Rattle And Hum

Bono Says, “Rock On Dr. Marty” - Part 3

I ignored Dr. Marty’s blather, and instead, stared at his walls. Staring might not be the correct word. ‘Cataloging’ sounds better.

I studied Dr. Marty’s office decorations. I relished each gee-gaw as I would relish badly written business correspondence. Sordidly beautiful, especially those relics laced with unintended irony or self-parody.

Amid the helter skelter of his office, on one section of wall, he hanged several charicatures of The Scream by Edvard Munch. My favorite was the one with the platypus, painted by D. William Platypus of Platypus Art. I wondered why he was so amused by a cliche.

The largest Scream, centered behind the couch that Dee and I sat on, was a tee-shirt with Homer Simpson enacting the scream. It was framed as if it were a game shirt from the 2006 Cardinals World Series. And instead of a copy of The Sporting News World Series Issue at the bottom of the frame, he had a signature card in big sharpie pen, “Thanks for the help! Matt Groening” drawn among character from The Big Book Of Hell. The image was perfectly cromulent.

The wall art most obvious from our seat was a framed montage U2 album cover for Rattle And Hum. A platinum record was half way out the sleeve. Several pictures of the band from that tour were framed along the bottom half. The band had signed the cover glass with a platinum Sharpie. Bono added the embellishment, “Rock On Dr. Marty!”

I studied the album cover. I was warmed by the radiance of the kleeg light beam that Bono shined on The Edge. The light’s bloom reminded me of headlights during rainy, foggy nights.

The Edge is bent over by that astringent light, burdened by his guitar and certainly by the scrutiny of his vast audience. His jeans are torn, and his only protection from the light seems an insignificant hat. In fact, the light seems to burn right through him.

Bono is staring intently without facial expression or emotion. He is harsh truth to The Edge’s faltering art. The two are the classic paring - the bright frontman and mysterious guitarist. Both are too intense to be at ease.

… continued

——

Bono Says, “Rock On Dr. Marty”

Part 3: Rattle And Hum
Part 2: “Unmanageable Undoability”
Part 1: Pause