Bono ‘plonked stetson hat on my head’

U2 former stylist Lola Cashman yesterday claimed in the High Court Bono plonked his stetson hat on her head after the last gig in the US after she asked him for it.

Ms Cashman who has appealed against a Circuit Court order that she hand back certain band items including the stetson hat said Bono was euphoric on the last night of the gig.

“Bono was running around with this hat on jumping around. I asked him can I have the hat and he took it off and plonked it on my head. I wanted it for all it symbolised all the work I had done,” she told the court.

She told how she had gone to Dublin to meet Bono in Dublin in the late 80s before taking up the job with the band and later joined them in the States. At lunch she said Bono told her she had touched his Achilles heel and he wanted her to change the band image and “make him look sexy and desirable.

“I told him I did not like being told what to do. He said I was only answerable to members of the band,” she told Mr Justice Michael Peart.

She said the band wardrobe was in a complete mess and she went through it starting with Bono’s and putting items she could not see a purpose for in a bin bag. She said she later had Bono look at the bag and threw it away as rubbish.

“I wanted to create order. It was hectic, exciting, U2 had just broken in to the American market It was frantic and chaotic,” she said.

She said she tightened up the image of U2 and Bono also asked her to go to his Dublin home and sort out his wardrobe and drawers.

She said Bono would watch video footage of concerts the next morning.” He did not want to look foolish 10 years on. He wanted an image that would wear well,” she said.

Asked by her Counsel John Rogers SC did she wear the band’s clothes, Ms Cashman said she had not taken to dressing as a man.

“I am far too busy bogged down with work to get changed in to Bono’s clothes. Nobody other than the band wore their clothes. The reference to me dressing in Bono’s clothes if it was not so serious, it would be ridiculous,” she commented.

Earlier U2 manager Paul McGuiness described stylist Lola Cashman as “one of the most difficult people” he ever had to work with and as a “traitor”, the Court was told yesterday.

Mr McGuiness, who described U2 as his clients, said that 1987 was an exciting time for U2 due to the success of the Joshua Tree tour.

He told Counsel Mr Paul Sreenan that it was his policy to ensure that all items of clothing, film and video were archived, although, that was not always the practice.

He denied a claim in Ms Cashman book about U2 that Ms Cashman was offered a large retainer to stay U2 after she left in 1988.

Under cross-examination from Cashman’s counsel Mr John Rogers Mr McGuinness said that they were in court to get back property they felt belonged to U2.

He admitted that they were slow to react in trying to get it back, because this was the first time that they had ever had experienced someone who was so “utterly disloyal” to the band.

Fintan Fitzgerald, who was Ms Cashman’s assistant on the tour, said that the only items of clothing that the band ever threw away were socks, underwear, and the odd white t-shirt.

He worked with the band as a stylist until 2002.

He agreed with Mr Rogers that Ms Cashman was a forward person, who the witness said was “capable of anything,” but could not recall her asking the band for or being given any gifts by U2.

Ms Judy Reith, who worked in the wardrobe department for a few months on the tour said that the clothing was treated like “theatre costumes,” and staff never asked band members for items of clothing.

“I would not ask you for your wig,” she told Mr Sreenan.

The case continues today.