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Back to 50 Years In, What's the Point of U2? Bono and the Edge Have Answers., with Bono & The Edge.

Why Does the Edge's Exit Plan End With Bono Singing?

The Edge talks himself out of leaving by hiring the same people back. He starts an inner argument about getting out of the band, then answers his own questions until Bono is the singer, he stays on guitar, and the rhythm section is the one he already plays with. He says that lineup basically redesigns the band, and there is no doubt about where he belongs.

The questions run in order. He asks what he wants to do with his life. He is a creative person and music is his main thing, so he stays in music. On singing, he says he really wants to be the singer, and he is really happy being a guitar player. The singer he most likes to work with is clearly Bono, so a solo thing still has Bono on vocals. Asked for the best rhythm section he knows, he names the players already beside him. The finish is a solo band with Bono on vocals and the Edge on guitar, which puts him right back where he started.

Transcript

50 Years In, What's the Point of U2? Bono and the Edge Have Answers. ·

The Interview

More from this episode

  1. Why Didn't U2 Sell Their Faith?David Marchese asks whether U2 knew that closing concerts with 40, an adaptation of a psalm, brought a crowd sing-along rooted in religious feeling.
  2. How Did the Edge Hear Bono Was Mental?David Marchese asks the Edge what he thought of Bono before they played together.
  3. How Did Bono and the Edge Pick Names?Bono always saw U2 in some sort of mythological sense. The names came from a wish to escape suburbia and discover other selves.
  4. Why Did Renee Good's Father Own People of the Lie?Bono says the album is about evil, and that people should be grateful because evil is out in the open. On Days of Ash, the songs name names.
  5. Why Does Bono Call Stealing America a Real Heist?Bono calls the moment the most extraordinary moment and the greatest heist in the history of the world.
  6. Why Did Bono and the Edge Pivot After Joshua Tree?The Edge says the pivot after the Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum happened because they were being robbed of aspects of who they were.
  7. What Did Tim Cook Say About the Free Album?Tim Cook, when the idea was pitched, asked why anyone who spent a whole life getting people to pay for music would give something away free.
  8. Why Does U2 Sell the Best Seats Cheap?Bono says U2 has very little say over prices in the live business. The band takes the best seats in the house and makes them often the most affordable.

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