Matt McGee ([email protected])
Tue, 10 Nov 1998 23:01:35 -0800
[ Tues., November 10, 10:42 PM EST ]
Rushdie Confirms Hiding Out At Bono's
British author Salman Rushdie says he spent only a few days at the Ireland
home of the U2 singer while hiding from Islamic fundamentalists.
Correspondent Giulia Melucci reports:
NEW YORK -- Author Salman Rushdie, far from spending five years at the
Ireland home of U2 singer Bono while hiding from Islamic fundamentalists --
as a recent report indicated -- told SonicNet recently that in fact he had
spent no more than a few days at Bono's home.
"I spent three or four days with him over the years. They exaggerated,"
Rushdie said.
That claim, which Rushdie made to SonicNet Music News at a party here early
Sunday morning, appears to put to rest any notion that the writer took
regular refuge at Bono's home while he was hiding from Islamic
fundamentalists who put a multimillion-dollar bounty on his head.
Last month, the Irish newspaper the Sunday Independent reported that,
starting in 1993, longtime human-rights activist Bono extended his
hospitality to the British author five years after the late Iranian leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a "fatwa," or religious edict, to kill
Rushdie for alleged blasphemy against Islam in his 1988 book, "The Satanic
Verses."
Later, the paper retracted the story, stating that its previous assertion
that the controversial author's visits were "frequent" was an
"embellishment."
"He did stay for the weekend on maybe two occasions," U2 guitarist the
Edge said in a recent interview with England's New Musical Express. "But
it wasn't like he was living with Bono for months on end, which was sort-of
what the story claimed."
"We're a bit pissed off about it," the Edge (born David Evans), told NME,
"because it implies that Salman was staying for long periods of time in
Bono's house, which wasn't the case."
Even if he weren't a regular guest at Bono's home, Rushdie has been
reported as being a friend of the singer -- and U2 have been described as
being great admirers of Rushdie and his work.
In fact, rock music and work have, of late, converged for Rushdie.
Currently, he is working on a novel set in the world of rock, based on his
experiences hanging out with U2 during their multimedia, 1993 "Zoo TV"
tour, during which he joined the band onstage at London's Wembley Stadium.
The novel tentatively is titled "The Ground Beneath Her Feet."
Rushdie has been aware enough of the current rock scene to arrive at some
distinct personal preferences. When asked at the Sunday party about the
Brit-pop scene, Rushdie said he prefers Blur to Oasis. He also revealed
thoughts about Jarvis Cocker, frontman and songwriter for the literate
pop-group Pulp. "I met him," Rushdie said. He then flicked his hand beside
his ear -- a gesture indicating that he didn't think much of him. "I like
'Common People'," he said, making an exception for the song that put that
long-struggling band on the map.
Of Bono, Rushdie said, "He doesn't read a lot," but pointed out that the
singer possessed a keen, natural intelligence.
When asked whether Bono is a good cook, the writer reconfirmed the
limitations of his interaction with the singer. "I didn't have a chance to
find out," Rushdie said.
Since the death threat against Rushdie was ordered, the author has spent
nearly a decade under the protection of British police. In recent months,
the Iranian government announced that it did not seek or endorse Rushdie's
killing, but two groups -- an Iranian student association and the 15
Khordad Foundation -- renewed calls for the fatwa to be carried out, with
the latter group even raising the $2.5 million bounty originally offered
for Rushdie's head to $2.8 million.
_________________________________
Matt McGee / [email protected]
@U2 Web Page Curator
http://www.atu2.com
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