It's a privilege to serve the poor, to be servants of noble Africans, but I better belong in the rehearsal room or in the studio with my band. That's where I want to be and I still wake up in the morning with melodies in my head.
BonoRead
The great moments of rock 'n' roll were never off in some corner of the music world, in a self-constructed ghetto.
Interpretation
Rock 'n' roll's most significant moments emerged from mainstream culture, not isolated subcultures.
Bono emphasizes that the defining moments of rock 'n' roll music have always been intertwined with the broader cultural landscape, rather than being confined to niche or isolated communities. This notion speaks to the idea that influential art forms often gain their power and impact through connection and engagement with the wider world, rather than existing in solitude or obscurity.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a music festival to emphasize the impact of collaborative musical experiences.
It's a privilege to serve the poor, to be servants of noble Africans, but I better belong in the rehearsal room or in the studio with my band. That's where I want to be and I still wake up in the morning with melodies in my head.
Perspective is the cure for depression.
At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.
It's much easier to be successful than it is to be relevant. The tricks won't keep you relevant. Tricks might keep you popular for a while, but in all honesty, I don't know how U2 will stay relevant. I know we've got a future. I know we can fill stadiums. And yet with every record, I think, 'Is this it? Are we still relevant?'
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.
Hanging out with politicians and corporations is very unhip work. But I think that the U2 audience have turned out to be incredibly subtle in their understanding.
Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.
Which is the other reason hip-hop is controversial: People don't bother trying to get it. The problem isn't in the rap or the rapper or the culture. The problem is that so many people don't even know how to listen to the music.
Anybody with money can put on a KISS show, but they can't be KISS.
How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony.
When you start your first band and it has an impact on the rest of the world you go through a lot with those guys and you become very protective of that legacy.
I think my biggest musical hero growing up was probably Ian MacKaye. He set a great example for all of us local musicians. Still, to this day, I see him as the best example of a right-on musician.
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