"Rock 'n' roll is ridiculous. It's absurd. In the past, U2 was trying to duck that. Now we're wrapping our arms around it and giving it a great big kiss"

Bono’s words highlight a transformation in the way the band U2 regards the traditions and theatrics of rock and roll. By calling rock 'n' roll “ridiculous” and “absurd,” he acknowledges the genre's inherent excess, flamboyance, and sense of playful abandon. Rock music, at its core, has always thrived on spectacle, outrageous outfits, larger-than-life performances, and rebellious gestures that often border on the farcical. Instead of pretending the act of being a rock star is weighty or solemn business, Bono recognizes that there’s something fundamentally silly about grown adults strutting and posing on massive stages, often with lyrics and gestures that can verge on melodrama.

Early in their career, U2 adopted a stance that seemed to resist these conventions. The band built its reputation on earnestness, conviction, and a refusal to embrace the wilder aspects of the genre. They tried to “duck” the ridiculousness, perhaps wanting to be seen as authentic, serious, or above the excess. Yet, as he explains, there came a point when resistance gave way to acceptance. Maturity, or perhaps just time, led U2 to see the joy in celebration rather than avoidance.

By “wrapping our arms around it and giving it a great big kiss,” Bono alludes to embracing the full culture of rock music with a sense of affection and playfulness. This metaphor suggests a conscious choice to participate in the fun, even paradoxical nature of their art form. The seriousness with which U2 once viewed themselves gives way to self-awareness and celebration; there’s a freedom in accepting the absurd, in acknowledging that the power and charm of rock ‘n’ roll often lie in not taking oneself too seriously. For Bono and U2, this shift signifies growth, finding authenticity not in denial, but in a joyful embrace of enthusiasm, spectacle, and the beautifully ridiculous world of rock.