February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Bono, rumored to have been shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said that he first became aware of the significance of Dr. King’s message during his teenage years — at the height of the Troubles in Northern Irelqand. In 1984, U2 wrote one of their biggest hits, “Pride [In the Name of Love]” in honor of the slain activist.
“We despaired of the lack of vision — of the kind Dr. King gave to the people in the South,” said Bono. “I wrote that song with our band out of that feeling.”
Of course, Bono being Bono, he couldn’t resist adding a bit of breathless — and self-aggrandizing — rhetoric to the proceedings. Of his efforts to combat AIDS in Africa, which have made him a fixture in the offices of world leaders and a familiar face in Washington, he says that he’s looking forward to a time when he can pass the torch.
“I’m looking forward to the moment they tell me, ‘Bono, you’re Irish. Go home,’ ” he confided. “[I want them to say] ‘We’ve got it handled.’ ” If only.