Arcade Fire‘s Win Butler has praised U2‘s Bono for “engaging” with George W Bush over Aids relief in Africa.
Butler, [url=http://www.nme.com/news/arcade-fire/52024]whose band are appealing to fans to donate to the Haiti Kanpe charity[/url], said that although Bono often got stick from musicians and fans he believed he was having a positive effect.
The Irish rocker described the then-US president as “bold” in 2003 for increasing the US’ Emergency Plan for Aids Relief budget in Africa and the Caribbean.
“As much as people slag Bono, I will forever give him credit for engaging with George W Bush when he was president,” he said in this week’s exclusive cover story interview with Uncut’s sister publication NME. “Even though it was a deeply unpopular move, even in his own band. The HIV medications in Africa, every aspect of the US foreign policy – it was a hell of a lot more than any president before had done.”
He added: “Bono was engaged in the work even though the situation wasn’t ideal. That’s not my path, but I will never fault someone for trying to be engaged in the world.”
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