Bono Says He May Never Play Guitar Again
As Bono continues to recuperate from a destructive bicycling injury, he has entered 2015 with an exceptionally long A-Z blog post 
in which he reflects upon 2014.
“This is too long. You should not have time to read this. If you do get to the end of it then you are probably on the same painkillers as me,” wrote Bono. “For the last few weeks I haven’t been able to move around physically so I have more than made up for it by leaving my mind to wanderlust, untethered except electronically…
“I have written words for new songs, but I have also had an opportunity to look back and review the year in a way I’ve never had time to do before,” he continued. “There have been more highs than lows, but perhaps the reason for this A TO Z endeavor is an attempt to learn from mistakes – the first of which is the discovery that I am not an armored vehicle. Edge says I look at my body as an inconvenience…The problem, as I see it, is that I think my head is harder than any other surface.”
Throughout the post, Bono touches on an array of personal and societal issues, and even went as far as offering more insight on U2’s Songs of Innocence iTunes gifting controversy, bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr., as well as why his bicycling accident happened in the first place.
“On the day of my 50th birthday I received an injury because I was over indulging in exercise boxing and cycling, which was itself an overcompensation for overindulging on alcohol coming up to the big birthday. I promised myself I would be more mindful of my limits, but just four years on, it happened again – a massive injury I can’t blame on anyone but myself, mainly because I blanked out on impact and have no memory of how I ended up in New York Presbyterian with my humerus bone sticking through my leather jacket. Very punk rock as injuries go.”
As a result of the accident, Bono noted that he has cancelled all public appearances for the first half of 2015 so that he can concentrate on getting himself back into physical form for U2’s massive tour. He fears, however, that he may not be able to play guitar again.
“Recovery has been more difficult than I thought,” said Bono. “As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again. The band have reminded me that neither they nor western civilization are depending on this.
“I personally would very much miss fingering the frets of my green Irish falcon or my (red) Gretsch,” he added. “Just for the pleasure, aside from writing tunes. But then does The Edge, or Jimmy Page, or any guitarist you know have a titanium elbow, as I do now? I’m all elbows, I am.”
To top it off, Bono shared an x-ray of his titanium elbow “for a laugh.” Here it is:
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