HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Diane L.
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/experience/talk_bono.jpg[/SIMG]
He is magnificent.
I have never been so close to a man who is so charismatic, so intelligent, so funny, and oh yeah, he?s nice-looking, too! My fifth-row seats to the right side of the stage gave me a wonderful vantage point to watch Bono being interviewed by two reporters from the New York Times. I was about 15-20 feet away from him the whole time, and I couldn?t, and didn?t, take my eyes off of him.
Yes, Bono still has the beard. He also wore shades and the green camo hat he wore during much of his ?Heart of America? tour in December 2002. Bono had on a pretty green sweater with yellow highlights woven throughout, topped with a brown jacket. Black slacks and black shoes completed his outfit.
Bono received a standing ovation as he walked onto the stage. He took his seat, and the talk began with an explanation that the singer had back problems that caused the postponement of the event the week before. And what had caused Bono?s back pain in the first place? ?I was having far too much sex for my age!? the rock star said.
Photo courtesy of Jenny
How do you follow up an opening statement like THAT? In this case, with some talk about Bono?s work with debt cancellation and the problem of AIDS in Africa. Bono mentioned the United States was the first country to respond to his urging for more funds to fight the battle against this disease in this continent, and he would now expect other countries to follow suit. The Nobel Peace Prize nominee promised ?I?m going to be a major pain in the ass to Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroder,? and these European leaders were going to be hit up big-time for funds.
Bono also mentioned that his knowledge of the Scriptures had been a common ground between him and conservative Republican politicians like President George W. Bush and Jesse Helms. He?d used Bible verses to illustrate his points about helping those in need, and the politicians were then more receptive to his message.
The talk next turned to U2 and the band?s approach to music making. ?I think we?ve done our best work recently,? the singer said, and explained that the band worked best when they?d stirred things up. As he put it,?We keep breaking up the band?we have to keep it fresh for ourselves!?
Photo courtesy of Jenny
U2 had spent the week before this talk in the studio. Bono said he?d been especially pleased with one song that Edge and he had worked on first. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. came in to lay down the rhythm tracks, and the singer and guitarist were impressed and delighted by the bass-and-drum duo?s contribution to the song.
Then, there was The Edge. Bono described his guitar work as that of a ?very frustrated man who wants his singer back.? He then explained that through the years, Edge had been very shy about his guitar playing. ?There?s no guitar out in Edge?s house?it?s in a case, locked away,? Bono said. He felt that shyness was due to the fact that Edge was of the Presbyterian faith, but the guitarist was finally ?getting over being shy about being a guitar player.?
As for the general sound of these tunes, Bono said these songs ?sound like a chainsaw starting up; it may be more cutting down of the Joshua Tree.?
Just as the question and answer period of the talk was about to begin, Bono lit up a clove cigarette. ?I thought you stopped smoking!? an audience member near me said. Another fan asked if he could have a cigarette?Bono motioned him over, and gave him one. That guy is probably telling the I-Bummed-A-Cigarette-From-Bono story to someone as you read this!
Photo courtesy of Jenny
The bold fan asking for a smoke was just the beginning of what turned more into a Magical Moments With Bono segment than your usual Q & A session. He wished one fan a Happy Birthday, and listened intently as another told him about his 2-1/2 year old daughter?s love for the ?Elevation Live From Boston? DVD. An ESL teacher told the singer that a student from Ghana had written a report on him and was now an avid fan.
One fan made an impassioned plea for the heart set-up to show up on the next tour; Bono said the band would look into it, and implied that indeed there would be another tour in the future. That news was a crowd-pleaser, as was his answer that his favorite U2 song was ?Kite.?
Then, there was the boldest and most envy-inducing request of all. A female fan mentioned that she?d gone to U2 shows since the early 80?s, and she?d seen Bono dancing with other female fans at every single show she?d seen. Could she have a five-second dance with Bono? Yes, girls?he invited her on stage, where he danced a slow dance with her to music only they could hear. He even rested his head on her shoulder towards the end of the dance. And you know, you just know, that every other woman in the auditorium was swooning and thinking, ?Why couldn?t that have been ME?!?
Photo courtesy of Jenny
After about an hour-and-a-half in Bono?s presence, he had to rush off to catch a plane to Washington, DC. He managed to shake hands with a few of the fans in the front row, then he was off to his next adventure.
What a man. What a beautiful day.
BONO: A CONVERSATION
A New York Times Talk Event
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY)
March 16, 2003, 4-5:30 pm
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/experience/talk_bono.jpg[/SIMG]
He is magnificent.
I have never been so close to a man who is so charismatic, so intelligent, so funny, and oh yeah, he?s nice-looking, too! My fifth-row seats to the right side of the stage gave me a wonderful vantage point to watch Bono being interviewed by two reporters from the New York Times. I was about 15-20 feet away from him the whole time, and I couldn?t, and didn?t, take my eyes off of him.
Yes, Bono still has the beard. He also wore shades and the green camo hat he wore during much of his ?Heart of America? tour in December 2002. Bono had on a pretty green sweater with yellow highlights woven throughout, topped with a brown jacket. Black slacks and black shoes completed his outfit.
Bono received a standing ovation as he walked onto the stage. He took his seat, and the talk began with an explanation that the singer had back problems that caused the postponement of the event the week before. And what had caused Bono?s back pain in the first place? ?I was having far too much sex for my age!? the rock star said.
Photo courtesy of Jenny
How do you follow up an opening statement like THAT? In this case, with some talk about Bono?s work with debt cancellation and the problem of AIDS in Africa. Bono mentioned the United States was the first country to respond to his urging for more funds to fight the battle against this disease in this continent, and he would now expect other countries to follow suit. The Nobel Peace Prize nominee promised ?I?m going to be a major pain in the ass to Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroder,? and these European leaders were going to be hit up big-time for funds.
Bono also mentioned that his knowledge of the Scriptures had been a common ground between him and conservative Republican politicians like President George W. Bush and Jesse Helms. He?d used Bible verses to illustrate his points about helping those in need, and the politicians were then more receptive to his message.
The talk next turned to U2 and the band?s approach to music making. ?I think we?ve done our best work recently,? the singer said, and explained that the band worked best when they?d stirred things up. As he put it,?We keep breaking up the band?we have to keep it fresh for ourselves!?
Photo courtesy of Jenny
U2 had spent the week before this talk in the studio. Bono said he?d been especially pleased with one song that Edge and he had worked on first. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. came in to lay down the rhythm tracks, and the singer and guitarist were impressed and delighted by the bass-and-drum duo?s contribution to the song.
Then, there was The Edge. Bono described his guitar work as that of a ?very frustrated man who wants his singer back.? He then explained that through the years, Edge had been very shy about his guitar playing. ?There?s no guitar out in Edge?s house?it?s in a case, locked away,? Bono said. He felt that shyness was due to the fact that Edge was of the Presbyterian faith, but the guitarist was finally ?getting over being shy about being a guitar player.?
As for the general sound of these tunes, Bono said these songs ?sound like a chainsaw starting up; it may be more cutting down of the Joshua Tree.?
Just as the question and answer period of the talk was about to begin, Bono lit up a clove cigarette. ?I thought you stopped smoking!? an audience member near me said. Another fan asked if he could have a cigarette?Bono motioned him over, and gave him one. That guy is probably telling the I-Bummed-A-Cigarette-From-Bono story to someone as you read this!
Photo courtesy of Jenny
The bold fan asking for a smoke was just the beginning of what turned more into a Magical Moments With Bono segment than your usual Q & A session. He wished one fan a Happy Birthday, and listened intently as another told him about his 2-1/2 year old daughter?s love for the ?Elevation Live From Boston? DVD. An ESL teacher told the singer that a student from Ghana had written a report on him and was now an avid fan.
One fan made an impassioned plea for the heart set-up to show up on the next tour; Bono said the band would look into it, and implied that indeed there would be another tour in the future. That news was a crowd-pleaser, as was his answer that his favorite U2 song was ?Kite.?
Then, there was the boldest and most envy-inducing request of all. A female fan mentioned that she?d gone to U2 shows since the early 80?s, and she?d seen Bono dancing with other female fans at every single show she?d seen. Could she have a five-second dance with Bono? Yes, girls?he invited her on stage, where he danced a slow dance with her to music only they could hear. He even rested his head on her shoulder towards the end of the dance. And you know, you just know, that every other woman in the auditorium was swooning and thinking, ?Why couldn?t that have been ME?!?
Photo courtesy of Jenny
After about an hour-and-a-half in Bono?s presence, he had to rush off to catch a plane to Washington, DC. He managed to shake hands with a few of the fans in the front row, then he was off to his next adventure.
What a man. What a beautiful day.
BONO: A CONVERSATION
A New York Times Talk Event
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY)
March 16, 2003, 4-5:30 pm
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