The Edge – comedian

The earnestly-serious, rarely-smiling rock band U2 has a reputation for embracing every cause under the sun. (Who could forget the dead-on Simpsons spoof when Bono halts a concert for Homer, saying “Hold on. He’s talking about waste management, and that affects the whole planet.”?) Well, although Bono was up to his old tricks at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, The Edge’s acceptance speech was a little lighter:

“Above all else what U2 have tried to avoid over the last twenty years is not being completely crap. But next on the list down from that was to avoid being typical and predictable and ordinary. Because it's so very hard to avoid the clichés. Everyone else's of course, but more than that your own. It's hard to keep things fresh and not become a parody of yourself. And if you've ever seen that movie Spinal Tap, you'll know how easy it is. It's a parody of what we all do. The first time I ever saw it, I didn't laugh. I wept. I wept because I recognized so much in so many of those scenes. I don't think I'm alone amongst all of us here in that.

You know, we're all guilty of taking ourselves and our work way too seriously. And we've all gone to hang out in a hotel lobby like we were doing something really important.”

Then he said: “Eric Clapton? He’s got *this* much talent. They were still booing him when we came on stage.”

Extra: On a completely unrelated note, but similar post title: “Mugabe the Comedian” Big joke.