Ever since they captured international attention three decades ago, a curmudgeonly minority has complained about U2's music, frequently citing Bono's allegedly whiny voice. Today we learned that shockingly, the U2 frontman actually sympathizes with his detractors.
Appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" via satellite to raise awareness of World AIDS Day, Bono admitted that he has a hard time listening to his own music.
"If I hear our songs on the radio, I tend to turn them down, not because I don't like them or believe in them, but actually my voice annoys me. I always think I could have sang it better."
But it's not just artistic perfectionism that makes Bono switch stations when "Pride (In the Name of Love)" comes on the radio—he also admits to a touch of hyper-masculine paranoia.
"I'm sort of a macho Irish guy and particularly on those '80s songs, I think I sound like a girl," Bono told Ellen. Reassuring one of the world's most renown rock singers he's actually not all that bad, Ellen joked, "Well, you sound like a real pretty girl."
Before expressing doubts about his own vocal chords, Bono made a hot fuss about the Killers. "I think they're just a stunning American group," he said, urging viewers to download their Christmas (and cowboy) themed charity song on iTunes. The proceeds from "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" will go toward helping the world see the beginning of the end of AIDS.
No, you didn't read that wrong: Bono explained that with enough support, infection rates can be dramatically decreased in the next few years.
"I can't even believe the words are coming out of my mouth," Bono told CNN in an interview that aired earlier today. "Thirty years, 30 million funerals later, on the 30th anniversary, we just have the end in sight if people want to go next leg... and in these hard economic times, that's going to be hard."