*Whew.*
It's great to hear from someone who isn't skirting coyly around the homoeroticism issue. I honestly don't think Bono and Edge are having a torrid affair, but I do love the idea of it.
I was watching this thing on VH1 about the way rock stars represent male sexuality, and they noted many instances of the homoerotic relationship between lead singers and their guitarists on stage. (No mention of drummers. Must be a proximity issue.) I think what Bono and Edge have is unusual not simply in that they are affectionate, but the nature of their affection. What many people, even fans, fail to realize is that U2 have been constantly in each others' presence for 25 years. There are very few bands besides U2 who have always had the same members - no additions, no losses (excluding Dik Evans, who left the band when it was still called The Hype). They all came together as friends, unlike bands formed from members of other bands who networked (like the Police or the Beatles did) or from music industry mixing and matching (like the Spice Girls). These men all have a unique relationship with each other.
I do not think that the relationship between any two members of U2 is any stronger than any other. However, the relationship, however homoerotic, between Bono and Edge is more visible because they are the two most prominent members of the group.
What I find most fascinating, personally, is not just the nature of the relationship between these two, or any two, men, but why certain women are so taken with it. Is it because these women are uncomfortable with their own sexuality and want to enjoy male sexuality without themselves being involved? Is it an expressed desire to see one of the men in a submissive role? Or is it just, you know, double your pleasure, double your fun?
For those of you interested in such things, there is a book called "NASA/Trek" which in part analyzes Star Trek slash fiction. The studies of the author can be applied to any perceived/fictional homoerotic relationship.
Martha, I'm with you. That part in the "Numb" video is getting worn out from my having watched it so many times. For afficionados of their homoerotic relationship, I'd recommend one particular site: there's a lot of really well-written (and some not-so-well-written) U2 slash fiction on fanfiction.net, a site which unfortunately is down about 25% of the time for endless overhauls.
-Echo
PS. Mrs. Edge, when you write my PLEBA story, can it be just Bono and Edge, and maybe me with a camera?
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Bono-Man! An Epic Superhero Adventure
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The Official PLEBA Glossary: Replacing Crippling Confusion With Mere Disorientation!
Version 4.0 is at:
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