'I Got to Grieve for My Father in Front of 20,000 People.'
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THE COMPLETE U2 [APRIL 1997-AUGUST 2001] Emerging from the Father and son: lemon, Nelson Piquet Bob Hewson Autodrome, Rio de and Bono, Janeiro, Brazil, 27 November 1999. STRANGE January 1998. FRUIT ENTER THEIR GRAND FOLLY: THE POPMART LEMON. ‘I got to grieve for my father in front of 20,000 people.’ BONO “Somebody had to out-Spinal Tap Spinal Tap, and I think we did.” So said Edge THE ALBUMS U2 PEOPLE #3 THE ALBUMS about Popmart’s mirrorball lemon: an impressive 40-foot fibreglass shell covered with inch-thick reflective tiles from which the band were supposed to emerge for every encore. Except in Oslo on 6 August 1997, that is, when in true Tap fashion the lemon failed to open, trapping them inside. “Think George Clinton! Think Funkadelic!” argued Bono in its defence. With its accompanying supersized cocktail stick and olive, many critics thought it merely a showbiz self-indulgence too far. Today it lies dismantled in a Dutch warehouse since, claims Edge, it failed to sell BOB HEWSON ■ EMPICS when auctioned on eBay. SIMON GODDARD ANTONCORBIJN BONO’S DAD. AND HIS BIGGEST INSPIRATION. POP Nightly on the Vertigo tour, the nape-tingling Hewson allowed him to stay board-free at home with a ALL THAT YOU ISLAND, 1997 ★★★★★ moment was provided by Bono during Sometimes You deadline of one year to make music pay. CAN’T LEAVE NICE IDEA, SHAME ABOUT Can’t Make It On Your Own, when he threw back his Later, with U2’s success assured, Bob reluctantly THE SONGS. BEHIND head and belted out, “Can you hear me when I sing? admitted his pride, though the greatest compliment ISLAND, 2000 ★★★★★ U2’s ’90s restlessness You’re the reason I sing…” A passionate eulogy to his he could offer was, “Son, you’re very professional.” reached its zenith on Pop. BEHOLD, THE RETURN When Bono and Edge father Bob Hewson, who died of cancer at 75 in August He could never call him Bono, saying, “Your mother OF “CLASSIC” U2. purchased Dublin’s Kitchen 2001, the song – also sung at his funeral – detailed the christened you Paul and Paul you will remain…” The new century saw U2 nightclub, they assumed U2 complex relationship the singer had with his dad. Throughout Bob Hewson’s final weeks and days, setting out to make great U2 could reflect the sounds of Fatherly approval has been Bono’s main during U2’s Elevation tour of 2001, Bono flew back to albums rather than their new toy. It wasn’t that boundary-push with simple. In its dalliance with motivational force during most of his career. Bob Dublin after dates to be at his bedside. Even his diminishing returns. While electro and enlistment of Hewson was a hard-boiled Dubliner who on the surface bandmates were surprised, however, when his father they celebrated their most THOSE producers Steve Osborne, had a difficult time coping with his dreamer son. died on 21 August and Bono refused to cancel that tangible assets (Bono’s Howie B and Nellee Hooper, “To dream is to be disappointed, that was his running night’s show, the third of four dates at London’s Earls vocals and Edge’s guitars), POPMART Pop marked the moment Adam Clayton and Larry OUTFITS when U2 followed (rather theme,” said Bono. And so, of course, the son rebelled. Court. It was an acutely emotional experience for Mullen’s compromised roles IN FULL! than rode and incorporated) Post office clerk and opera fan Bob was a strict all involved. Kite, in particular, with its “I know were extended once more. fashion. All this could have father, though as his stubborn son recalled, “his that this is not goodbye” hook, held an agonising That they avoided self- been fine, but as Bono later severity was wasted on me”. If Bob locked Paul in his resonance. “They really carried me, those songs and parody was a tribute not just ruefully admitted, “the songs room, he’d discover him sitting on his window sill my three mates,” Bono told Q in 2002. “I guess I got to a new-found sense of ease BONO EDGE ADAM CLAYTON LARRY MULLEN weren’t good enough”. with who they were, but a The Leaning Man The Gay Cowboy The Sci-Fi Binman The Nondescript Man KEY TRACK: If God Will Send chatting to his mates outside. to do my grieving for my father, kneeling, in front set of rip-roaring songs. THE LOOK: A “lopsided” walk THE LOOK: Full Village People THE LOOK: Japanese THE LOOK: Lycra muscleman His Angels When the singer’s mother collapsed, aged 49, at her of 20,000 people.” KEY TRACK: Stuck In A and a boxer’s robe, peeled ensemble, complete with construction worker’s hat, top, more often covered WHAT Q SAID: “In Pop you father’s funeral in September 1974, dying days later Ultimately, though, it has to be suspected that Moment You Can’t Get off to reveal a skin-tight cockduster ’tache. mask, goggles and hoodie. by a black vest. have a band sometimes of a brain haemorrhage, his relationship with his Bono was singing for Bob Hewson only. “When it gets Out Of muscleman costume. HE SAYS: “My moustache HE SAYS: “My whole body HE SAYS: “I couldn’t cope unsure what to do with all WHAT Q SAID: “Not since HE SAYS: “We’d love to be was the thing that [got] me was caked with sweat. It with being called a the creative freedom the father was further strained. “[We were] killing each down to it,” he has admitted, “there’s only ever really The Joshua Tree have U2 camp, but we just can’t do it.” in the leatherman gear.” made it difficult to play in it.” pretentious prat.” previous two albums won for other slowly,” Bono stated, “not knowing what to do one person in the audience, no matter how big the sounded quite so like U2.” them.” (Q127, April 1997) with our sense of loss.” When his son joined U2, Bob crowd.” ■ TOM DOYLE (Q171, December 2000) 78 Q Q 79.