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‘Bono: Stories of Surrender’ explores his complex relationship with his father
In this documentary, Bono shares with USA TODAY’s Melissa Ruggieri how it has brought him closer to his dad.
Bono adjusts his tinted glasses, with the distinct profile of his nose and a subtle stubble drawing your gaze.
“If I turn to the left, I look younger,” he remarks during a video call. “That’s the version who portrayed Bono.”
He turns his head in the opposite direction, with the sparkling waters of the French Riviera as his backdrop.
“If I face to the right, I seem older. That’s the character who represented my father,” he explains. “For someone as expressive as I am with U2, I discovered that even just turning your head can convey plenty.”
Bono is in a hotel suite in Cannes, gearing up for the premiere of “Bono: Stories of Surrender” the following evening. The film is slated for release on Apple+ on May 30.
This captivating film, shot in black and white, is both vivid and emotionally charged. Like the memoir it draws from, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” it fluctuates between heart-wrenching moments and hilarious anecdotes while embodying Bono’s unique, philosophical style reminiscent of a casual Irish pub chat.
Prior to its adaptation into a film, the book spurred Bono’s solo stage show, “Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…,” performed in select cities worldwide during 2022-23, including a brief residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
During his 25 shows, Bono – one of the globe’s top music icons – performed for smaller theater audiences as opposed to the massive crowds U2 typically attracts. He discovered that sometimes, the most compelling props are an empty chair paired with bright stage lights.
“There’s a feeling of shedding your armor, your sword, and shield to let people in,” Bono, 65, expresses. “I can still project the swagger. I’m Irish; that comes easily. But now, I feel it’s more genuine to be vulnerable, to show my insecurities.”
Bono states he’s ‘finished singing about those who have passed away.’
Throughout the nearly 90-minute documentary, Bono delves into themes of family, music, faith, and charity.
The film opens with the gripping account of his urgent surgery in 2016 to repair a life-threatening aortic aneurysm, jumping onto a table that takes on symbolic meaning throughout the narrative. He recounts the heartbreaking moment when his mother collapsed and died from an aneurysm during her father’s funeral when Bono was just 14 years old.
Close-up shots emphasize the age lines etched around his eyes, particularly as he smiles. “Over time, your face becomes a map, revealing your journey,” Bono reflects, expressing that director Andrew Dominik urged him to embrace authenticity by reminding him, “The camera knows if you’re not sincere.”
During the show, he incorporates U2 songs such as “Vertigo,” “City of Blinding Lights,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and “Where The Streets Have No Name,” reinterpreted in fresh ways by producer Jacknife Lee, who performs alongside cellist Kate Ellis and harpist Gemma Doherty. Using empty chairs as representations, Bono reminisces about his bandmates Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, and his close friend, the Edge.
However, the true highlight of the film isn’t Bono, but rather his father, Bob Hewson, whose emotional distance and tough demeanor profoundly impacted his son.
“He delivers the best lines!” Bono chuckles before impersonating his father, who passed away in 2001, as he would scold Bono as a teen, capturing that poignant head nod in the performance. “ ‘You. You’re the baritone who believes he’s a tenor,’ ” Bono mimics before breaking character.
“Ultimately, despite my love for my father, I found myself appreciating him more,” Bono reflects. “That’s a beautiful realization, getting closer to him. I’ve always felt connected to my mother, but I wish I had known her better. After her passing, my father and everyone else avoided discussing her, and I lost many memories. This book serves as an effort to reclaim those memories of her, and I’m gradually recovering them.”
With a slight laugh, he leans back and interlaces his fingers.
“But I believe I’ve wrapped up sharing tales of my departed parents and those I cared for. Edge often says, ‘Nostalgia belongs in the past, Bono.’ And I concur. U2 is gearing up for what’s next, and this opportunity to share such an intimate story is a privilege that the band helped create—Edge, Larry, Adam, as well as my wife, Ali. Now, it’s about moving forward and celebrating life.”
Upcoming U2 music is ‘a glimpse of the future’
The anticipated future for U2 has fans eager to hear their newest creations, just a year after their revolutionary residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Mullen, who missed the Vegas engagement for recovery from neck surgery, is “fully back in action,” Bono mentions. “He’s playing better than ever; it’s quite remarkable.”
While there’s no specific timeline for their new music, Bono adds, “The songs we’re currently creating have a sound that feels like the future.”
Edge, he notes, is “determined to push the guitar forward.” And when it comes to Clayton, Bono humorously remarks that U2 needs to record another album “just to pry Adam away from Gardeners’ World,” the long-standing BBC gardening show where Clayton demonstrated his gardening skills last year.
Bono recalls an amusing story about being beside Clayton when he received a text from JJ Burnel, the legendary punk bassist from the London band The Stranglers. It turns out U2 once shared a concert bill with them back in the ‘70s, but after Burnel refused to wear a button proclaiming “U2 can happen to anyone,” Bono and the others decided to take their dressing room’s contents.
Bono laughs at the memory.
“JJ was a tough guy and brilliant bassist, and he’s texting Adam 40 years later to say, ‘Super excited to watch you on Gardeners’ World tonight.’ I told Adam, ‘this is quite a departure from punk rock,’” he says. “And Adam replied, ‘Not at all. Doing exactly what you want to do is the most punk rock endeavor there is.’ ”
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