The Percussive Side of Language

You wouldn't know it from all the media attention it's still generating, but it's been well over a year since Bono's f-word fiasco at the Golden Globe Awards. Honestly, I'm sick to death of hearing about it. I'm also sick of hearing Bono lumped in with Howard Stern and Janet Jackson because he dropped the f-bomb once on live television, as if that's the whole picture of him as an artist or a man. So I was happy to see him speak out on the controversy, in a NYT article that appeared on Sunday:

I guess I don't speak American, but I thought I did. There are some obscenities in our culture, and this is nowhere near the top of the list. I never meant to be offensive. That language was genuine exuberance. It was a great moment for our band. If you're Irish, you love language, and if you do, you're going to fall on the occasional expletive; it's the percussive side of language. For me, it is preposterous to have good, conservative people whom I like and respect taking on an expletive while the right to pack heavy ammo goes by. It says something eloquent, if not pretty, about where we are.

In other Bono news, the University of Pennsylvania has selected him to give their 2004 commencement address on May 17th. They are also awarding him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Cole Slaw, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to crash the commencement and obtain an autograph and info on the new U2 album from Bono.

Finally, Bono was recently interviewed for O, the Oprah magazine. It's one of his best interviews from the past few years. He talks about joy, musical inspiration, surfing his jet lag, and says "Amazing Grace" is his favorite song.

Posted by JohnH at March 22, 2004 10:23 PM | TrackBack