Title credit courtesy of Shakespeare (Coriolanus). During The Edge’s and Bono’s recent Tiny Desk Concert at NPR, Bono introduced the U2 song “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” with reference to friendships, both in general terms (longtime friends and how these friendships change over time) and more specifically, his own friendship with the late Michael Hutchence, singer for INXS, who committed suicide in 1997. Bono referred to the song as an “argument,” presumably something he wishes had occurred between himself and Hutchence, but did not. It might be noted that this is nothing new; since the song’s release in 2000, Bono has always intended it as a comment about Hutchence. What makes it noteworthy in the year 2023 is that many of those in the audience might not know who Hutchence was. Mulling all this, I believe Bono is using the word “argument” in its original classical sense, as a collection of points building to a conclusion, with the intent of persuading others. In modern times we’ve tended to assume, mistakenly in my view, that all arguments must be heat ......Read more