Bono makes U2 drummer ‘cringe’

There are many who find the Irish rock star Bono's appearances on the world stage a little unsettling. One of these, it appears, is Larry Mullen Jr, the drummer in Bono's band U2.

In an interview in this month's issue of the music magazine Q, Mullen says: "Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal. Then I see Bono and him as pals and I'm going, 'I don't like that'.

Mullen goes on: "Do I think George Bush is a war criminal? Probably - but the difference between him and Tony Blair is that Blair is intelligent. So he [Blair] has no excuse for what he did."

Although Mullen concedes that Bono has used "celebrity, at great cost to himself and his family, to help other people", he says his appearances alongside Bush, Blair and co make him uneasy, saying: “As an outsider looking in, I cringe." ·