Everything Bono Wrote About U2 in His Memoir ‘Surrender’
U2 frontman, Bono, left nothing out of his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, released in November 2022. The singer opened up about the band wanting to leave music behind to join a Christian community, receiving threats from the IRA, and Bono’s family nearly getting kidnapped.
These are some of the juiciest tidbits about U2 and the legendary rock star wrote about in his book.
U2 members tried to trade music for religion
The members of U2 were just teenagers when they first started playing together. They found success in Ireland fairly quickly. Jst a few years after forming, they snagged a four-year record deal with Island Records. However, U2 almost lost it all when several band members got involved in a local religious community called Shalom.
Bono wrote about how he and his bandmates David Evans (“The Edge”) and Larry Mullen got involved in the Christian circle in his memoir and how it almost led to the group’s demise. According to The New Yorker, Bono described Shalom members living on the streets of Dublin “like first-century Christians.” As teenagers, this lifestyle appealed to them. But they feared their rock and roll lifestyle went against the community’s beliefs.
According to Buzzfeed, Bono, Mullen, and The Edge tried to get out of their record contract to devote their time to Shalom. In his memoir, Bono credits the band’s manager for keeping them together. He’d pointed out how breaking their contract would contradict their devotion to God.
Their manager said, “Well, maybe next time you might ask God if it’s okay for your representative on Earth to break a legal contract?” Allegedly, the members of U2 determined that God wouldn’t want them to break the contract, and they stayed together.
Eventually, Bono, Mullen, and The Edge left Shalom behind. Bono explained, “I realized it was bullshit, that what these people were getting close to … was denial, rather than willful surrender.”
The IRA targeted Bono and his family
In Bono’s memoir, he revealed that Gerry Adams, the former leader of Sinn Féin (the political arm of the IRA), publically criticized U2 for their pro-peace stance. NME reports that Fein stated U2 “stinks,” which is hardly an insult. However, coming from Fein, it may have prompted others to follow suit.
The IRA targeted band members with threats. Bono blamed this on “U2’s opposition to paramilitaries (of all kinds) had cost the IRA valuable fundraising in the US.” The musician wrote in his book that at one point, officers told him that his wife, Ali Stewart, was more likely a target than he was. “I still take that badly,” he wrote.
Bono’s family almost got kidnapped
If being threatened by the IRA wasn’t enough, Irish gangsters also targeted Bono’s family in the ’90s. Bono wrote, “A famous gangland leader in Dublin had been planning to kidnap [his daughters], that [the gangster’s] people had been casing our houses for several months and developed an elaborate plan.”
Fortunately, authorities discovered their plan before anyone was hurt.
Bono can’t stand to watch his famous performance
On a lighter note, Bono’s memoir also reveals he can’t stand watching recordings of U2’s 1985 Live Aid performance. According to the AARP, the rockstar finds the historic concert benefiting Ethiopian famine “excruciating” to watch. His reason is hilarious:
“It’s a little humbling that during one of the greatest moments of your life, you’re having a bad hair day. Now, some people would say that I’ve had a bad hair life, but when I am forced to look at footage of U2 play Live Aid, there is only one thing that I can see. The mullet.”
If you watch their performance, you’ll likely agree!
Bono passed out in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House
One of the best stories Bono shares in his memoir revolves around an evening with the Obamas. The musician and his wife had dinner with President Obama in his private quarters at the White House.
Bono claims to be allergic to salicylic acid, which is found in most wines. However, the musician still indulged when the Obamas served wine with dinner. This decision resulted in the former president finding Bono passed out in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.
The singer described the incident in his book, saying, “[Obama] doesn’t for a minute believe I have this allergy. He thinks Ali made this up to cover for me. He tells people he can drink me under the table. Rubbish. But he does make a strong martini.”
U2’s song created more threats
After U2 released its song “Pride” in 1984, the band became targeted by several far-right groups. The song is a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and describes his assassination. Part of the tune goes: “Early evening, April four // A shot rings out in the Memphis sky // Free at last, they took your life // They could not take your pride.”
Bono recalled how before one particular performance in Arizona, he received a warning that if he sang those lines, he wouldn’t live to finish the song. Despite these threats, the band performed “Pride” anyway. While singing the lyrics about MLK’s assassination, Bono “…realized the gravity of the situation and I did close my eyes. It was a slim possibility, but just in case.”
After the song ended, Bono opened his eyes and noticed U2’s bass player Adam Clayton standing in front of him. No one tried to harm the band’s frontman, but Clayton made sure that if someone did, they would have to go through him first.
