The Miracle (Of Bono’s Indentation)—By PJ and Kelly
Sure, this microscopic attention to physical detail is a bit over the top, but we are both visually-oriented people with artistic backgrounds. We’re not musicians, obsessive collectors, or set list track-keepers. We can only play to our strengths. We love U2’s music, and we love the men who make it. The Miracle (Of *Insert Physical Asset Here*) is our attempt to explain the band’s enduring appeal to those who might question how four smallish, now-oldish individuals have the power to inspire screaming. The men don’t know, but the [middle-aged women] understand.
The Miracle (Of Bono’s Indentation)
PJ DeGenaro and Kelly Eddington
Kelly: One of the unsung heroes of Bono’s face is the Indentation (PJ began calling it the “Indentayshe,” and now so do I). Have you ever viewed a photo of Bono so teeth-grindingly attractive that you found yourself howling, a la Beyonce in her song “Sandcastles,” What is it about youuuuuu?! ? Perhaps you fell victim to the Indentation and you didn’t even realize it.
PJ: I certainly feel victimized! Look at that—you could just crawl into that shadowy hollow under his lip and live there for a few weeks. He could have an airbnb up in there.
Kelly: What is the Indentation?
The Indentation begins with the vertical line formed by Bono’s cleft chin. It continues up through the center of his lips, and this line was especially noticeable during the early days of U2. The deep dip in the short expanse between Bono’s top lip and the bottom of his nose, a.k.a. the philtrum (please read our celebration of Edge’s philtrum here: ), completes the Indentayshe Proper, but PJ has a revolutionary idea about an extension of this line. PJ?
PJ: This is super-revolutionary (and apparently, disputed?).
Kelly: Not really. I just thought that made a funny label.
PJ: Cool. Hang onto your hats, people. My theory, which is mine, is that the Indentyashe actually reaches a delta up in Bono’s forehead, formed by those little creases of concentration between his eyebrows. From that lofty height, his entire face is defined by an astonishing verticality. His nose is part of it, of course, but we’ve already covered his nose abundantly. So behold, if you will, this angry little Bono-face:
So much Indentayshe! It is just so fascinating.
Kelly: Let’s talk about his chin. Cleft chins are caused by the incomplete fusion of the jaw bones before birth, and they are rare in some populations, with percentages in the single digits. Cleft chins are more common in other populations (Europe, Middle East, South Asia), where up to two-thirds of all chins proudly display an adorable little line or dent.
PJ: Wow. I am actually a bit creeped out that this much-admired facial concavity is a result of incomplete bone fusion. Ew?
Kelly: "Historically, numerous cultures have assigned meanings to being born with a cleft chin, usually pertaining to luckiness in love," claims a random doctor from Orlando, Florida. And the venerable Cosmopolitan magazine declares that a cleft chin is the sign of an emotionally available, born performer with a good sense of humor and a desire for personal connection, to which I say, If not Bono, WHO? And what about a cleft chin that extends beyond the lips and even ventures into the forehead, creating an Indentation that is multiple times longer than a standard cleft? Well, I guess we’re dealing with some kind of huge-hearted, incandescent megastar who personifies charm itself and is in a freakishly-permanent miracle marriage, now, aren’t we?
PJ: Oh, hi there, Ali. I apologize for all of this (gestures at my entire life). But look at you, just getting to stand there with late-80s Bono—his hand on your neck like it ain’t no thing.
I apologize again.
…and his hair.
Okay, okay. I’m sorry.
Kelly: (It’s gonna be okay, Peej. Nobody knows about our website.) According to Persian culture, the line in a cleft chin is akin to a pit or a well that a lover falls into and is trapped, and that is where PJ and I have been languishing for most of our lives.
PJ: We are languishing.
Kelly: I can’t remember which one of us started calling this thing...
...the Apparatus. I’m referring to the roundish projections on either side of the Indentayshe, just below Bono’s lower lip, and it’s an important component to consider in any picture of Bono. Twin muscles form the Apparatus, and I wouldn’t be surprised if those muscles are more prominent in people who sing and/or talk a lot. However the Apparatus came to exist on Bono’s face, it appears to be larger than most. Some people refer to cleft chins as “butt chins.” I would suggest that the Apparatus creates a sort of facial cleavage on Bono, leaving him with not only a butt chin but also a boob chin.
PJ: I think what we have here is a situation in which the infant Bono was napping in his pram, in the garden at Cedarwood Road, and one of the faeries who inhabit mystical places like Ireland (but not New York or Missouri) drew her tiny magical finger all the way down the center of his face, thus rendering him indented.
On the other hand, he might simply have inherited the face-cleavage from ol’ Bob:
“Enjoy my DNA, ladies!”
Kelly: PJ, show us how you draw Bono. Please??
PJ: Sure!
PJ: This is an approximation of the “Angry Little Bono Faces” with which I used to decorate the margins of my college notebooks. In fairness to me, this was around the time when Bono was starting to come across as just a tiny bit self-righteous. I mean, I agreed with him about everything, but I did struggle. The Bono I believe in has a pleasant disposition, Mister!
Kelly: I may never recover from this. Your period-specific details and his overall anger are giving me life. And the Indentayshe and the Apparatus! When you add his mouth, they become a tiny headless man. It’s super illuminating. Thank you.
PJ: You’re welcome. I’ve been called a visionary, you know. Just not lately.
Kelly: You are clearly a visionary. What are the optimal conditions for viewing the Indentation? I like to look at live U2 performances from the 90s where the camera is to the left or right of Bono’s mic stand, creating an almost-profile view of his face.
Kelly: For example, if the camera is on the left side of the microphone, and if the light is coming from the left side too, you will most likely be treated to a visit from the Indentation.
PJ: A visitation. Or a visitayshe, if you want to get technical.
“...Separation, condemnation, revelation, INDENTATION…”
Kelly: Sweat highlights the Indentation spectacularly. I can visualize it flowing into that beautiful groove and turning it into a sort of sweat gutter that I assume would erode and only get deeper over time.
PJ: He needs a sweat receptacle. Who volunteers as tribute? Me, duh.
Kelly: The blocking of the Indentation by microphones is tragic, but for nearly twenty years, Bono has been experimenting with facial hair that has equally lamentable consequences. We know it’s there, lurking beneath that stub-beard. Why does he deny us? He’s got to have his reasons. He once said that without his sunglasses (and one assumes facial hair), his face is "an amorphous mass,” which is obviously incorrect. But who can even begin to imagine the scrutiny he is under as a rock star? Somebody must have said something to him, and if given the chance, PJ and I would gleefully destroy that person.
PJ: Bring the bastard to me now.
Kelly: Anyway, one bright day in 2016, Bono visited Eugene Peterson sans stub-beard, and the resulting video was glorious. The Indentayshe and the Apparatus had returned!
Kelly: After the flood, the Indentation came out.
PJ: I see what you did there.
Kelly: Bono as we know him would be difficult to recognize without the indentation (see incompetent Photoshop below).
PJ: PUT IT BACK, KELLY!
Kelly: The Indentation seems masculine, but it’s somehow exquisite in a way that adds to the strange androgyny of Bono’s look. Would we love Bono without the Indentayshe? Of course, but it’s one of many beauty luxuries he brings to the table. His 1987 scar had the good sense to stay to one side of it. He doesn’t need tattoos, abs, or even height with shit like this.
PJ: Pfft, abs.
Kelly: Seriously.
Photo credits we were able to track down:
Bono from The Fly video came from U2SouthAmerica on IG. Angry Bono with his little hat was found via Bonomofo on Pinterest, photographer unknown. Bono with Ali is by Dave Hogan/Getty Images. Bob Hewson is from that family photo with Iris, photographer unknown. Young Bono whose face I altered is a cropped photo by Deborah Feingold. The two live screenshots are from ZooTV: Live From Sydney. All other illustrations are by Kelly, except for the fabulous “Angry Little Bono Face,” which is by PJ.