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I'm a really big U2 fan from way back, and yes, I do think Bono is cool. So he employs a stylist. Eric Clapton went through an Armani phase -- do you think he picked everything out himself? Well, huh? :)

I guess it goes with fairly subjective interpretations of cool. The Jam just sound like a cool band. And now that I am thinking of it, why the hell did I neglact to mention Johnny Cash?! HE is cool!

I dunno, maybe we get a definition of "cool" formulated, and a limit to how many people we can dub cool, and I'll come back with another list entirely! :)

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* The late Roy Orbison. Maybe it was

the shades. Just Cool, unconditionally Cool.

Definitely Roy! :coolio: :guitar: :coolio:

If you've seen his anthology performance perfomance In Black and White during which he is backed up by some of the great names in pop/rock; Bruce Springsteen is seen throughout gazing at Roy like a star-struck schoolgirl. How cool is that?

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I'm a really big U2 fan from way back, and yes, I do think Bono is cool. So he employs a stylist. Eric Clapton went through an Armani phase -- do you think he picked everything out himself? Well, huh? :)

As it happens, though I know relatively little about Eric Clapton, I do believe he is probably capable of choosing his own clothes, and may be just about cool enough to do so...

But more pressingly....

Re: Bono

I have tried to resist responding, but several restless nights later I can contain myself no more and feel compelled to say my piece...

I was 16 in 1981, and discovering my passion for music. Thus I witnessed the emergence of U2 into public consciousness. From the word "Go" they were distinctly, unmistakeably, "uncool". Consider for a moment their contemporaries...

Echo and The Bunnymen: fronted by Ian McCulloch, (the epitome of cool at the time)

The Teardop Explodes: coolness in abundance....

The Psychedelic Furs: Cool (to begin with, blew it later...)

Simple Minds: Crikes, even Simple Minds (not cool at all) were James Dean sucking a Fox's Glacier Mint whilst sitting in a fridge compared to U2.

The trouble was that U2 were "squeaky-clean", artless, looked sh!t and couldn't dance. But critically, they reached out and spoke to a public who were equally artless, looked sh!t and couldn't dance.

Realising that these "attributes" might not serve them well in the longer-term, ("terminally uncool" not being a label liable to guarantee longevity in a cut-throat "music-biz" obsessed with youth, style and currency), the band hired renowned "arty photographers" to assist with the virtually impossible: convincing the doubters that they had at least an ounce of style. Unfortunately their music took a turn for the Biblical: earnest piety and bombast became the order of the day, and the sterling work of their arty photographer and a legion of clothes and hair-stylists was undermined, proving the old adage, "you can't polish a turd"...

Eventually, someone on the committee must have twigged that their pious, irony-free approach was not "in tune with the times", so in the interests of "the plan", the band re-invented themselves as self-parodists / arch-ironists. And my, how convincing that was!

Since then they, (the band), have become increasingly preposterous and he, (Bono), increasingly self-important. (He may be secretly relishing the eventual passing of Nelson Mandela, so that He, Bono! can take on the mantle of "Official Most Admirable Person In The World!" Champion of The Underdog! "The Saviour of The Underprivileged", Christ Reborn!", etc. etc. But I digress wildly)

It has appeared plainly obvious for many years that Bono / U2 operate according to "business plans" designed to "crack markets", and are motivated by "maximising world-wide sales". No move uncalculated. Fair-dos, if you're an unabashed capitalist. But to me at least, as far as "musical integrity" goes, a "turn-off". And one which stinks of "uncool" given the position he has simultaneously assumed on the "moral high-ground".

There's no real need to go into the "political debate" over his "great works for charity " over recent years: Bono's lack of "cool" was established long before these issues (irrelevant here) emerged. Having said that, I do find his resolute silence on the war with / occupation of Iraq rather puzzling. Not suggesting that I have a coherent opinion on that issue one way or the other; I just find it surprising that, as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, neither does he...

I could go on, but I suspect nobody wants me to, so I'll leave you with this....

U2, Bono proud of iPod/iTunes commercial

In an interview published by the Chicago Tribune, U2's Bono discusses the use of his band's songs in commercials. Bono said he is proud of the iPod television ad featuring "Vertigo," the first single from U2's newest album. "We looked at the iPod commercial as a rock video. We chose the director.[...] I'm proud of the commercial, I'm proud of the association." Bono describes turning down $23 million for a commercial once: "We thought we could do a lot of good with that money. Give it away. But if a show is a little off, and there's a hole, that's the one song we can guarantee that God will walk through the room as soon as we play it. So the idea that when we played it, people would go, 'That's the such-and-such' commercial,' we couldn't live with it." Bono also said the iPod commercial was a good way to promote the new album. "We thought, how are we going to get our single off in the days when rock music is niche?"

Sound cool to you? Honestly now...

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Crikes, even Simple Minds (not cool at all) were James Dean sucking a Fox's Glacier Mint whilst sitting in a fridge compared to U2.

How do I even begin to tell you just how funny that is?

I could go on, but I suspect nobody wants me to....

You couldn't be more wrong...I hang on every scathing, brilliant word you write, my dear b-f.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Gene Simmons of KISS

Mick Fleetwood It's those crazy eyes.

Pete Townsend The Who

Donald Fagin of Steely Dan A weird looking dude

Joe Walsh

B.B.King epitome of COOL

Carlos Santana

Chet Adkins I love is guitar

Bonnie Raitt

The Shreve guy from Santana I can't remember his first name. The guy is an absloute Blurr on the drums and bongos.

rtstuff

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you know what, i saw last days last night and it reminded me of how much i just straight love kurt cobain. yes he had his personal demons, yes he didn't cope with fame very well, yes he was off his game on heroin alot of the latter part of his life. but goddamnit he was cool. he was different, he was part of a band who broke the mould in a legendary way. he made fantastic music, regardless of the begrudgers who look down on his three chord trick. he wrote lyrics that at least one generation of young music fans could relate to, in a way that they hadn't been related to before. he was damn sexy. he looked good in a dress with boots. he was brave enough to be who he was. he wasn't bought in by the whole fame thing. he was weak and fragile and flawed, just like any real human being. and yes, he may have blown his brains out with a shotgun, but damnit he was cool.

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... kurt cobain ... was cool. he was different, he was part of a band who broke the mould in a legendary way ... made fantastic music ... wrote lyrics that at least one generation of young music fans could relate to ... he was damn sexy ... he was cool.

But we may have to deduct points for marrying Courtney Love.

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