I was recently enjoying a book when I noticed it was "blurbed" by Conan O’Brien. I stopped thinking it was funny to watch a man rub his nipples through a suit jacket around the eighth grade, so seeing his praise for the book was kind of a turn-off. The book is of the “humorous” variety so I guess Conan seemed like a good choice, though to me the publisher lost some credibility.
Call this practice “Bonoism” -- trading credibility for star power. I‘ve had to develop a rule: If Bono is in a documentary, I turn it off, no matter how interested in the subject I am.
I understand why Bono might have something to say about John Lennon or Quincy Jones, just to name two subjects I’ve seen him speak about. But he also pontificates in films about Nelson Mandela and South Africa, The Clinton Foundation, and the writer Charles Bukowski.
He even appears in a documentary about progressive politics in Canada and the United States. Bono, not being from either, seems a strange choice; but I guess it lets the filmmaker tell his grandchildren he spent an hour with Bono.
Bonoism has also crept into books. The exact moment when Salman Rushdie’s autobiography goes from a fascinating account of his years in hiding to a gross, star studded name-drop-apalooza can be marked when Bono succeeds where fatwa-warriors have failed and locates Rushdie. Even Bob Dylan’s terrific Chronicles goes off the rail when Dylan swoons at Bono’s praise of his new songs. Et tu, Bobby?
There is probably a greater point to be made about our current political moment, a point about disregarding scientists and scholars in favor of power, forgoing autism researchers for the musings of Jenny McCarthy or climate change data for Ted Nugent, but I’ll wait for Bono to make that point. You’ll have to tell me what he said.
I’m Dan Libman, and that’s my perspective.
