(JTA) Rock superstar Bono seriously injured himself while riding his bike through Central Park on Nov. 16, and when asked this week why no photos were taken of Bono right after his accident, U2 guitarist The Edge gave an amusing answer. “You know, when Bono goes cycling, he likes to dress up as a Hasidic Jew,” he told his interviewer at KROQ, a Los Angeles radio station. Several media outlets pounced on the story without knowing that The Edge was joking. A spokesman for Bono had to confirm the joke to the Times of Israel.

There are several ironies here. Firstly, Bono’s injury forced U2 to pull out of KROQ’s Christmas concert, “Almost Acoustic Christmas.” Maybe The Edge’s comments had more religious undertones than he thought. Secondly, the Hasidic communities of Brooklyn have actually come out strongly against New York’s bike lanes in recent years.