U2's Bono Says He May Never Play Guitar Again

The U2 frontman discusses his recovery and injured Irish pride in Web post.

ByABC News
January 2, 2015, 5:28 AM

— -- U2 frontman Bono detailed his injury recovery in a 6,100-word, A-to-Z Web post documenting his year, acknowledging that he may never play the guitar again.

“Recovery has been more difficult than I thought ... 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,” he wrote.

“I personally would very much miss fingering the frets of my green Irish falcon or my (RED) Gretsch. 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.“

The Irish-born musician was injured in a November bike accident in New York City. Bono, 54, said he expects his recovery to continue in the coming months.

"I have cancelled every public appearance and decided this missive is all the communication I can manage for the first half of 2015, beyond muttering and singing to myself of course," he wrote.

He says he doesn’t remember much from the accident, and only blames himself.

“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,” he wrote.

Despite injuries to his hand, shoulder, elbow and face, Bono classifies his deepest injuries to his “Irish Pride, as it was discovered that under my tracksuit I was wearing yellow and black Lycra cycling shorts. Yes, LYCRA. This is not very rock 'n' roll.”