Bono told the BBC Radio 4 "Today" show Saturday he even considered leaving the band he helped form in 1977.

"There was one point when I thought 'I'm going to be thrown out of the band for this stuff,'" he said.

Now, U2 are "hugely supportive spiritually and financially of the work I do, but they are in a rock 'n' roll band and the first job of a rock 'n' roll band is not to be dull," he said.

Bono said drummer Larry Mullen times his (Bono's) onstage "rants" against poverty to make sure he doesn't go "too far."

And any problems they may have had back then are nothing but history now, Bono said.

"Our audience feels like they have a stronger voice through me, and the band can see that."