Q&A Special: Musician Bob Geldof

Q&A Special: Musician Bob Geldof | reviews, news & interviews

Q&A Special: Musician Bob Geldof

The sainted musician talks (and talks and talks) about taking on the industry

by Nick HastedTuesday, 08 February 2011

'Bob the Gob' on the journey from the Boomtown Rats to Live Aid

Bob Geldof only shuts up in the end because a plane he should be on is imminently taking off for India, and he is still in his local South London pub, refusing to let a heavy cold stop him from talking like others drink - with unquenchable relish. He is in passing promoting his new album, How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell, a lesson Geldof could have given with conviction during his old band the Boomtown Rats’ pomp between 1977 and 1980, when their first nine singles hit the Top 20, climaxing with consecutive Number Ones “Rat Trap” and “I Don’t Like Mondays”. The way those achievements have been forever dwarfed by his marshalling of global compassion to save countless Ethiopians with Live Aid is something he can live with.

Like everyone of my generation, music was the central thing in my life

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A lot of people are now

Permalink Submitted by Starsuckers (not verified) on Thu, 17/11/2011 - 18:05

A lot of people are now questioning the effectiveness (after 3 decades) of this whole culture of touchy feely, BBC endorsed, celebrity 'feel good' charity work. Who does it REALLY benefit to have these hugely important social, economic and geopolitical issue reduced to dumbed down and cathartic mass entertainment events where we are encouraged to feel we are affecting 'change' just by waving our hands in the air, buying a 'charidy' single and listening to A, B and C-list celebs perform pop songs in Hyde Park and shout "Are you ready to save the f***ing world?!!!!" According to this documentary (below), 1985's Band Aid/ Live Aid helped to inadvertently facilitate a program of ethic cleansing in Ethiopia, Birhan Waldo (the starving girl who had minutes to live and was allegedly saved by Live Aid and appeared on stage at Live8 20 years later) was actually rescued by another charity and a Canadian journalist 10 months before the Live Aid concerts were held and the whole political message of the Make Poverty History campaign was totally watered down at every stage by the insipid Live8 concerts and general celeb/ public self congratulation. It would appear that for 30 years it's been win-win for everybody involved.... well everyone except the poor and starving of course! The illusion of celebrity endorsed charity (except) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT7JC9U6lVA Or watch the full length documentary here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW0WJ_xULXU

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