Bono y The Edge grabaron un video de apoyo al proyecto de financiación de la película "SMITHY: Something in Every Hue" sobre la vida de John Smith, fundador de God's Squad Christian Motorcycle Club.
El video fue grabado hace unos días en Dublín:
El Dr. John Smith es el fundador de Concern Australia y el fundador y presidente de God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club.
Él es autor, antropólogo social, hombre de negocios, profesor y conferenciante, ciclista, defensor de los pobres y marginados, un amante de la música blues, un evangelista dotado, un anciano del movimiento del discipulado radical, y un destacado comentarista social.
Él está tan a gusto hablando con líderes empresariales, académicos, líderes religiosos, políticos y medios de comunicación como lo es con los escolares, estudiantes universitarios, a los pobres y marginados, y fuera de la ley los miembros del club de motocicletas. John ha hablado a través de Australia y alrededor del mundo en música y artes festivales como Greenbelt en el Reino Unido, las artes cristianas europeas y el Festival de Música, el Festival de Música Gospel australiano / EasterFest en Toowoomba y Negro Music Festival Tocón en Sydney, ha compartido el escenario con el ex presidente Jimmy Carter y se ha dirigido a la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas. Él es un invitado habitual en las iglesias de todo Australia y en los eventos del club corporativos y de servicios como cenas mesa redonda de negocios, conferencias magistrales corporativos y Rotary Club de Conferencias Anuales.
John Smith escribió hace un tiempo este artículo sobre U2:
THE EVOLUTION OF U2
Simplistically, U2's story goes like this: An unlikely Irish punk rock group resulted from drummer Larry Mullen's scruffy note pinned to a noticeboard. Paul Hewson (Bono), Dave Evans (The Edge) and Adam Clayton responded with nothing much in common: crude, doubtful abilities fired by Hewson's odd mixture of Catholic/Protestant parentage, Irish temperament, lively intelligence and a genuine newfound rebellious spirituality. The chemistry was there and the pilgrimage, forged by predictable fundamentalist opposition and mind shattering experiences, exposed the group to mega issues of human rights by the Central American Mission Partner's guided tours through the wreckage of El Salvador. The 'unforgettable fire' remains kindled by first hand experience of the Bosnian disaster, but the responses are a puzzle to those who neither understand the nature of artistic pilgrimage, nor the manipulations of the media age which are brilliantly exposed by the cynicism and satirical brilliance of the Zoo TV tour.
U2's Zooropa show is not merely music or entertainment but art that is full of symbolism.Manipulations of the mass media are exposed by a kaleidoscope of contradictory TV images.
Juice magazine described the tour as an "environment of mega video screens, computerised graphics and interactive technologies...slogans...psychobabble and truisms to demonstrate that it was all fatuous and profound."
The sudden projection on superscreen of past rock superstars interactive with the live band is part of a visual mockery of the deadly seriousness surrounding the electronic rock idolatry - and a daring extravaganza of self-ridicule.
Then, of course, there is lead-singer Bono's red-horned McPhisto persona. Most fans seem to miss the dark humour and cynicism. Parading as the Devil congratulating his fans, Bono reminds us we have made larger-than-life idols of rock stars like himself.
The problem for many Christians is their ignorance of modern art forms. This leads to a literalist interpretation of symbolism and satire, perceived as embracing rather than exposing the demonic.
It was during the period of the recording of The Joshua Tree that I spent in-depth time with three of the four musicians in Dublin and became aware of both the genius and evolution of U2 from soulful, passionate performers to technically and artistically avant-garde innovators in both style and content. Since then I have continued to follow the development of the band with keen interest and from time to time renewed contact both in Australia and Dublin.
U2 has an intellectual native drive to reflect on culture in innovative and outrageous ways. They have done this to the point where the medium is substantially the message. Line-by-line analysis of lyrics totally misses the point. It is a pantomime of farce; a mocking extravaganza of absurdity, "impudently sending up technology and the video age," turning their suits and shades into self mockery and the blaspheming of the pop star world.
Compared with the best of the 40's and 50's music, rock'n'roll has provided a wealth of social awareness - and U2 is a prime example. I clearly remember entering adolescence to the sounds of How much is that doggy in the window? and She wears red feathers and a hula-hula skirt! While watching U2 during their last tour, I was more convinced than ever that basically what rock'n'roll has done is introduce soul into white Western consciousness.
John Smith, President, God's Squad, Australia
(Edited by Ben McSkimming and Erik Parsons)
