"I'm still me, I'm still cool, and I'm still not a tax exile. Honest!"

"Contest to readers: read Bono's column". I lose. I couldn't even make it past the first paragraph. Darn!

Not only am I a worldwide star and humanitarian, I am--as of now--a great writer--a point I slam home inside--a great many--em dashes. And abrupt. Sentences. Plus, I still drink in Irish pubs--thus--I am cool. Bono cool.

I tried to read it... but his op-ed writing skills are not as good as his song writing...to put it mildly.

"You are wasting five minutes of your business life, your love life, your life life."

I am cool like Frank.
But Frank is cooler, though I
Cool for grasping Frank.

The Frank of Frank. I.

LOOK AT MY HYPERBOLE. EVERYONE! MY HYPERBOLE!!!

Bono shares in the NYT his unique experience of friendship with the singer of "NY,NY" which, among other things, taught him humility over hubris..

A sultry vision, a dream. Watch me turn it--me, Bono!--into a crappy metaphor about America.

I did my column my way. Though I did it that way while soaked in overindulged in whine (er, wine).

I am famous. I met another famous person. Read my incoherent thoughts on said other famous person. I am famous.

Congratulations, all of you, on your masturbatory comments thread. It is greatly amusing to see that even professors and readers of Foreign Policy can be completely unable to understand prose. I'll help you out!

Bono was writing about Frank Sinatra, life, innocence, and art. His target audience? NOT YOU.

Why are you even talking about this on Foreign Policy? Do you really think the purpose of celebrity advocacy is to target people who read Foreign Policy? Do you really think Bono was writing a column about anything that is relevant to Foreign Policy?

Hey, Drezner, if you want to make fun of shit that has nothing to do with foreign policy, go get some space on Blogger.

Trvoshea:

I agree Drezner's likening Bono's column to the well-travelled cliche mongering of Friedman was a bit unfair. Old Tommy Friedman has got to be feeling a bit crowded and hot by this comment.

Because Bono's column resembles nothing more than the sort of rock critic blovation one might find in an alternative weekly in a medium sized American city. (You know, the free newspaper with all the music reviews and sex ads that thinks it's as good as the Village Voice?) There's been a lot said about Sinatra (and Miles Davis, for that matter), and Bono's gloss is not profound, revealing new information, or coherent.

Sounds ripe for mockery to me,

Isn't it ironic that I attempt to overcompensate for my height with abrupt sentences?

words appear on the screen. Empty screen. Filled with words like liquor in a glass. Ready for a toast. Toast words.

...beer.

"Pedantic, supercilious bloggers don't understand how interpretive skills generally gain in the course of a life well abused. Fuck 'em."

I know many adjectives and I shall use them all.

The abject snobbery about Bono's column is a wee bit pitiful. Does anyone suppose that he submitted this piece in the hopes of publication? Of course not. He's a celebrity rock star with a reasonably impressive extra-curricular CV.

The New York Times was looking for -- nay, desperate for --

an attraction and, apparently, they succeeded. Danny D and his 20-Word Wonders come across as resentful--not so much of the lackadaisical, flow-of-conscious style, as of the fact that he got the gig and wasn't even looking for it. Do you think Bono needs the Times? Really? For what?

I'm no big fan of Bono. U2's alright, I suppose. I liked Joshua Tree. But I've been more impressed by the fact that this no-account Irish guy has become one of the most well-known people in the world--and not in the Paris Hiltonish sense, but more in the Bill Gates/Al Gore mold.

Accordingly, Like Bill and AL--and Frank Sinatra--he now gets to do whatever he wants. And all these talented, smart people on this comment thread have to keep their day jobs.

Ain't life a b****?

Fool most world leaders, most of the time - check.
NYT readers - not so much.

sophomoric suede vinegar cool.
yessss. oh yesss.

[soft jazz in background]

I'm Irish. I'm smart. And I'm almost as pretentious as Dick Cavett.

I'm referring to Dan and those leaving comments, not Bono. I thought his story about Frank Sinatra was interesting and amusing, and I don't see the harm in using Frank's life and My Way, one of his well known songs, to speak metaphorically about the current American moment.

Besides, who would possibly want to read something written by one of the best known humanitarians in the world when you can leave snarky comments on an obscure FP blog?? Lucky me, I got to do both!

We did it My Way. Didn't all go well.
We'll keep singing it, ever deeper, till it's time to go.

in explanation, i can't do better than to quote his own words:

"This singer, i.e. me, is in a puddle."

"In case you didn't know it before, I'm a tool."

I Bono am of the pub. I Bono Still live in Dub. I Bono did sing with Frank. Yellow painting.

We need to remember to keep the romance of life alive in times of loss and uncertainty. Thanks, Frank.

[ I thought Bono's debut was super, very strong. His topic was timely and the presentation was thoughtful and heartfelt. I look forward to reading his next Op-Ed. ]

"Does this column make me look fat?"

"I'm drunk, but did you know the failure of the new Irish economy is like Frank Sinatra's singing careers... somehow?"

I've written 750 words ... still need 250 more.

First Attempt:

Frank Sinatra's music is unsentimental, original, and complex, and provides meaningful lessons appropriate for the times.

Second Attempt:

I know Frank Sinatra and you don't.

I enjoyed Bono's column. Sure, it rambles a bit, but I think he pulls it off pretty well.

I think the theme of the piece is: be yourself, roll with the punches, there will be good times and bad times and you won't always know which is which.

Seems like a nice theme for a New Year's piece, and I enjoyed the personal tidbits about Sinatra.

I would venture that his writing is a lot better than most of our singing.

Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me!

My attempt: "If you wonder why the NY Times is failing, just read my new column."

I AM. Ah--Dark and stormy! Knight!!

Meh.

what i read was about the complicated facets of sentamentality in the midst of purported change, using sinatra and booze as illustrative vehicles.
my bad.