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Glenn Reacts to Statement by U2's Bono: He's Amazing, One of the Bravest

May 25, 2017
Staff

WRITER

Editor's note: This article has been updated. An earlier version seemed to indicate Glenn's admiration for Bono was a recent development when in reality, Glenn has been a fan of U2's lead vocalist for quite some time.

Contrasting responses to the Manchester terrorist attack made by U2's Bono and Queen's Brian May, Glenn shared his reaction on radio Thursday.

"I think Bono is an amazing guy, truly an amazing guy," he said.

One thing's for sure, Bono is incredibly brave for his comments on Manchester:

They hate music. They hate women. They even hate little girls. They hate everything that we love. And, you know, the worst of humanity was on view in Manchester last night. So was the best. As people took perfect strangers into their hands, and cued up blood banks. Manchester has an undefeatable spirit, I can assure you.

In other interviews, Bono has boldly discussed his belief in God:

My mother died at my --- her own father's grave site, as he was being lowered into the ground --- I was 14. She left me, but she left me an artist. I began the journey, trying to fill the hole in my heart with music, with my mates, my band mates.

Finally, the only thing that could fill it is God's love. And it's a big hole. But luckily, it's a big love. I went finally to Jerusalem on a family pilgrimage and I went to Golgotha. And I went to the site where -- and I had some time on my own -- where death died. And I was like, wow, there it is. That's where death died.

"That's unbelievable. I've never heard it described as where death died. That is fantastic," Glenn said.

Religious themes have also made their way into U2's music.

"U2's 1983 album War has a song called 40," Co-host Stu Burguiere said.

Bono's bandmate The Edge had this to say about the song:

So we had this slightly unusual piece the music, and We said, okay. What are we going to do with it? Bono said, let's do a psalm. Opened up the Bible, and found Psalm 40. "This is it. Let's do it." The song title is 40. Within 40 minutes, we had worked out the last few elements from the tune. Bono had sung it. We had mixed it. And literally, after finishing the mix, we walked out the door, and the next band walked in.

"I mean, they did a song that was based on Psalm 40," Stu said.

"If they're playing anywhere when I get back from vacation, if they're anywhere close, let's all go as a show," Glenn said.

Listen to this segment beginning at the 18:18 mark from The Glenn Beck Program:

GLENN: Welcome to the program.

Okay. So we heard from Brian May. Now let's hear what Bono said about the Manchester bombing.

JIMMY: As you know, there was another senseless terrorist attack in Manchester yesterday.

PAT: Obviously on Jimmy Kimmel.

JIMMY: And that's something you guys have been thinking about, certainly.

BONO: They -- they hate music. They hate women. They even hate little girls. They hate everything that we love.

And, you know, the worst of humanity was on view in Manchester last night. So was the best. As people took perfect strangers into their hands, and cued up blood banks. Manchester has an undefeatable spirit, I can assure you.

GLENN: Now, listen to the difference.

PAT: Listen to the difference between him and Brian May.

GLENN: Listen to the difference.

PAT: That almost sounds like what George Bush used to say all the time.

GLENN: No, but that's true.

PAT: They hate our music. They don't like Ariana Grande.

(laughter)

PAT: They don't like our -- tunes.

(chuckling)

PAT: They hate freedom.

GLENN: Right.

PAT: They don't like bowling. They don't like professional bowlers. They don't like the bowling shoes. They think they're ugly.

(chuckling)

Even the size 12, they didn't like them at all. In fact, size 12 bowling shoes set them off more than anything else.

(laughter)

STU: That's great.

GLENN: There's more to Bono that you absolutely have to hear. One of the -- one of the bravest --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: One of the bravest -- he's kind of the Jon Voight though of music. Jon Voight is like, I got my Oscars. They don't know what to do with me now anyway. I'm still going to act in all their movies because they love me.

That's who he is. Bono is Jon Voight of music.

(OUT AT 10:30AM)

GLENN: All right. So let's play the Manchester from Jimmy Kimmel and Bono. I think Bono is -- is an amazing guy. Truly an amazing guy.

And I don't know if he is -- if he's changed, if he was as lefty as we thought. Or if he was just so popular, the left just brought him in and said, "Oh, Bono, you're on great. And you agree with us on everything." And he got credit and blame for things that he really didn't believe. I don't know.

PAT: Possibly. Because I remember disliking him a lot, thinking he was a wacko progressive.

GLENN: Well, you were a big U2 fan.

STU: I'm still a big U2 fan. Actually seeing them on Friday in Dallas.

JEFFY: Heck yeah.

GLENN: Are you really? I've never seen them.

STU: Oh, they're fantastic. This one is the Joshua Tree Tour. So they're going back -- I guess it's the 30-year anniversary of the Joshua Tree. So they're doing the whole album. And I think just that.

PAT: What?

GLENN: If they're playing anywhere, when I get back from vacation, if they're anywhere close, let's all go as a show. I've never seen them. I hear they're great.

STU: They are. I've been a big fan for a really long time. But I've always felt like the right gave him an unfair shake when it comes to who he is. Because he's seen as sort of this crazy liberal activist. And he was big on supporting AIDS charities and debt relief and sort the these global causes that you'd associate with every left-wing annoying celebrity --

PAT: AIDS for Africa.

GLENN: And there's nothing -- there's nothing wrong with any of that.

STU: Of course not.

GLENN: I always just assumed that he was with the United Nations. And I think he was.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And then it didn't work.

STU: You know, I think -- he's no hard-core conservative by any means.

GLENN: No, no.

STU: But he's always been a big capitalist. And I think he's always -- he's always been religious and had a really impassioned --

PAT: And he's not afraid to talk about it.

GLENN: He was always religious?

STU: Yeah, going back to the beginning of the band.

JEFFY: Pretty much.

STU: I think he's had times where he's had his ups and life. I mean, he's lived a life. He's lived a rock star life too.

GLENN: I mean, I've heard him mention Jesus a lot lately.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: I mean, it must be one of his up periods because nobody talks -- nobody uses the J word.

STU: He's been more outspoken, I think, recently.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: But he's always had that influence. And, like, one of the things he got beat on was this RED project he did. Now, the RED project was -- you might remember it. It had like -- it was all shirts. And a lot the people, and celebrities were wearing them for a while. It said like, "Inspired." And RED was in parentheses. And it raised money for global charities, and it was a big deal.

And, you know, the media and also a lot on the right, kind of jumped on him. Was like, well, here you go. I think they raised $100 million or something. And they -- but, you know, like, I can't remember exactly what it was. It was something like at the end of -- at one period, they had only sent something like $20 million to -- to these charities. And it's like, well, think about what he did there, from a conservative perspective from a moment.

He worked with dozens of actual stores. He didn't just ask for free money. He worked with actual capitalist institutions, designed clothing that people wanted to wear, and then took a chunk of that money and gave it to charity.

GLENN: 20 percent.

STU: It was something like 20 percent that he gave to charity. Now, he didn't give every dime of it to charity. You know, there were licensing fees that they paid. He got criticism for that. And the fact that they were working for these big companies that only want profit and get people in the stores, and they buy other things.

GLENN: You had to have license, or people would rip it off. And then you would have nothing.

STU: Exactly. And here's a guy who actually worked through capitalism, to improve the world.

GLENN: That's why.

JEFFY: Yeah.

STU: And isn't that -- that's why he got beat up by places like the New York Times. But the right jumped on it because, oh, it's a celebrity.

GLENN: It's so weird that you say that. Because I almost said, when he started his RED campaign, I almost said -- that's when I started to like him. Then I thought -- maybe it wasn't. I don't know when -- but it was around that period that I started to think, "I think this guy gets it."

STU: Yeah. And you would talk to I'm sure Bono about a million topics. And you would disagree with him on half of them probably. He's no Libertarian.

GLENN: Sure. But you're a huge fan of his.

STU: I'm a huge fan.

GLENN: Right. You remember the time when I met him and spent like a half hour with him, we just chatted?

PAT: In New York, when he was doing the --

STU: I do remember that.

GLENN: Yeah. You weren't there. But I just chatted with him. We're buds.

PAT: It seems like you didn't even know who he was at that time.

GLENN: I mean, I knew he was part of U2. But I had never seen any of his contests or anything like that, but you --

JEFFY: He was asking you advice.

GLENN: Yeah, he was. He was asking me advice.

STU: Curing deadly diseases, and this is what you're going to focus on.

GLENN: Only because it drives you out of your mind.

STU: It does. It does.

GLENN: Okay. So listen to this from Bono. This came out earlier this week.

BONO: My mother died at my -- her own father's grave site, as he was being lowered into the ground -- I was fourteen.

She left me. But she left me an artist. I began the journey, trying to fill the hole in my heart with music, with my mates, my band mates. Finally, the only thing that could fill it is God's love. And it's a big hole. But luckily, it's a big love. I went finally to Jerusalem on a family pilgrimage.

PAT: Wow. Wow.

BONO: And I went to Golgotha. And I went to the site where -- and I had some time on my own -- where death died.

GLENN: Hmm.

BONO: And I was like, wow, there it is. That's where death died.

And so --

STU: Wow.

BONO: -- I don't really believe in it.

PAT: Wow. From a rock star.

GLENN: That's unbelievable. I've never heard it described as where death died. That is fantastic.

JEFFY: Me either.

STU: He speaks in lyrics in normal conversation.

GLENN: Yeah, I noticed that when I was -- oh, you weren't there.

STU: No. I wasn't.

JEFFY: Oh, man.

PAT: Really, he's almost poetic.

JEFFY: Yeah.

PAT: A lot like Donald Trump, who is also so eloquent, that sometimes it just shoots right over your head.

JEFFY: Right.

PAT: Right.

GLENN: If I may quote what's her name, the country artist -- the girl -- the young girl remember I saw the 100 most important people in the world or influential people in the world thing. She got up in front of Elton John and said, "I have this theory that songs -- love songs are just poetry set to music."

PAT: That was so profound. Wasn't it?

GLENN: So profound. Who was it? I actually like her. She's the big country artist that really respect her for, you know, the way she treats her fans and everything. What's her name?

STU: Taylor Swift.

GLENN: Yeah. Elton John was sitting right in front of her, and he had never heard that before.

JEFFY: He probably never heard that before.

GLENN: I think he put his head in his hands at that point. He's like, oh, dear God.

(laughter)

She didn't say it to a crowd of influential or important people at all.

STU: That's good. U2's 1983 album War has a song called 40. Here's the quote. This is by the Edge, not Bono. The other guy in the band -- one of the other guys in the band, talking about what it came from.

So we had this slightly unusual piece the music, and We said, okay. What are we going to do with it? Bono said, let's do a psalm.

Opened up the Bible, and found Psalm 40. "This is it. Let's do it."

The song title is 40. Within 40 minutes, we had worked out the last few elements from the tune. Bono had sung it. We had mixed it. And literally, after finishing the mix, we walked out the door, and the next band walked in.

But, I mean, they did a song that was based on Psalm 40.

PAT: Wow.

STU: One of their CDs. And this is 1983. This is not a new thing obviously.

GLENN: Is he Catholic?

STU: I think he is, yeah.

JEFFY: Yeah.

GLENN: Is it Scotland that is -- one of the -- is it -- is it -- is the struggle only in Ireland, between the Catholics and the Protestants?

PAT: Yeah, I don't think it's in Scotland.

GLENN: Why not? Aren't they right next door to each other? Aren't they a stone's throw away? Once you throw a mazel tov cocktail from Ireland to Scotland.

PAT: I don't think they do copycat protests. No, I don't think so.

GLENN: You don't think so?

Huh. Because I think they're basically the same country.

STU: Let's leave it to the expert on this debate. Jeffy, how would you describe that?

JEFFY: Describe what?

STU: Yeah. Okay. That's my new thing. Whenever there's a complicated topic, I just throw it to Jeffy as the expert because then he looks dumb instead of me.

GLENN: Right. Okay.

PAT: And then you get something really deep like, ugh.

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

Harvey Meston / Staff | Getty Images

The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE