'It's a beautiful day'

February 19, 2003 10:18 AM

"It's a beautiful day..." So i hear U2's singer, the great and charismatic Bono, has just been nominated for nobel peace prize. Of course, we the french, find it very amusing to find Chirac nominated. (Oh, the hysteria if ever he won). Also in the race is ex Gov. George H Ryan, who amongst other achievements declared a moratorium in 2000, before leaving his job a few months ago... with class. Or maybe they'll just choose Bono & Chirac for knowing how to work together on the 'drop the debt' issue? So, what do you say? (i'd have to go with Bono, i'm afraid. Rock n roll but effective and passionate...)
posted by Sijeka (39 comments total)

Is there a Nobel prize for cool? The Edge should get that one.
posted by bondcliff at 10:39 AM on February 19, 2003

bono?
how lame. mother teresa must be rolling in her grave.
posted by quonsar at 10:41 AM on February 19, 2003

I have to go with Ryan. His moratorium on the death penalty sparked similar moratoriums around the country. And he alienated many friends and family when he took the courageous step of commuting the sentences of all those who were on death row. He personally saved the lives of 124 people (not even Bush could kill that fast).
posted by jmgorman at 10:51 AM on February 19, 2003

As an Irishman, I would implore the committee not to give the prize to Bono. He'd never keep quiet, he'd just go on and on and on and on and frankly, annoy the shit of more people than ever.

He's a good musician, and a solid campaigner for a better world. Let's just leave it at that. His ego is as big as it should get, imho.
posted by tomcosgrave at 10:54 AM on February 19, 2003

"not even Bush could kill that fast"

haha, funny! wait till the war begins tho'... (sorry!)
posted by Sijeka at 10:55 AM on February 19, 2003

quonsar: She's rolling down a hill. I just dug her up...
posted by i_cola at 10:59 AM on February 19, 2003

It seems pretty easy to get a nomination in. Check out all the folks who can nominate. I don't think it means that much, sounds like it just takes one guy who likes bono.
posted by malphigian at 11:02 AM on February 19, 2003

quonsar: yeah, I mean Bono never laundered money for Charles Keating and refused to distribute sterilized needles for the dying.

(slathers self in barbecue sauce)
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 11:17 AM on February 19, 2003

Is the same prize that Kissinger won?
posted by Fat Buddha at 11:18 AM on February 19, 2003

...and that jimmy carter won, too?!
posted by Sijeka at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2003

Bono should die. He is by far one of the most annoying people in the history of the world, no matter what good he may have done.
posted by corpse at 11:21 AM on February 19, 2003

Bono should die.

He should HAVE died after Joshua Tree so U2 could be remembered as the greatest band ever instead of the bunch of washed up clowns they are now.
posted by bondcliff at 11:28 AM on February 19, 2003

Ryan is on the verge of being indicted for corruption. He's slimier than Bono, in my opinion.
posted by me3dia at 11:33 AM on February 19, 2003

The list of Nobel Peace Prize Winners is as fascinating as it is long. There are lots of unlikely winners here. It is interesting that most of the other Nobel Prizes are awarded based on lifetime achievements, but the Peace Prize seems more to be awarded on the basis of who has had the greatest impact on peace in a given year or other defined time period. This leads to some truly odd selections, for example, Henry Kissinger. Amazing that given his lifetime body of work, he should still hold a share of the Nobel Peace Prize. Other interesting winners are

• Teddy Roosevelt
• Yasser Arafat (shared), and
• US Gen. George Catlett Marshall

posted by psmealey at 11:33 AM on February 19, 2003

Bono's trip to Africa with US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is credited as being the impetus for Bush's Africa AIDs relief plan. Say what you want about Bono, he tries hard, and he's been at it a long time. He's become effective at going right to the politicians and putting both the issue and the leaders in the press spotlight. Egotistical? Probably, by most accounts. But he's on a mission he believes in.
(for what it's worth, I think Boy is still my favorite, although I find myself listening to Unforgettable Fire and a track or two off Achtung or Joshua Tree now and again.)
posted by Shane at 11:35 AM on February 19, 2003

Anybody who can get Jesse Helms to reverse his positions on 3rd word debt relief and the African AIDS crisis deserves some kinda award.
posted by straight at 11:39 AM on February 19, 2003

Regardless of what you think about the death penalty, George Ryan has been an absolute disgrace for the state of Illinois. He is a corrupt and vile man. I wouldn't forgive him even if he solved world hunger...
posted by gyc at 11:41 AM on February 19, 2003

Definitely Bono. I always thought wars were good until he made me realize that they are, in fact, bad.
posted by reidfleming at 11:45 AM on February 19, 2003

The Bono haters strike again. Is that how one gains entrance into the 'alternative' crowd; proclaiming hatred for U2 and Bono?

I understand not liking his music (which I love) or his over-the-top persona, but how can you dismiss what he's doing for AIDS and Africa? I love the fact that he knows it's uncool, that people laugh about him trying to save the world, and he doesn't care. He continues to work and seems to be making a real difference. He deserves it.
posted by blefr at 12:15 PM on February 19, 2003

Definitely Bono. I always thought wars were good until he made me realize that they are, in fact, bad.

But, see, Bono, unlike most socially "aware" musicians, has realized it doesn't make any difference whether you convince hep cats like youself too tell good from bad, and a whole lot of difference if you can nudge the bozos in Washington in the right direction.
posted by straight at 12:28 PM on February 19, 2003

Bono is a decent guy who tries to do the right thing. Not saying he should win, just saying his nomination is no farce.

Did Bob Geldof ever get nominated?
posted by vito90 at 12:34 PM on February 19, 2003

...he knows... people laugh about him trying to save the world.

Definitely. U2 figured this out sometime back in the mid '80s. I remember an interview in which Bono said they wanted to get away from the image of the Band that will Save the World and just be a rock group.

So, yes, he knows he looks uncool in the eyes of the young people, but he keeps on trying to save the world anyway.
posted by Shane at 12:36 PM on February 19, 2003

Ryan is on the verge of being indicted for corruption.

Yeah, when someone like Ryan gets nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, you know that they've truly run out of worthy individuals who actually deserve such an honor..
posted by valerie at 12:41 PM on February 19, 2003

Well put, straight. This is, I think, exactly the point. Bono has done some very hard and very good work on this stuff, in trying to persuade people who would not necessarily get there on their own.

Contrast this to the soapbox approach that Susan Saradon, Alec Baldwin and their ilk take, which is tantamount to preaching to the choir. Far from doing any good, all this does is to irritate the mainstream and further marginalize their own positions.

On another post, Geldof got nominated, but the prize went to Physicians against nuclear war or some such. He was given a consolation prize, however: the Queen made him a Knight.
posted by psmealey at 12:44 PM on February 19, 2003

Bono should die.

He should HAVE died after Joshua Tree so U2 could be remembered as the greatest band ever instead of the bunch of washed up clowns they are now.

(1) He will die, just like everyone else

and

(2) while Joshua Tree is definitely a pinacle and arguably unmatched in later work, even from an artistic standpoint (and certainly from a popular standpoint), that later and current material is hardly the work of "washed up clowns." There's been (and still is) some mighty fine songwriting coming out of them.
posted by namespan at 1:13 PM on February 19, 2003

Regarding Gov. Ryan: He personally saved the lives of 124 people (not even Bush could kill that fast).

Had he not been under investigation for taking bribes from truck drivers, one of whom caused the death of 6 children, he'd still be in office and wouldn't have commuted the sentences of those on death row.

The Nobel Prize should not be given to someone who acts out of political expediency.
posted by aladfar at 1:14 PM on February 19, 2003

I'll say Bono, but only if he shows up for the award as his lesser-known S&M Heat Miser persona.
posted by scody at 1:44 PM on February 19, 2003

There's been (and still is) some mighty fine songwriting coming out of them.

You're fighting an uphill battle. I've learned not to bother talking about my love for that band. I frankly don't care what the pitchfork reviewer wannabes of the world have to say.

That being said, Bono spends much of his time and money involved in charitable projects and people who bash him for his music in a post about him being nominated for a nobel prize are idiots.

Also, Bob Geldof was nominated for LiveAid.
posted by eyeballkid at 1:50 PM on February 19, 2003

The Nobel Prize should not be given to someone who acts out of political expediency.

Could you maybe explain how Ryan's commutation of all those death sentences was politically expedient? If that's indeed what he was trying for, it seems to have a huge miscalculation on his part - from what I remember when the commutations were announced, even his wife was miffed. And since he probably knew that corruption charges were very possibly in his future, what better way to get on the side of prosecutors than that?

Whatever his reasons for doing what he did, the only people I've heard from in Illinois that agreed with it are the people whose sentences he commuted, and their relatives and friends. And maybe a death penalty activist or two. Doesn't sound like a recipe for expediency to me.
posted by deadcowdan at 1:50 PM on February 19, 2003

The Bono haters strike again. Is that how one gains entrance into the 'alternative' crowd; proclaiming hatred for U2 and Bono?

Man, I'm punk-fucking-rock, and I love U2. And Bono. I have always been impressed with the way he uses his rockstardom as a tool to gain entry into places where he can try to effect social change.

I joined Amnesty International because of those guys. Solely because of those guys, because at thirteen I thought "man, if Bono thinks it's the right thing to do, then it MUST be cool." A lot of my money and time has gone that way in the fifteen years since then, and AI was just my gateway charity--from there, I went on to involve myself in a lot of other Good Work.

Would I have done this anyway? Maybe, but definitely not as young. I'm afraid I don't feel the least bit dorky for admitting that Bono inspired me to be a better person.

(well, maybe a little dorky)
posted by padraigin at 2:40 PM on February 19, 2003

Definitely Bono. I always thought wars were good until he made me realize that they are, in fact, bad.

well, he hasn't managed to convince many, many people that his records don't suck, and U2 is not a very lame, humorless, arrogant band
posted by matteo at 3:08 PM on February 19, 2003

The Bono haters strike again.

Some days my hate is all that makes me get out of bed.
posted by holloway at 3:13 PM on February 19, 2003

If you really want to give the prize to someone who's done alot of good, then it should go to Bill Gates. Through his foundation the man has donated literally billions of dollars to help the poor and diseased in both Africa and around the world. And as for Gen. Marshall, didn't he rebuild Europe twice after WWI and WWII?
posted by mr. man at 4:30 PM on February 19, 2003

...his lesser-known S&M Heat Miser persona.

Thank you for that. Some day, when I don't have to work an office day-job, that just may be my new hair-doo.
posted by Shane at 6:04 PM on February 19, 2003

Buddha, irony died the day they gave Henry Kissinger the Nobel Peace Prize, there just isn't any more humor after that.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:07 AM on February 20, 2003

The Bono haters strike again. Is that how one gains entrance into the 'alternative' crowd; proclaiming hatred for U2 and Bono?

Am I back at school?
posted by Summer at 2:39 AM on February 20, 2003

bono is an asshat
posted by swinginjohn at 7:52 AM on February 20, 2003

Bono should die.

He should HAVE died after Joshua Tree so U2 could be remembered as the greatest band ever instead of the bunch of washed up clowns they are now.




They want you to be Jesus
They'll got down on one knee
But they'll want their money back
If you're alive at thirty-three

----

And what am I to do?
Just tell me what am I supposed to say?
I can't change the world
But I can change the world in me
Rejoice.

----

Don't believe that Rock 'n' Roll
Can really change the world
As it spins in revolution
Yeah, it spirals and turns.
I, I believe in love.
Don't believe in the sixties
The golden age of pop
You glorify the past
When the future dries up.
Heard a singer on the radio
Late last night
Says he's gonna kick the darkness
Till it bleeds daylight.
I, I believe in love.
posted by eustacescrubb at 6:00 PM on March 7, 2003

ah crap.

that last link was supposed to go here
posted by eustacescrubb at 6:02 PM on March 7, 2003