Paul David Hewson... Mr. Bono... Happy Birthday!! HOT, and 47 today ... ;)
Here are some interesting facts about him for those of you that don't seem to worship him the way I do (from Wikipedia): note, these links below are not working correctly and I don't feel like messing with them today... sorry.
- Bono was 14 when his mother died on 9-10-74 of a cerebral aneurysm at her father's funeral. [So interesting and unbelievable to me... so sad. Explains a lot of his passion and conviction to me.]
During his childhood and adolescence, Hewson and his friends were part of a surrealist street gang called "Lypton Village," which had a ritual of nickname-giving. He had several names: first, he was "Steinvic von Huyseman", then just "Huyseman", then "Houseman", then "Bon Murray", "Bono Vox of O'Connell Street", and finally just "Bono"."Bono Vox" is an alteration of Bonavox, a brand of hearing aid. The phrase in Latin translates to "good voice". "Bona Vox" was the name of a hearing aid shop they regularly passed in Dublin. It is said he was nicknamed "Bono Vox" after the shop by his friend Gavin Friday, because he sang so loudly he seemed to be singing for the deaf. Initially, Bono did not like his name. However, when he learned it loosely translated to "good voice", he accepted it. Hewson has been known as "Bono" since the late seventies, even prior to formation of U2. Although he uses Bono as his stage name, close family and friends also refer to him as Bono, including his wife and fellow band members... [and ME!!]
Bono is almost never seen in public without wearing sunglasses. During a Rolling Stone interview he stated:
[I have] very sensitive eyes to light. If somebody takes my photograph, I will see the flash for the rest of the day. My right eye swells up. I've a blockage there, so that my eyes go red a lot. So it's part vanity, it's part privacy, and part sensitivity. [Whatever it is it makes me melt... gotta love him in those glasses!! Ohhohh the "Sweetest Thing"!]
- In 2004 Bono was awarded the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honour from the Government of Chile.
- Bono was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
- Bono is the only person in history to be nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and Nobel Peace Prize.
- Time named Bono one of the "100 Most Influential People" in their May 2004 special issue, and again in the 2006 Time 100 special issue.
- In 2005 Bono was named by Time as a Person of the Year along with Bill and Melinda Gates.
- In 2005 he received the Portuguese Order of Liberty for his humanitarian work.
- Bono was named in the United Kingdom's 2007 New Years Honours List as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.He was formally granted knighthood on March 29, 2007 in a ceremony at the residence of British Ambassador David Reddaway in Dublin, Ireland.
- He is listed at #86 on 100 Greatest Britons, a poll conducted by the general public. Bono being one of two Irish, and a list that includes Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, and Queen Elizabeth I.
- Bono received the NAACP Image Award's Chairman's Award in 2007.
Ok, so I could spend all day admiring him, but will do it listening non-stop to U2 today -- or is that any different than any other day?! I LOVE YOU! Thank you for inspiring my life always and giving me "... a song that I can sing in my own company".... BTW, our birthdays are way too close.. :)
