Who You Might Be

18 Nov 2002
'Anton is about who you might be,' says Bono of Anton Corbijn in the new Rolling Stone. 'You're always more in his photographs, rarely less.'

"This is the first time I've ever done an interview like this, and it's a lot of fun," U2's Bono says cheerfully to David Fricke of Rolling Stone. He is sitting at my desk in the Rolling Stone offices with a cigarette, a cup of coffee and a pile of pictures of his band, taken in the 1990s by acclaimed Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn. In celebration of the release of U2's new greatest-hits collection, The Best and the B-Sides of 1990-2000, Bono is walking through U2's last decade via Corbijn's unique, intimate portraits of tbe group.

Eight of Corbijn's photographs, with commentary by Bono, are featured in the current issue of Rolling Stone but Bono talked for nearly two hours, going over more than twice as many shots and reminiscing freely about U2's recent adventures in fame and of his admiration for Corbijn, who has been shooting the band for twenty years. "A lot of photographers feel their art is to discover who you are," says Bono. "Anton is about who you might be. I don't mean in terms of the different characters that lie under the skin -- I mean your potential as a person. You're always more in his photographs, rarely less.

"I actually started to think, 'Gosh, I might really be this interesting,'" Bono adds, laughing, "until I saw a photograph he took of a waitress, which had the same gravitas. But that's a powerful thing. Anton was really a part of bringing us out of ourselves."

Read this great story for more great U2 shots and Bono's commentary here
www.rollingstone.com

RECENT NEWS

28 Nov, 2025

In Ireland or the UK? Adam features in a new Sky Arts series Greatest Basslines, beginning tonight.

27 Nov, 2025

In North America? Tune in to U2 X-Radio on Sirius XM to catch Bono and Edge performing as U2 receive the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize.

25 Nov, 2025

 Subscribers Special.
'It's not just my favourite U2 song, it's my favourite song.' Writer on TV's Slow Horses, Will Smith is a huge U2 fan. This is his all time playlist.

8
3 Nov, 2025

 Subscribers Special.
'You see everyone's mouth open and eyes go up, and they're just taking it in.' A U2 playlist from composer, producer and DJ, Pauli The PSM.

4