Fan Phoebe Robinson on Colbert

[laoghaire]

Fellow fan, podcaster, author, and joy-spreader Phoebe Robinson was on the Late Show to talk about her new book. She is just a really nice and fun person (erm, maybe her massuese feels differently).

Times are different for U2, though. Imagine this response in 2001.

Phoebe: I met Bono!!!!!!!!!
Audience: <crickets>

Stephen surprised me by naming U2's 1984 album, then explained it was his dorm roommate who had the U2 tribute band. Makes more sense; I did not take Stephen for a fan.

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[ian ryan]

Oh, I remember Colbert talking about U2, and specifically Rattle & Hum, when he was still a correspondent on The Daily Show. Colbert knows his U2.

[laoghaire]

Ha, that's funny.

I still peg him as not liking them. Poor guy had to have one of us nutters as a roomie, lol. My two best high school friends came to be quite familiar with the U2 catalog too! Although I think they were fine with it. I remember singing creative variations on the -ation part of Bad with one friend, for example.

[DK46]

I think he probably respects them well enough. Being a Catholic himself, he probably can find things to admire regarding Bono's faith and activism. Maybe that's an assumption, but I doubt he holds any contempt towards them the way a lot of the world might, hehe.

Regarding late night hosts, Jimmy Kimmel is definitely a fan, Jimmy Fallon too (although he loves everything apparently). I'd say Conan has some love for them, I have no idea about Seth Meyers and I think James Corden also likes them. And though he's not on late night anymore, I imagine David Letterman liked them.

She's not a late night host, but we all know Ellen DeGeneres definitely likes them.

[laoghaire]

Jimmy Fallon is nuts for U2. And not just in his "I like everything" way.

Ellen apparently saw U2 in the very early days. A fan, I think, though probably not "nuts."

What evidence do you have for James Corden liking U2? Ihave wished Bono could do a Carpool Karaoke, but only if he can swing a home run. He'd have to be in just the right mood that day. He would get a ton of hate in the comments anyway.

I assume Letterman and Kimmel were like "you guys were guests on my show and it always went well so I like you" but not necessarily big fans. But I don't know.

I can't imagine about Conan. Wow, that could go either way.

[laoghaire]

Wait, does this mean I'm a late night nerd?

[DK46]

Are we asking if these hosts are huge fans or just fans? That's a little tricker to say, but I think Kimmel, probably Fallon and DeGeneres are genuine fans.

Apparently U2 were at the top of Corden's wishlist for Carpool Karaoke and he saw them back in 2015. He had a story about that because Pierce Brosnan was there too and was apparently really rude to him.

I guess Fallon is a fan (I'm not really a fan of his or Corden for that matter), but he does seem to genuinely like them. But who knows? He's tough to decipher.

I think Kimmel is a fan, he did mention when he interviewed U2 in 2017 that seeing them and Springsteen in concert is a religious experience. He also talked about listening to a concert from the parking lot when he couldn't get tickets.

I remember U2 were on Conan O'Brien's show back in 2005 for an entire week, which was a big deal at the time (they also did with Letterman in 2009). I think Conan likes them well enough, they were a big pretty get for his staff from what I recall. Letterman, yeah could go either way, but he probably likes them.

Still no idea about Seth Meyers and Colbert probably likes them well enough, though maybe not a huge fan.

All that said, when U2 breaks up or a band member(s) dies, I wonder what the reaction will be. I imagine a lot of "fans" coming out and heaping praise on them endlessly. But that happens with just about every big artist when they die.

[laoghaire]

Ok, you' e convinced me Kimmel is a fan.

Wow, U2 do ok in the late night host demographic.