Being a Punk used to stand for many things.  Not only did they rebel against any and everything imaginable, they also stuck safety pins in their nose and put glue in their hair.  The main problem with new-age punks is that they try so hard to be punks that they forget the true essence of punk is to not give a fuck rather than to put all your efforts into trying to be ‘The Ultimate Punk,’ and subsequently lose all your punk-ness and become Green Day – which sucks big ones.  Punk is all about waking up and giving the world a big middle finger until you die a stupidly early rock-star death and leave a pretty corpse.  There’s a group in England called Bono Must Die that stick a middle finger right up Bono from U2’s ass every fucking day they exist.  They look like they’ve just walked out of a machine that creates devilishly good-looking skinny rock stars and sound like they’re trying to imitate that sex-pistols ‘my guitar isn’t working properly’ sound. Here, we talk to them: 

How did you come up with the name Bono Must Die?
Tobi: It just sort of came to us. We don’t really understand Bono.  I suppose he’s done good things for people, but he’s more of a dick than he is a good person. I mean, look at his glasses. We’re also big video game fans and there’s a boss in an old video game called Bono. 

Do you think that your name will hold you back?
Yeah, it already has!  There have been a few promoters who’ve tried to boycott us, but we don’t mind.  We’re gonna try and make as much as we possibly can off of Bono’s back – so in a way, he’s actually a charity to us. 

Has Bono ever tried to contact you?
Ages ago, I got an e-mail from a guy claiming to be one of Bono’s people and they said they had ways of finding us.  I dunno if that was a piss-take or not. It might have been one of my mates.  I sent quite a rude e-mail back and I never heard from them again. 

If a record label asked you to change your name, would you do it?
No.  We tried to come up with a few different names, but they just didn’t work.  We started off as Bono Must Die.  Changing our name would make us become what we don’t want to be.  The whole ethos of Bono Must Die is not to be like anyone else and not do what record labels want us to do. 

When we’re not interviewing rockstars, we like to watch cartoons.  Do you guys like to watch cartoons? What’s your favorite one?
Andy: I like Hammerman – he saved the world with his talking shoes that were given to him by his granddad in the 1920’s.

Shaun: My favourite is Invader Zim – it’s about an alien.

Tobi: My favourite is Fairly Odd Parents.  It’s amazing and really clever. 

We’re gonna mention some of our favourite cartoons. Just say the first thing that comes into your head when we do: 
Beavis and Butthead?

Tobi: Shit. 

Ren & Stimpy?
Grotesque. It’s about a dog and his friend making out and stuff.

Ren & Stimpy never made out!
Didn’t they? Oh, I’ve never seen it.  I thought they just had sex with each other. I must have been thinking of something else.

South Park?
Death. 

Family Guy?
Rip Off.

Simpsons?
Classic.

Tobi, you’re a lead singer in a band.  Does that help you get lots of pussy?
Yeah it does a bit, I suppose. Being a good liar helps, too.  It depends on where I go.  You can go somewhere full of rich people and get with everyone, but people with less money are not really into that.

We’ve never seen you guys perform live.  What’s your live show like?
It’s a whirlwind of fun and danger mixed into one. I got stabbed at a gig once. It was at a young girl’s birthday party at the Rhythm Factory in London.  No one saw what happened - I was covered in blood and tried to move but I couldn’t.  It was probably the most unlikely place anyone would get stabbed.

~Styleslut

Hear It:

Bono Must Die myspace.com/bonomustdie

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