Bono in NY Times

As some of you have probably heard, U2 front man Bono has slipped his influential voice into our news media, as an occasional columnist for the New York Times. His first column appeared in the times on Jan. 9th, and is filled with as much flowery language and fragmented structure as you'd expect from the lead singer of a world-class emotionally-charged rock group.

An excerpt reads: "Interesting mood. The new Irish money has been gambled and lost; the Celtic Tiger’s tail is between its legs as builders and bankers laugh uneasy and hard at the last year, and swallow uneasy and hard at the new. There’s a voice on the speakers that wakes everyone out of the moment: it’s Frank Sinatra singing “My Way.” His ode to defiance is four decades old this year and everyone sings along for a lifetime of reasons. I am struck by the one quality his voice lacks: Sentimentality."

What I don't like about this: One of the most prestigious papers in the world has become a platform for Bono to spout out stream-of-consciousness wish-wash for apparently no other reason than the fact that the man has won 22 grammys (yes, 22).

What I kind of like about this: It's a pretty great idea on the Times's part. People are without a doubt going to read a column by Bono, or at least they'll get a few sentences in before they are lost in a convolution of over-the-top language. Either way, they're going to look at it. It's smart and a means of perhaps reaching out to more readers.