Anna L. Hight ([email protected])
Wed, 02 Dec 1998 16:33:01 -0500
J wrote:
>>>>I find it quite amusing how people can try to stand up and defend Bono
on Wire as if they know him.<<<
How long has Wire been around now? Almost a decade? Where HAVE you been?
:-) Don't you know that EVERYONE knows Bono? Why, I do my laundry with the
man every Thursday. He uses one of those little Downy balls and too much
softener. The thing is that for a lot of the fans on this list, to defend
Bono's actions is to defend themselves, really. Some people just don't want
to admit that their idols aren't perfect in every possible way.
>>>Among all the songwriters, it is Bono
who is not ashamed to write about his addiction. It is quite obvious
from the meaning of his songs. <<<
Someone else stated this earlier but it bears repeating -- songs are all a
matter of opinion. I don't even believe *Bono* when he tells someone what a
song is about. His stories change too often. I don't think *he* knows, half
the time, so I don't really believe anyone else could possibly claim to,
either.
>>>DISCOTHEQUE - "can't get enough of that lovey dovey stuff" (hmm..I
wonder what)<<<
So do I. What does he mean? Sex? Drugs? Rock 'n' roll? I'm not a resident
of his head so I won't even fathom a guess. It does, however, have a good
beat, and you can dance to it.
>>IN GOD'S COUNTRY - "Sleep comes like a drug" (how can he use this
metaphor if he hasn't trie drugs?) <<<
The same way a poet can write about the Cliffs of Mohr without every
visiting them. Or a virgin can write about mind-blowing sex. Who says you
have to *know* of something to be able to write about it? The mark of a
half-way decent writer is someone who can talk about things both familiar
and alien. Writing is a Jeckyll and Hyde act, really. You can be a million
different people with every line and every song.
(I'd like to point out that I am not trying to change your mind, which is
obviously very made up about this issue, but I am trying to point out the
many, many different ways these things can be taken, and also to shed a
little light on the writing process, as a writer myself.)
>>Desire - "getting higher" (well, the song says a lot) <<<
You know that ain't the original lyric to the song, though. It once was
"and the fever when I'm inside her" which is better, IMHO, and what Bono
sings live. Though he denies it. Heh.
>>>are prominent in Bono's songwriting: he uses the first person and he
always uses the word "higher".<<<
This is debatable. Bono repeats himself consistently, from numerous
mentions of mountains and deserts to cathderals and casinos. Bono's
recently begun abusing the word "baby" but I don't associate that with a
desire to bear children, on his part. :) I think there's such a thing as
deconstruction, the act of breaking down a song or poem into something that
translates into what the listener *wants* to hear, but what wasn't actually
intended when the song was written. There might be a case of that, here.
>>>So if he uses the first person, it
must mean that he is in some way involved in whatever he is wrting
about (including Bad and RTSS). <<<
As many people have pointed out, I'm sure, Dublin has/had a serious problem
with drug use, in the ghetto areas and among the young populace. Bono has
commented on friends lost to addiction and as anyone who has experienced
loss can attest to, it doesn't take firsthand experience to understand the
pain and despair associated with addiction. I have two schools of thought
on the subject, and that is A: it really does not matter if any member of
U2, or any member of any band, anywhere, has ever experimented with drugs
or continues to use them presently, and B: it's none of our business.
Personally, I have not seen *any* evidence whatsoever that anyone in u2 is
addicted to anything more than nicotine and caffiene. And the occasional
herbal hors
>>>Only a drug induced person can do those stage antics Bono used to
break his chin and his shoulder. <<<
Heh. Okay, well, here's the thing. I've managed to bust my knee, dislocate
my hip, crack a wrist and a rib, and I've never taken any sort of drug in
my short little life. I think this is the only point where I can come out
and ask you to give Bono the benefit of the doubt -- the stage he slipped
on was rain-soaked and he IS a bit of ak klutz, as a lot of people can
attest to. :) It can and has happened to anyone, any one of us, any one at
all.
>>>No matter how subtle the hints are,
Bono just can't escape drugs in his songwriting. <<<
No, he can't. Bono writes about reality, about life, and drugs are as much
a part of life in his time as sex and music and ... Beanie Babies. Bono
writes from the gut as much as he writes from the heart and a lot of his
songs deal with things we'd all rather not think about. I think there's two
factions on this list: the people who are trying too hard to defend Bono
into sainthood, and the people who try too hard to turn him into the devil.
I wish there could be some kind of middle ground on the issue, where we
could agree to disagree and move on. Drugs or no drugs, we all like the
music, and that's why we're here. Who *cares* what goes on behind the
bathroom door?
>After all, we all know what gives Bono the most joy. <<
So, we'll be seeing lots of songs about his kids and his wife? :)
>>What makes him happy makes Wire happy, right? <<
Wire? Happy? Ha ha ha. :)
Elegantly wasted,
~Anna
"Yeah, they say you're kind of cold
But that's half the thrill...
Let me dive into you,
You're so deep, so blue...
I'm so far gone that it seems like home to me..."
www,jacklukeman.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Wed Dec 02 1998 - 13:46:16 PST