U2 frontman Bono yestrday posted a blog at U2.com, a 6,100-word look back at a year that has had ups and downs for him and the band, from the back-fired iTunes download of the of the album, “Songs of Innocence,” to his serious injuries from a Central Park bicycle ride. Bono acknowledged that he may never play the guitar again.
“Recovery has been more difficult than I thought … As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again. The band have reminded me that neither they nor Western civilization are depending on this,” he wrote.
“I personally would very much miss fingering the frets of my green Irish falcon or my (RED) Gretsch. Just for the pleasure, aside from writing tunes. But then does the Edge, or Jimmy Page, or any guitarist you know have a titanium elbow, as I do now? I’m all elbows, I am.“
When Bono’s accident happened in November, some were poking fun that he would cancel a Times Square appearance and have Bruce Springsteen fill in for him after falling off his bike. But the injuries were much more severe than anyone knew. Bono said he expects his recovery to continue in the coming months.
“I have cancelled every public appearance and decided this missive is all the communication I can manage for the first half of 2015, beyond muttering and singing to myself of course,” he wrote.
He says he doesn’t remember much from the accident, and only blames himself.
“I blanked out on impact and have no memory of how I ended up in New York Presbyterian with my humerus bone sticking through my leather jacket. Very punk rock as injuries go,” he wrote.
Despite injuries to his hand, shoulder, elbow and face, Bono classifies his deepest injuries to his “Irish Pride, as it was discovered that under my tracksuit I was wearing yellow and black Lycra cycling shorts. Yes, LYCRA. This is not very rock ‘n’ roll.”
Oh, and The Edge spilled the beans on how Bono bikes incognito: He dresses like an hasidic Jew. Should he decide to “get back on the horse,” he may need a new disguise.
Best wishes to Bono for a speedy recovery.
-Spencer
“Here’s my titanium elbow for a laugh.” – Bono
