Don't Push Me Cos I'm Close To The Edge

Our lives aren't normal anymore, you know that.

This morning, not normal reached a new height when we opened an envelope that Simon Baillie from La Rocca dropped off Tuesday afternoon. He brought it over with a delicious chocolate dessert made by his lovely chef wife, Patrizia, indicating that the dessert was from them and the letter was from Ireland. This did not seem unusual as La Rocca are an Irish band and only two members live here in LA. After dinner on Tuesday, we went straight for the dessert, and forgot to open the letter. In fact, I didn't even know the letter was there!

So...late Tuesday evening, at the La Rocca / Eulogies / Ed Laurie Dangerbird takeover at Hotel Cafe, I found myself in the dressing room with the Baillie brothers, Bjorn and Simon, after their stunning set. They practically wanted me to drive home to open the letter. They would not reveal what was inside the envelope, and they could not contain their excitement about it. I got home at 11 p.m., and could not find the mysterious envelope.

This morning, Jo Ann handed it to me. I opened it. Inside was this letter, from U2's guitarist The Edge. I was stunned from the moment I saw his name at the top of the paper. Unreal.

Back in the '80s, Jo Ann knew it was her destiny to walk down the aisle with him (as Bono sang 'Trip Through Your Wires' from a nave on the altar). Back in New Orleans, she spent an evening with him and his three band mates (and 100 fans) on the Riverboat President. The date was November 2, 1982 to be exact. U2 were on the 'Boy' tour at that time. She didn't get the fever for The Edge until later that decade when she moved to LA and became obsessed, along with her roommates, Brian and Nadine, with the film 'Rattle and Hum.' She has often described it as the soundtrack to their first year in LA—the year: 1989. The romance part didn't work out. But, 25 years later, her son got the letter you see below. (Click on it to make it bigger.)




We tried to put all the puzzle pieces together on how this letter arrived in our home. Simon explained that his sister, an interior designer in Dublin, works with The Edge and Bono. Knowing that The Edge went through a similar experience back in 2005—his daughter Sian was diagnosed with Leukemia)—Ms. Baillie told him of Pablo's illness and he gave her this note.

WOW, really... WOW!