Ouch! U2 Tops GQ’s ‘Least Influential List’
In another bad, shall we say, ‘break’ for U2 and Bono, GQ has declared the Irish rockers to be the least influential people of 2014. 
US President Barack Obama, ex-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, as well as embattled NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also made the list.
In a scathing, yet rather accurate summary by columnist Drew Magary, he openly criticizes the band’s massive Apple promotional stunt and the fact that it allowed U2 to pocket $100 million for strong-arming Songs of Innocence into everyone’s iTunes.
Magary pens: “[Bono] and the rest of his band collaborated with Apple to strong-arm their new album into your iTunes library without your consent. You couldn’t even delete it! Apple had to send out specific instructions for how to wipe Songs of Innocence (God, that title) off your computer. The worst part was the way both Apple and U2 treated this, like it was some kind of noble gift to The People; in fact this was a $100 million marketing campaign. Yes, $100 million to turn U2’s socially conscious dad-rock into a piece of direct mail.”
Since U2’s Songs of Innocence strategy was unveiled in September and subsequently pooped on, Bono has apologized for the move, then took his apology back. Soon enough, a door flew off of his private jet mid-flight and a serious bicycling accident forced the band to abandon a weeklong residency on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Obviously, the universe seems to now be turning on Bono in a bad way.
“From the very beginning U2 have always wanted our music to reach as many people as possible, the clue is in our name I suppose—so today is kind of mind-blowing to us,” said Bono in a prepared statement announcing the band’s Apple partnership. “The most personal album we’ve written could be shared with half a billion people… by hitting send. If only songwriting was that easy. It’s exciting and humbling to think that people who don’t know U2 or listen to rock music for that matter might check us out. Working with Apple is always a blast. They only want to do things that haven’t been done before—that’s a thrill to be part of.”
It’s fair to assume that the thrill has since cooled.
-Adam Grant
Please be sure to follow us on Twitter @riffyou and at Facebook.com/riffyou.
