Bono tells Chris Evans about how his parents shaped his entire career: 'I'm very grateful'

Virgin Radio

19 Dec 2022, 11:07

U2 icon Bono has opened up about how his relationship with his father, and the loss of his mother, helped shape the man, and the musician, he became. 

The Irish singer appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky on Monday (19th December) to discuss his brand new biography, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, which is out now.

Within the pages of his new tome, Bono shares the relationship he had with his father, who was actually a singer in his own right, and how he used to tell his son that he was a “baritone who thinks he’s a tenor.”

While on the promotional tour for his book, Bono has been ‘inhabiting’ his dad’s character on stage, and in doing so, discovered much more about his parents that he realised. 

“I always loved my father,” Bono told Chris. “But now, I’m starting to like him even more because his put-downs were funny and he was a funny man, and there was mischief in him. 

“I had a very, not that unusual relationship with my father, I think a lot of males have difficulty sometimes with their father. I try to be a good father to my kids, but it’s harder if you don't have that relationship yourself so I’m working on it.”

Bono also explores the relationship he had with his mum, and the grief he felt after losing her when he was only 14.

On how the experience shaped his life, the With or Without You hitmaker explained: “The way my father dealt with the grief was to never speak her name, so my brother and I don’t have many memories of our mother. 

“Writing the book, I found her again, and I have some beautiful memories that I discovered. She was wonderful, and I’ve made peace with all that. Through that ache, I filled that hole with music, so I wouldn’t be in U2 and I wouldn’t have the life I have without all the stuff that got me here, so I’m very grateful going into Christmas for everything, from both my father and my mother.

He added: “Writing about it is important because you have to be truthful about these things because they shape you, they make you who you are. It wasn’t as easy as it would’ve been for me to get to gratitude, but I got there.”

Bono’s biography, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, is out now. 

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or  catch up on-demand here.