U2’s Bono and the Edge on the Problem with Rock Bands (Video)

At the Toronto Film Festival, U2 members analyze the trouble with bands — turns out it's a male thing

What's the problem with rock 'n' roll bands? It's an ego thing, and a male thing.

So said U2's Bono and the Edge at a press conference on Friday afternoon at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the long-running band's singer and guitarist appeared alongside director Davis Guggenheim, whose "From the Sky Down" had served as the fest's opening-night film the previous evening.

In a conversation moderated by TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers, the musicians touched on a variety of topics, from the perils of the band dynamic — "it's a strange thing, to be an artist and to collaborate," said Bono — to the additional perils of being good at what you do.

"I found it a little humiliating to see that we were so inept," said Bono of his first exposure to Guggenheim's film, which chronicles the aftermath of the band's breakthrough with "The Joshua Tree" and the strife-ridden recording of the 1991 album "Achtung Baby."

"These days we're a better band," he added. "We've learned our craft, and therein lies the danger. There's a giant chasm between the very good and the great, and U2 is now in danger of surrending to the very good.

"In those days [depicted in the film], we were crap some of the time, but we were also great some of the time."

Here's some video from an early portion of the press conference:

More rock 'n' roll is on the way at Toronto, including new films about Pearl Jam and Neil Young.

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