As a big U2 fan, it should come as no shock that I find most of what Bono does extremely fascinating, be it his straight forward music work to championing causes for the third world. His activist role causes some frustration amongst the music-only crowd, with “fans” yelping at concerts anytime Bono breaks into a stump speech in between songs. The ones complaining are often those middle aged trucker types with a receding hair line and hairy beer belly. So, if you are one of those types, steer clear of this CNN video of an interview between Bono and George Clooney.

Clooney sits down with Bono for nearly 40 minutes on a dimly lit stage to talk about everything from world causes, Darfur, journalism, sex appeal to the movie industry. Quite a varied set of topics, but these are two well rounded gents. Obviously I respect what Bono has to say on many issues.

After watching this CNN video interview, I’ve come to respect Clooney more so than before. My opinion of the actor and director started rising last year when he joined Tom Hanks on a public campaign to thwart a then possible SAG strike. An actors’ strike would have been disastrous for an already fragile film industry, and more actors need to be responsible rather than greedy when it comes to contract negotiations. So, kudos to Clooney for taking a stand.

And kudos to CNN for joining these two fascinating characters for a lengthy chat.  If you have trouble viewing the video, click here.