RonJonSurfer Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Bono Testifies in Hat Controversey U2 successfully sued their former stylist last year for taking a trademark hat. Irish rocker Bono has renewed his efforts to keep hold of a Stetson hat 'stolen' by a former stylist, by giving evidence at her appeal in Dublin, Ireland earlier today. Lola Cashman alleges she was given the hat and other memorabilia as presents by the band following their 1987 Joshua Tree tour and tried to sell them at Christie's auction house in 2002. U2 successfully sued last year for the recovery of the trademark hat, a pair of earrings, a sweatshirt and a pair of trousers, claiming Cashman took them without permission. However, after Cashman launched an appeal, Bono was today forced to recount his evidence in Dublin High Court. Although taking care to praise the stylist's talents, the singer insisted she lacked social skills: "She had a very good eye. She had a lot more experience than us. But it was very clear on almost immediate arrival she wasn't a good in dealing with personal relationships, and initially put a lot of people's noses out of place." The court also heard Cashman was responsible for the transport of all wardrobe items. The case continues. Copyright World Entertainment News Network 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 If ever I need evidence that Bono, far from being "cool", is actually "an utter prat", the history behind this case serves me well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted October 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I think there's plenty of supporting evidence out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulGirl Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 to be honest, i can see why they pursued this. it's the principle of the thing. people would pay alot of money for those items in ebay - people have paid money for the half-eaten sandwiches of celebrities for god's sake! it would set a bad precedent if the woman made a profit from the items which she supposedly stole. if i was in their position, i'd be pretty annoyed that someone stole my clothes and tried to make money on them at auction. i know there are more important things to worry about, blah blah blah. but bono does enough for worthy causes to entitle him to do this, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulGirl Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 btw i realised watching the news last night that this time around it was the appeal of the decision made last year. so it was actually the stylist who pursued it this time. buuut, much as i like bono, i had to find this amusing! while bono was on the stand, the stylist's lawyer referred to his "peripatetic" lifestyle. having misheard the lawyer, bono responded angrily, saying "i wouldn't call my life pathetic!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 to be honest, i can see why they pursued this. it's the principle of the thing.... Bono doesn't have any principles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Meanwhile: an interesting article from this weekend's papers.... Nick Cohen Sunday October 22, 2006 The Observer All last week, Bono was in court in Dublin arguing about a stetson. It was his trademark hat, as essential a part of the brand that is Bono as his compassion for starving Africans. His former stylist, Lola Cashman, says he gave the hat to her as thanks for her hard work. He looked like Nana Mouskouri before she remodelled him and it is outrageous, she says, for Bono to claim now that she stole it so she could sell it and make money which was rightfully his. The learned judges of Ireland have a duty to apply their fine minds to the case with due seriousness. What is surprising is that the rest of the world continues to take Bono seriously. I would have thought that after the revelation that U2 moved their music publishing company to the Netherlands to cut their tax bill in half, he wouldn't have dared stepped out of his mansion for fear of being laughed to scorn. Here was a man who incited audiences to condemn Western politicians for not sending enough of their taxpayers' money to the wretched of the earth, avoiding tax himself. The Edge, U2's guitarist, sounded as edgy as a plump accountant in the 19th hole when he explained the move offshore by saying: 'Our business is a very complex business. Of course we're trying to be tax-efficient. Who doesn't want to be tax-efficient?' The practical consequences of being 'tax-efficient' are many. If you say you care about Africa, why are you paying fees to international money movers who encourage Africa's 'tax-efficient' kleptomaniacs to hide their loot in tax havens? You are also forcing fellow citizens, who didn't make U2's estimated $110m in 2005, to pick up the bill, not only for foreign aid, but for education, health, law and order and defence. And all the time while others suffer on your behalf, you maintain that you are behaving reasonably. ('Who doesn't want to be tax-efficient?' as the Edge said.) I know if I were an Irish citizen, I'd be spitting fire about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Over a bloody Stetson hat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Nick Cohen is now my hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulGirl Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 i don't see any particular reason for me to spit fire over this. there are dozens of US artists who live or work abroad for the tax breaks. it's not uncommon. same as there are many hundreds of businessmen who relocate for tax reasons. aside from which, musicians and other artists are largely exempt from taxes in ireland anyway. sure, it's not very patriotic but i don't believe that it automatically invalidates all the good work bono does. and to say he doesn't have principles as fairly laughable in my view. there are many people with his influence and power who do absolutely nothing for charity. the fact that he is so vocal about his work is a good example to us all. people may believe him to be arrogant, hypocritical or just damn plain annoying but he is very talented and he works hard for good causes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Principles? Like that time they sued Negativland over sampling while turning around and sampling themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 ....all the good work bono does. I'm struggling..............Nope. I give up. You're going to have to tell me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulGirl Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Oh come on, whether or not you like him, he has been one of the most high profile advocants of charity work in the last decade. He pushed forward the Live 8 Drop the Debt campaign. He is a strong supporter of Greenpeace and has been involved in protests with them. He has recorded music in support of War Child and the Cradle Foundation. He brought out a clothing range, under the Red Initiative, which has raised millions for the fight against AIDS. His wife is the patron of an Irish charity, the Chernobyl Children's Project, and Bono has lended his support to the cause. He was nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and received a number of humanitarian awards in Ireland in the same year. In 2005, he was named one of the Persons of the Year by Time magazine for his charity work. Usually, I hardly even donate 100 euros over the course of a year to charity. It would certainly be the height of hypocrisy for me to criticise Bono for not doing enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Of course I'm aware of all these philanthropic gestures. And that they're only the tip of the iceberg. You neglected to mention his unswerving support for Amnesty International. And that on Mondays he runs the "Picture Bingo" sessions at a Special School for Children with Profound And Multiple Disabilities. And that he (singlehandedly) mans a Samaritans help-line every Friday night: their busiest night, (naturally)And that on Sundays he and Nelson Mandela fly out to the worlds most desperate destinations to entertain the beleaguered doctors and nurses of Medecins Sans Frontieres with their Campfire Singalong Tour. ("Such a great, great honour", quoth Bono, "for Nelson to spend that quality time with me.") And then Wednesdays are set aside for fulfilling the carnal longings of the wives of disabled ex-servicemen. He's all heart. I certainly wouldn't criticise Bono for "not doing enough". Au contraire: I wish he might just quietly retire from public office. Most of us are constrained in what we can give/do for worthwhile causes, because we work to live. We have mundane jobs so that we can pay off our student loans, our mortgages, feed , clothe, equip and entertain our children, take an occasional holiday, etc. And to pay our taxes, of course... People only need a certain amount of income to live in relative comfort and security. Beyond that everything is luxury. Most of us are obliged to continue in thankless employment until retirement (and beyond) to achieve anything approaching comfort and security in our old age. I think it's safe to say that if the world miraculously stopped buying U2 tomorrow, Bono wouldn't be faced with the prospect of taking on a demeaning pizza-delivery job to make ends meet. Call me a communist if you like, but I reckon that once a person's income/wealth exceeds an arbitrary amount(=fabulously wealthy/need never work again) they abdicate the right to tell us, the little people, what we should and shouldn't do with our earnings. That they should also dodge paying their share of tax whilst preaching to the people about social justice is little short of despicable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggsUK Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 Amen Woolfie Smith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Vivante Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 I think you have Bono, of U2, confused with the phrase pro bono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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