Okay I gotta ask... Hands making the 'heart' shape..

[Merc]

... I've been following this thread closely for some time now and giving it some thoughts - and I feel it's time for me to contribute to this discussion again...

It was never ever (and never will be) my intention to annoy or infuriate any of you PLEBAns, and I'm terrible sorry if I did, but I still stand by what I wrote in my first post - that it would be fun to see Bonos reaction to the sign-laungauge-meaning of "The heart". I've always imagined Bono as a very sensible and very humorous person with a solid amount of common sense. I therefore imagined that he would be something like: and "Thanks for telling me that " if anyone told him. Of course it had to be told in a respectful and proper way and not like pointing fingers and saying "Ha ha, you're making naugty gestures on stage!".
But my imagination may be completly wrong, and as some of you wrote, he could as well find it very uncomfertable and akward that his fans told him things like that. And of course his reaction would depend on the way it was told, his mood that day and so on...
As none of us knows Bono that close, we haven't got the slightest possibility of knowing what his reaction to this might be, and my conclusion is therefore that he shouldn't be told.

I also think this is the best solution because of the relations between us PLEBAns - we have to remember that we come from all parts of the world. We have different cultural, etnical and religious backgrounds and futhermore we are very different as people. What someone might think is fun somewhere, might not be fun at all somewhere else in the world. It's not that I think telling Bono would start a "PLEBA-war", but it might split the PLEBAns in two and that's the last thing I want to do... By not telling him, we can still giggle inside ourselves when watching a dvd (if you're having a "bad girl" day ), make jokes about it here in PLEBA and we're sure to keep our good relationsship with Bono (thanks to Emilie )...

... and Bono, if you're reading this thread: I just want to let you know that "The heart" might have a very different meaning in sign-laungauge, but I (and all the other PLEBAns) will always consider it as A HEART and a symbol of love - I sincerely hope that you know this! Please don't stop making "The heart"-sign because of this discussion...

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

I love this thread! I also looooooove when Bono wrote soul on the bottom of his shoe! Silly, but logical at the same time!

 

[dazzledbylight]

a *totally different* line of thinking

uuuhhhhhh..... I actually had a completely different take on this whole thing!

< that is, AFTER my died down>

and...um...even though I *did see the Elev tour 2xs* I never saw via the photos or video the heart gesture- that is I never saw the empty {or "negative space" as we artists refer to air/space around the subjects we are drawing/painting} space as a heart



It's tied up with something I saw him do in the Zoo TV tour. I was way far away but could still see broad gestures.

I sketched little quick sketches during, or right after the ZTV show, before my memories would possibly fade. SO I actually have this down on paper.
{did this with Springsteen concerts, too, once our great seats started to get further away, and cameras became more restricted/harder to sneak into a arena/stadium, too}

Now, I never saw the Zooropa portion of the tour nor Pop. So my visual clue/cue sent me right back to ZTV.

He pressed either one or both hand to his --i guess you'd say close to the diaphram area. The area just below the sternum {bottom end of the breastbone}, below the lungs. I'll have to dig the sketch up.

I thought that then and now that, this gesture had something to to with controlling/boosting the breath as so for him to sing notes that might be more difficult than in earlier years!

hey....wolfe...you're the EMT 'round these here parts...."what say you?" any possibility?

yeah, your later message, Merc does make sense for all the practical, and personal reasons

 

[wolfeden]

Re: a *totally different* line of thinking

He pressed either one or both hand to his --i guess you'd say close to the diaphram area. The area just below the sternum {bottom end of the breastbone}, below the lungs. I'll have to dig the sketch up.

hey....wolfe...you're the EMT 'round these here parts...."what say you?" any possibility?

You could well be right on there, maybe something a voice teacher or physiologist told him to do, remind him to tighten up to support his voice with his diaphragm and lung power rather than straining his throat to make all the volume...
=====

In the end I do feel someone should let him know, just so he can differentiate the gesture..
same way I'd want to be told if I was saying/doing something in a way that could be misinterpreted. Like you'd take a friend quietly aside to let him know his fly was open or something, or that she has lipstick on her teeth or her skirt's tucked into her pantyhose... not to humiliate them in front of everyone but to save them from someone else doing such.
Hopefully it'll just stay something to giggle about, and not become something insulting or what have you.

 

[ME2U2]

I just finished watching the Slane DVD and if anyone has any doubt in their mind as to what Bono intends this motion to be they should take another look at his sweet face every time he does it! The more I think about it the more I think it would be very sad to even broach the subject with him (especially if it was Emilie). I can only imagine the sad look on his face, the sheer look of disappointment at the thought some of us are taking it in a totally different way than it was meant to be. Also, sadly for me, some of the "magic" will be gone because I cant help thinking about the other interpretation of this beautiful gesture.

 

[bammo2]

Re: Re: a *totally different* line of thinking

You could well be right on there, maybe something a voice teacher or physiologist told him to do, remind him to tighten up to support his voice with his diaphragm and lung power rather than straining his throat to make all the volume...
=====

I doubt it. The movement of hunching your arms around your diaphragm would constrict the lungs and voice more then support. for full diaphragmatic projection, arms should be loose by the side. Pressing the diaphragm does not help at all!! Extra power would come by using a proper combination of the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles.

Sorry....I'm a qualified speech and drama teacher (although I've never actually used the qualification) so I couldn't resist joining this debate!!

 

[Leeloo]

Originally posted by ME2U2
I just finished watching the Slane DVD and if anyone has any doubt in their mind as to what Bono intends this motion to be they should take another look at his sweet face every time he does it! The more I think about it the more I think it would be very sad to even broach the subject with him (especially if it was Emilie). I can only imagine the sad look on his face, the sheer look of disappointment at the thought some of us are taking it in a totally different way than it was meant to be. Also, sadly for me, some of the "magic" will be gone because I cant help thinking about the other interpretation of this beautiful gesture.

I'm with you 100%

I also don't get the notion that he "has to be told." Did you ever think, he did this on a long tour of the US an Europe, and at the Super Bowl, and in the DVD, and NO ONE has said anything??!! If it really were like that, don't you think the media and SNL would have had a riot out of it long before now? The FCC even? Why is it that a handful of people on a message board think they know some secret the rest of the world never grasped? Because, not only was it not supposed to be that (which we all agree) it must not be as much like this sign language gesture as it is made out to be here, or somebody, someone in the news, some comedian, would have said something before now. If you girls think it's funny keep it as some inside joke and giggle when you see the DVD. I don't even think something like that is funny, maybe I would have when I was 8. "snicker snicker that means a lady's youknowhat!"I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but I had to say this.

 

[wolfeden]

Re: Re: Re: a *totally different* line of thinking

Pressing the diaphragm does not help at all!! Extra power would come by using a proper combination of the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles.

Aye, not saying he was pressing, just perhaps a physical reminder to use the muscles, much like many brands of back brace really do nothing more than to remind you to hold a particular posture rather than actually doing any bracing themselves.
Good to have an expert on the subject along for clarification; thank you.

 

[dazzledbylight]

bam-

thanks for the clarification .

u2kit... that *iS* A *LOVELLY* ?photoshop/animation
software-enhaced heart-gesture animated-photo .. rays of love shining out .

 

[RockNRollDawgie]

I don't even think something like that is funny, maybe I would have when I was 8. "snicker snicker that means a lady's youknowhat!"I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but I had to say this.

I Agree! This whole story is nuts. "American Sign Language"
version of a girl's thingy. Yeah......right! I bet if it really
did exist, the movement Bono is doing doesnt even come
close to it. This cheapens what Bono is really doing.
It's not hard to piece this altogether. Someone ( I forgot)
mentioned the connection between heart in suitcase,
heart stage, and Bono giving his heart back to us.
There is nothing naughty or obscene about this!
This story is as vaild as those "unknown sources" creeping
around Dublin spouting off rumors, then it's posting here as
breaking news. Gimme a break!

 

[SkyBlueDreamer]

I Agree! This whole story is nuts. "American Sign Language"
version of a girl's thingy. Yeah......right! I bet if it really
did exist, the movement Bono is doing doesnt even come
close to it. This cheapens what Bono is really doing.
It's not hard to piece this altogether. Someone ( I forgot)
mentioned the connection between heart in suitcase,
heart stage, and Bono giving his heart back to us.
There is nothing naughty or obscene about this!
This story is as vaild as those "unknown sources" creeping
around Dublin spouting off rumors, then it's posting here as
breaking news. Gimme a break!

That was me, and thank you thank you! I agree and I can't believe this is still going on!