Bob Geldof

[Nick Leeson]

Is he given enough credit for what he's achieved? Consider...

 

A man whose own career wasn't exactly ablaze with success gathering a studio full of the biggest stars of that generation, telling them what to do and co-writing a song that must have been intensely stressful and filling him with all kinds of self-doubts and fears of failure not only because the stakes were so high but because what he had to write was being judged, directly, in real-time and line-by-line by anyone who was anyone in British music at that time.

 

Consider the fact that had he not done it, had he not pulled it off, there'd have been no Live Aid, both here or in the U.S. Those events raised around £120 million which must be a shitload in today's money but furthermore, that some of the people who witnessed and were inspired by those events, must have gone on to become people of great power further down the line and although not everything that could have been done has been done, the amount of aid relief donated globally which has been directly or indirectly contributed because of events, feelings invoked, public pressue that all stems from Band/Live aid must have literally saved millions and millions of lives.

 

A total guess but it could conceivably be as many lives as those taken by Hitler's actions during the wars.

 

So, is Geldof given as much credit for having the tenacity to go after something and make sure it happened considering the power of people whose attention he had to gain and the masses of people he had to inspire to stop doing nothing? Or is he just a smelly greasebag who preaches a bit too much?

[Mendoza]

He's a fucking cunt.

[Antynwa]

"People are dying NOW. Give us the money NOW. Give me the money now."

 

Legend

[Andy M]

He's a great big scraggy haired tramp look-alike who probably stinks of piss and annoys everybody droning on and on about the same tedious subject all the time.

 

In short, he's a cunt.

 

[JohnnyH]

A proper great man. Doing an amazing job. I look forward to the jealousy and petty hatred on this one.

[Nick Leeson]

He's a great big scraggy haired tramp look-alike who probably stinks of piss and annoys everybody droning on and on about the same tedious subject all the time.

 

In short, he's a cunt.

 

Same tedious subject? Surely everyone would like to live in a world where it wasn't a subject at all but while it is, how can you ignore it? I don't see how people dying or living as slaves can ever be defined as tedious.

[Flying Pig]

I like the guy. Doesn't need to do what he does. Nothing wrong with saving lives.

 

 

If Russell Brand is remembered in 5 years I eat my hat (or send it to Africa :).

[firemarshall]

He`s a twat and so are his kids.

[Stu Monty]

People don't like him giving a shit about stuff. It makes them look bad in comparison.

[G Richards]

I think Midge Ure should have received more credit than he did. I have a bit of an impression that they had a 50/50 partnership which ended up becoming mostly about Geldof.

 

Besides that, one can't argue with what he did in the mid 80's in terms of highlighting the famine and putting that at the front of most people's minds.

 

I'd be interested to know how much he personally gives. On the one hand it is nobody's business but his own and his accountant's, but whenever I've heard about his wealth I've always wondered how he got so rich from a relatively modest pop career. I'm certainly not saying he siphoned off donations or anything, but he does appear to have made quite a living since the mid 1980's.

[Victor Ganges]

I think Midge Ure should have received more credit than he did. I have a bit of an impression that they had a 50/50 partnership which ended up becoming mostly about Geldof.

 

Besides that, one can't argue with what he did in the mid 80's in terms of highlighting the famine and putting that at the front of most people's minds.

 

I'd be interested to know how much he personally gives. On the one hand it is nobody's business but his own and his accountant's, but whenever I've heard about his wealth I've always wondered how he got so rich from a relatively modest pop career. I'm certainly not saying he siphoned off donations or anything, but he does appear to have made quite a living since the mid 1980's.

How seriously can you take somebody called Midge though?

 

....And then came the next phase of Bob’s amazing life. He set up a TV production company, Planet 24, which developed one of the broadcasting phenomena of the Nineties: The Big Breakfast. Fronted by zany redhead Chris Evans, Gaby Roslin and Paula Yates, the programme launched in September 1992 and was an instant hit, blowing away the cobwebs associated with other early morning programmes.

 

Bob later sold his £5-million-worth of shares in Planet 24, and set up myriad other business ventures, from radio companies to mobile phone ventures, to Castaway (the company which owns the Survivor TV format).

 

Now a millionaire businessman, Geldof still works relentlessly for the poor and collaborates with friend Bono to publicise Drop The Debt – a campaign to relieve the debts of the world's most economically challenged countries.

 

 

Ref:About Bob Geldof

[Ginny]

He's a wanker

[Antynwa]

Some peoples cunt-o-metres are clearly broke.

 

If someone that helped raise money for Africa is a cunt? What does that make Andy Gray?

[Josef Svejk]

Consider the fact that had he not done it, had he not pulled it off, there'd have been no Live Aid, both here or in the U.S. Those events raised around £120 million which must be a shitload in today's money but furthermore, that some of the people who witnessed and were inspired by those events, must have gone on to become people of great power further down the line and although not everything that could have been done has been done, the amount of aid relief donated globally which has been directly or indirectly contributed because of events, feelings invoked, public pressue that all stems from Band/Live aid must have literally saved millions and millions of lives.

 

A total guess but it could conceivably be as many lives as those taken by Hitler's actions during the wars.

 

Let's not get carried away. He did (a) some valuable PR for a good cause, raising a questionable amount of money in the process, and (b) some invaluable PR for a bunch of crap and / or washed-up pop stars. I don't doubt his commitment or passion for the cause, nor do I doubt his intelligence. But I am sceptical about the generation of a feel-good charity culture, when what was required was radical political and economic change. The ultimate worry is that the former prevents the latter, or at least postpones it.

 

The Midge Ure point is probably a fair one. It seems Geldof was a better self-publicist - and propagandist - than Ure. Which may explain, indirectly, their relative financial positions these days.

 

Here's an article on the Live Aid issue that's worth considering, anyway: David Rieff: Did Live Aid do more harm than good? | World news | The Guardian

[dirty_sanchez]

His kids are giant cunts.

[Karl_b]

He seems to come across a little holier than thou at times and like Bono there's just something that winds me up about him. Still, the bloke deserves massive credit for what he's done.

[hamstrung]

I like him. His autobiography (although out of date now) is well worth a read.

[Section_31]

Some peoples cunt-o-metres are clearly broke.

 

If someone that helped raise money for Africa is a cunt? What does that make Andy Gray?

 

haha yeah that's true.

[bigal]

He may be annoying but he achieved something seriously good and very few of us will ever match that.

And he bought me a drink in Erics in 1978!

[mattyq]

I like him and he seems to be a good man.

As others have said, though, his kids are shit and annoying. C'est la vie

[Guest Dog Chaser]

I don't like the bloke and i particulary hate that fucking 'i don't like Mondays' song which is absolute gash.

With regards to his work for African poverty the money seldom reaches those that need it and its usually taken by warlords, criminals etc.

[kelster]

Live Aid and all that shit is just a waste of time. Tiny little plasters for long term problems. If you really want to help people, trade with them as an equal partner and don't exploit them. Food aid just leaves people dependent.

[Andy M]

Same tedious subject? Surely everyone would like to live in a world where it wasn't a subject at all but while it is, how can you ignore it? I don't see how people dying or living as slaves can ever be defined as tedious.

 

Gandalf The Cunts favourite subject isn't famine (and how to cure it), his favourite subject is himself and how morally superior he is.

 

I'm all for the collateral goodness which comes from him being a self righteous cunt, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a great big scruffy CUNT.

[hamstrung]

I blame Yates for the kids. Its usually the mothers fault, and what with her being a drug addled nutcase I reckon its a fair assessment in this instance.

[She Knows It]

I've got a lot of respect for the bloke. His missus leaves him very publicly after fucking the infinitely more sexy Michael Hutchence within 14 seconds of their first meeting. Depite the humiliation he takes on their kid when they both top themselves, and brings her up as his own. It takes a big man to do that.