially conscious musician has been shaped by childhood experiences in Ireland as well as volunteer work in Africa and South America. He married his childhood sweetheart Ali Hewson in 1982, and actress Eve Hewson is among their children. An accomplished activist in her own right, Ali Hewson once declined an invitation to run for President of Ireland because her husband "would not move to a smaller house". They live in Dublin with their four children: Jordan, Memphis Eve, Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q and John Abraham.Bono was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for his successful efforts to relieve third world debt and promote AIDS awareness in Africa. He received the rank of Chevalier dans I'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor) from French President Jacques Chirac on February 28, 2003. Show less «
[in 1987] Everyone argues, then we do what I say.
[in 1987] Everyone argues, then we do what I say.
It costs a fortune to look this trashy.
It costs a fortune to look this trashy.
Never trust a man who tells you it's from the heart, never trust a man smoking a cigar, never trust a cowboy or a man who wears shades...
Never trust a man who tells you it's from the heart, never trust a man smoking a cigar, never trust a cowboy or a man who wears shades...
I could go onstage, unzip my pants, and hang my dick out, and people would think it was a statement about something.
I could go onstage, unzip my pants, and hang my dick out, and people would think it was a statement about something.
[Hot Press, March 2000] Marriage is this grand madness, and I think if people knew that, they would perhaps take it more seriously. The reas...Show more »
[Hot Press, March 2000] Marriage is this grand madness, and I think if people knew that, they would perhaps take it more seriously. The reason why there's operas and novels and pop tunes written about love is because it's such an extraordinary thing, not because it's commonplace, and yet that's what you're told, you grow up with this idea that it's the norm. Show less «
[recalling his late father's influence] Overcoming my dad telling me that I could never amount to anything is what has made me the megaloman...Show more »
[recalling his late father's influence] Overcoming my dad telling me that I could never amount to anything is what has made me the megalomaniac that you see today. Show less «
[on his paintings] I love art too much to call these anything other than marks on paper.
[on his paintings] I love art too much to call these anything other than marks on paper.
I think ABBA have a pure joy to their music and that's what makes them extraordinary.
I think ABBA have a pure joy to their music and that's what makes them extraordinary.
U2 is sort of song writing by accident really. We don't really know what we're doing and when we do, it doesn't seem to help.
U2 is sort of song writing by accident really. We don't really know what we're doing and when we do, it doesn't seem to help.
When I write, it's there. There's no staring at a blank page.
When I write, it's there. There's no staring at a blank page.
[about The Edge] He's an owl!
[about The Edge] He's an owl!
[talking about The Edge] And that's not always a given - that he would want to play guitar. He might be into keyboards this album, and you h...Show more »
[talking about The Edge] And that's not always a given - that he would want to play guitar. He might be into keyboards this album, and you have Larry and Adam going "oh fuck, he's into the keyboards now. We'll never get a rock song out of him". Show less «
Look, I'm sick of Bono and I AM Bono.
Look, I'm sick of Bono and I AM Bono.
It would be wrong for me to say, 'Yes, we can change the world with a song.' But every time I try writing, that's where I'm at. I'm not stup...Show more »
It would be wrong for me to say, 'Yes, we can change the world with a song.' But every time I try writing, that's where I'm at. I'm not stupid. I'm aware of the futility of rock & roll music, but I'm also aware of its power. Show less «
I represent a lot of people [in Africa] who have no voice at all... They haven't asked me to represent them. It's cheeky but I hope they're ...Show more »
I represent a lot of people [in Africa] who have no voice at all... They haven't asked me to represent them. It's cheeky but I hope they're glad I do. Show less «
The world is more malleable than you think. We can bend it into a better shape. Ask big questions, demand big answers.
The world is more malleable than you think. We can bend it into a better shape. Ask big questions, demand big answers.
I hate the idea of being in the UK Hall of Fame to be honest with you. We don't want to be in any Hall of Fame until we're retired or dead.
I hate the idea of being in the UK Hall of Fame to be honest with you. We don't want to be in any Hall of Fame until we're retired or dead.
I know sometimes you shouldn't judge your audience by the fans you meet, especially if they're in a flowerbed in your garden at home but U2 ...Show more »
I know sometimes you shouldn't judge your audience by the fans you meet, especially if they're in a flowerbed in your garden at home but U2 fans are different, they're very humane. Show less «
Brian Wilson believes in angels. I do too and you only have to listen to the string arrangement of 'God Only Knows' for fact and proof of an...Show more »
Brian Wilson believes in angels. I do too and you only have to listen to the string arrangement of 'God Only Knows' for fact and proof of angels. Show less «
Great music is written by people who are either running toward or away from God.
Great music is written by people who are either running toward or away from God.
On wearing his trademark sunglasses: Without them, I'm an amorphous mass.
On wearing his trademark sunglasses: Without them, I'm an amorphous mass.
What about this idea of liberty? Not liberty for its own sake, but liberty for some larger end - not just freedom from oppression, but freed...Show more »
What about this idea of liberty? Not liberty for its own sake, but liberty for some larger end - not just freedom from oppression, but freedom of expression and worship. Freedom from want, and freedom from fear because when you are trapped by poverty, you are not free. When trade laws prevent you from selling the food you grow, you are not free. When you are dying of a mosquito bite for lack of a bed net, you are not free. When you are hungry in a world of plenty, you are not free. And when you are a monk in Burma this very week, barred from entering a temple because of your gospel of peace, it is an affront to the thug regime, well then none of us are truly free. Show less «
I'm the Fidel Castro of speechifying. We've got a few hours, don't we?
I'm the Fidel Castro of speechifying. We've got a few hours, don't we?
On visiting the White House: I'd like to think that I've always left the White House with more than I arrived. Not only budget commitments, ...Show more »
On visiting the White House: I'd like to think that I've always left the White House with more than I arrived. Not only budget commitments, cutlery, silverware, candelabras, one or two Bush family photos... OK, one Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington - it was in the bathroom, nobody could see-- I'll give it back. Show less «
The stage is but a platform shoe.
The stage is but a platform shoe.
[on receiving an honorary British knighthood] You have permission to call me anything you want - except sir, all right? Lord of lords, your ...Show more »
[on receiving an honorary British knighthood] You have permission to call me anything you want - except sir, all right? Lord of lords, your demigodness, that'll do. Show less «
[on Live Aid (1985)] That day changed my life and started me on this incredible adventure, that is the possibility that our generation could...Show more »
[on Live Aid (1985)] That day changed my life and started me on this incredible adventure, that is the possibility that our generation could be remembered for something other than the Internet ... the first generation to eradicate extreme poverty ... I want to spend the rest of my life doing that, the band mouth off and complain, but they support me. Show less «
[on Elvis Presley] Elvis' music has been my greatest inspiration.
[on Elvis Presley] Elvis' music has been my greatest inspiration.
I'm representing the poorest and the most vulnerable people. I'm throwing a punch, and the fist belongs to people who can't be in the room, ...Show more »
I'm representing the poorest and the most vulnerable people. I'm throwing a punch, and the fist belongs to people who can't be in the room, whose rage, whose anger, whose hurt I represent. Show less «
We're delighted, of course, that people are owning up to being U2 fans.
We're delighted, of course, that people are owning up to being U2 fans.
The problem with voting is no matter who you vote for, the government always gets in.
The problem with voting is no matter who you vote for, the government always gets in.
[on criticisms of tax avoidance made against U2] We pay millions and millions of dollars in tax. The thing that stung us was the accusation ...Show more »
[on criticisms of tax avoidance made against U2] We pay millions and millions of dollars in tax. The thing that stung us was the accusation of hypocrisy for my work as an activist. I can understand how people outside the country wouldn't understand how Ireland got to its prosperity but everybody in Ireland knows that there are some very clever people in the Government and in the Revenue who created a financial architecture that prospered the entire nation. It was a way of attracting people to this country who wouldn't normally do business here and the financial services brought billions of dollars every year directly to the Exchequer. What's actually hypocritical is the idea that then you don't use a financial services center in Holland. The real question people need to ask about Ireland's tax policy is: 'Was the nation a net gain benefactor?' and of course it was - hugely so. So there was no hypocrisy for me. We're just part of a system that has benefited the nation greatly and that's a system that will be closed down in time. Ireland will have to find other ways of being competitive and attractive. Show less «
[on Bill Clinton] He is by far the most beloved American since JFK for all of us Irish.
[on Bill Clinton] He is by far the most beloved American since JFK for all of us Irish.
[on Third World aid] The Irish people are amazing. What's so incredible about the Irish people is that if you poll them -- I think it's over...Show more »
[on Third World aid] The Irish people are amazing. What's so incredible about the Irish people is that if you poll them -- I think it's over 62 per cent -- even though they are hurting and there's a lot of pain in the country, they don't want to cut the aid budget. That just humbles me. Show less «
This whole concept of celebrating the millennium, the whole concept of celebrating a particular minute in time, what is it? What's it all ab...Show more »
This whole concept of celebrating the millennium, the whole concept of celebrating a particular minute in time, what is it? What's it all about? It's bollocks, isn't it? It is. Show less «
[on Apple designer Jonathan Ive] Jony Ive is himself classic Apple. Brushed steel, polished glass hardware, complicated software honed to si...Show more »
[on Apple designer Jonathan Ive] Jony Ive is himself classic Apple. Brushed steel, polished glass hardware, complicated software honed to simplicity. His genius is not just his ability to see what others cannot, but also how he applies it. To watch him with his workmates in the holy of holies, Apple's design lab, or on a night out, is to observe a very rare esprit de corps. They love their boss and he loves them. What the competitors don't seem to understand is you cannot get people this smart to work this hard just for money. Joni is Obi-Wan. Show less «
We were like the bastard children of The Clash who actually believed that music could change the world.
We were like the bastard children of The Clash who actually believed that music could change the world.
[on Elton John] He's the King and Queen of England.
[on Elton John] He's the King and Queen of England.
[on meeting Freddie Mercury at Live Aid] So when Freddie Mercury comes up to me, he goes, "Hello. Mmmmm. We've all agreed that we like you."...Show more »
[on meeting Freddie Mercury at Live Aid] So when Freddie Mercury comes up to me, he goes, "Hello. Mmmmm. We've all agreed that we like you." And I went, "Oh?" And he had me up against a wall and Freddie was being really playful with me. And I walked off and I went, "He's really very camp, isn't he?" Somebody said, "Queen?" Show less «
I had one of the worst haircuts in the '80s. I know that it launched a million second-division soccer players. But the truth of it, if I'm r...Show more »
I had one of the worst haircuts in the '80s. I know that it launched a million second-division soccer players. But the truth of it, if I'm really honest, is that I thought I looked like David Bowie. Show less «
Pop music has dated much better than a lot of rock music.
Pop music has dated much better than a lot of rock music.
[on creativity] If you were of sound mind, you wouldn't need 70K people a night screaming 'I love you'.
[on creativity] If you were of sound mind, you wouldn't need 70K people a night screaming 'I love you'.
Nelson Mandela had humor and humility in his bearing, and he was smarter and funnier than the parade of world leaders who flocked to see him...Show more »
Nelson Mandela had humor and humility in his bearing, and he was smarter and funnier than the parade of world leaders who flocked to see him.. He could charm the birds off the trees - and the cash right out of wallets.. Mandela lived a life without sanctimony. you try it; it's not easy.. Laughter, not tears was Mandiba's preferred way. One of his cellmates told me that price Mandela paid for working in the limestone mine was not bitterness or even the blindness that can result from being around the bright white reflection day after day. Mandela could see, but the dust damage to his tear ducts had left him unable to cry. For all this man's farsightedness and vision, he could not produce tears in a moment of self-doubt or grief. Show less «
More than anyone, it was Mandela who rebooted the idea of Africa from a continent in chaos to a much more romantic view, one in keeping with...Show more »
More than anyone, it was Mandela who rebooted the idea of Africa from a continent in chaos to a much more romantic view, one in keeping with the majesty of the landscape and the nobility of even its poorest inhabitants. He was also a hardheaded realist, as his economic policy demonstrated. To him, principles and pragmatism were not foes; they went hand-in-hand. He was an idealist without naiveté, a compromiser without being compromised. Show less «
As an activist, I have pretty much been doing what Nelson Mandela tells me since I was a teenager. He has been a forceful presence in my lif...Show more »
As an activist, I have pretty much been doing what Nelson Mandela tells me since I was a teenager. He has been a forceful presence in my life, going back to 1979 when U2 made its first anti apartheid effort. And he's been a big part of the Irish consciousness even longer than that. Irish people related all too easily to the subjugation of ethnic minorities. From our point-of-view, the question as to how bloody South Africa would have to get on its long road to freedom was not abstract. Show less «
[on Bob Geldof and "Do They Know It's Christmas?"] I thought he was ringing up to say, "I like your album", but no, he told me the album was...Show more »
[on Bob Geldof and "Do They Know It's Christmas?"] I thought he was ringing up to say, "I like your album", but no, he told me the album was shite but despite that fact would I like to be part of his song? Show less «
[on financial accountability in the entertainment world] The real enemy is not between digital downloads or streaming, the real fight is bet...Show more »
[on financial accountability in the entertainment world] The real enemy is not between digital downloads or streaming, the real fight is between opacity and transparency. The music business has historically involved itself in quite considerable deceit. Show less «
As a teenager, Bowie (David Bowie) was our Elvis (Elvis Presley). They shared the same birthday and they both took music somewhere no one th...Show more »
As a teenager, Bowie (David Bowie) was our Elvis (Elvis Presley). They shared the same birthday and they both took music somewhere no one thought it could go. It was his other-worldliness that took us all away. Show less «
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