Bad luck lurks in the footsteps of Bono Vox. At first the tail-gate of his private plane detached over Germany, then, almost right after this, he had a serious bicycle accident in New York. Were these really accidents? Our reporter who investigated the case had to face some gruesome facts. 

THE KILL BONO CLUB

is a worldwide network, its roots go back to the early 90s to San Francisco.

Experimental rock band Negativland released an EP in 1991, which was titled U2, with two cover versions of U2’s song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

The effect didn’t fail to come. The Irish band’s record company and management sued them and their record label, SST, instantly. The charges: violation of trademark law and copyright, and fraud, because millions of confused U2 fans would buy the EP (which was released in 6951 copies) believing it to be the new record from their favourite band, making million-dollar profit for the swindlers. Furthermore this EP damaged U2’s so expensively formed image, and mocked at the covered song:

The argument of artistic freedom wasn’t accepted by the judge. The EP was withdrew from the markets, its copies were smashed, and 90 000 USD fine was paid by Negativland and SST label. Even the 400 USD hourly fee of plaintiff’s lawyers was paid by them, of course. It cost an arm and leg for the band, the SST almost went bankrupt. The cool and big-hearted rock stars stayed silent as the grave during the proceedings, then Bono gave the money of those poor guys to — charity.

It was necessary to compensate for the loss. The incomes of bootlegs of the banned EP and an also banned book about the case were not enough. Finally – considering that Bono is a more hated figure as Negativland is a liked band – they put on the market the Bono Voodoo Dolls with a special needle set. The collection was blessed by the grand-grandchildren of the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. The dolls were surprisingly successful. Based on these dolls an informal network was formed, The Kill Bono Club. Its members are united by the magic power of the dolls.

Jirzi, a member from Czech Republic

– We don’t have rules. We have customs. Everybody has bad days, when you’re filled with negative energy. We don’t care what their source is, we just direct these energies towards the target person. Then, if the target person is located geographically close to them, the local members of that region release their negative energies concentratedly, and practise magical rite with their dolls. We don’t have official meetings, but sometimes the neighboring members come together to do a little pricking together. The recent accidents are great successes for the German and New Yorker members obviously.

– If it’s true, these accidents were attempted murders. What is your standpoint for these practices, regarding the law and your own conscience?

On the one hand, probably it’s impossible to prove that the activity of the members have to do anything with the accidents. On the other hand, in case of fatal success, it wouldn’t be possible to point out a murderer, there would only be countless accomplices, each with less than 1 percent of the responsibility.

Some members on Bono

Paul – You know, I don’t have any problem with the average talented clowns, even Mick Jagger can entertain me. He doesn’t play the redeemer. He stayed true to himself, as nouveau riche he is just a countryside dolt. I’d be happy to do as he does. But Bono is terribly irritating. It’s impossible to avoid him, willingly or not, you are obliged to see and hear him. I hope this won’t last too long.

Anna – Never trust anybody who is able to wear sunglasses in the evening or inside. And obviously we can’t eradicate sunglasses, so we’ll have to settle for the other part.

Karl – He is so very good, it makes me puke. There was an episode of South Park in which he was the biggest piece of shit of the World. But he wasn’t it neither, because Stan’s father shits a bigger piece. Need to flush, because he’s stinking.

Andrea – He’s a symbol, like the World Trade Center was. Just as the terrorist actions don’t change the world which filled the globe with hopeless misery, famine, violence, ecological and social catastrophe, neither does charity. Bono uses these disasters for self-advertising and growing his profit. He must die with the world which made his existence possible.

Marie – Without the hype he’s just tight-arsed asshole.

Shawn – I don’t want to live to see he gets the Nobel Peace Price. I’m working on his canonization.

What’s the view of Negativland?

We don’t wish Bono’s death. We don’t have any connection to the Kill Bono Club. It’s self-organized by the doll-owners. We don’t believe in any supernatural power, so we reckon that doing practices in order to raise such powers are useless. You can’t seriously think that pricking some dolls will cause the fatal fishbone stuck in his throat on 22 of May in 2016?

1. Both tracks free download (right click and save link as)

2. Negativland presents for free digital download the original un-mixed studio multi-track tape for re-mixing, re-purposing and re-inventing in whichever way the listener may choose. Negativland encourages the re-contextualization of this seminal work for whatever reason, whatsoever. The group offers up this raw material in the hopes that entirely new versions of the work are created and disseminated. More info