Bob Geldof

Sir Robert Frederick Xenon 'Bob' Geldof, KBE (born October 5 1951) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist. He is sometimes called 'Saint Bob', as a result of his high profile charity work.

Early career

Geldof was born Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, to parents of Irish and Belgian extraction. He attended Blackrock College, near Dublin, a school whose staunch Catholic nationalist ethos he disliked. After work as a slaughterman, road navvy and pea canner, he started as a music journalist in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for the weekly publication Georgia Straight. Upon returning to Ireland in 1975, he became the lead singer of the Irish band The Boomtown Rats, a rock group closely linked with the punk movement.

In 1978, The Boomtown Rats had their first No. 1 single in the UK with "Rat Trap", which was the first New Wave chart-topper in that country. In 1979, the group shot to international fame with their second UK No. 1, "I Don't Like Mondays".http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2941142.stm This was equally successful, as well as controversial; Geldof wrote it in the aftermath of Brenda Ann Spencer's attempted massacre at an elementary school across the street from her house in San Diego, California, at the beginning of 1979. It was later covered by rock group Bon Jovi, when Geldof joined them for a duet of the song on June 25, 1995, at a concert in Wembley Stadium in London, almost exactly ten years after Geldof performed the song at Live Aid.

Geldof quickly became known as a colourful spokesperson for rock music. The Boomtown Rats' first appearance on Ireland's The Late Late Show led to complaints from viewers. He had limited success as an actor, his most notable role being the lead in the 1982 film Pink Floyd The Wall, based on Pink Floyd's album The Wall.

Charity work

Geldof's first major charity involvement occurred in September 1981, when he performed as a solo artist for Amnesty International's benefit show The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, at the invitation of Amnesty show producer Martin Lewis; he performed a solo version of "I Don't Like Mondays". Other rock artists performing at the show included Sting, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins. All of these became people that Geldof later called on for Band Aid and Live Aid. Geldof sang back-up vocals on the all-star version of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", alongside another musician he met at the show - Ultravox singer Midge Ure. The show, and its spin-off albums and movies, raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, and raised public consciousness about human rights. Geldof was proud of his small involvement in the benefit - and noted the impact that a group of rock musicians assembled by one person could have on a cause. Another future Geldof associate, U2 singer Bono, noted of the 1981 Amnesty show in 1986 that it had 'planted a seed' and appeared to have affected Geldof in a similar manner.

The Band Aid single

By 1984, the Boomtown Rats' commercial career had declined sharply. In November, Geldof saw a BBC news report by Michael Buerk on the famine in Ethiopia, and vowed to use the situation to do something. He called on Midge Ure, from Ultravox, and together they co-wrote the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

Geldof kept a November appointment with BBC Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner, to appear on his show, but instead of discussing his new album as planned, he used the airtime to publicise the idea for the charity single; this generated intense media interest in the subject.

Geldof put together a group called Band Aid, consisting of many leading British and Irish rock and pop musicians, all of whom were at the top of the industry. The single was released just before Christmas 1984, with the aim of raising money for famine relief. Geldof's somewhat cautious hope was for 70,000 pounds. Ultimately, however, the song raised many millions of pounds, and became the biggest-selling single in UK chart history (until 1997).

The idea for Band Aid was then emulated in the United States, a few months later, with the song "We Are The World", co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, who was Geldof's first point of contact. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Geldof attended the recording, which took place immediately after the American Music Awards ceremony on January 28, 1985, and he sang on the chorus at the end.

In 1989, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was re-recorded and released under the banner 'Band Aid II', featuring artists such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. It was re-recorded again and released just before Christmas 2004, with a new group of musicians called 'Band Aid 20'; the band's efforts suffered some criticism, as the new generation of singers, who differed greatly from those that appeared on the 1984 original, endeavored to fit their talents into a 20-year old template.Joss Stone, born 2 years after the release of the original single, wasn't initially aware who Bob Geldof was.^*" target="_blank" >this was perceived as highlighting his irrelevance to a younger audience.^*

The Live Aid concert

Using the enormous success of the Band Aid single, Geldof went on to organise the massive charity concert Live Aid, which raised unprecedented sums for the cause in July 1985 (and at which Geldof also performed with Boomtown Rats). He travelled to many places, raising money. He even challenged Margaret Thatcher, leading to a major re-evaluation of British government policy towards famine relief.

In the middle of 2004, aware of the approaching twentieth anniversary of Live Aid, concomitant with Britain's presidency of both the G8 and the European Union, Geldof called for a political and intellectural debate concerning extreme poverty and its consequences, which he regards as the great problem of our age. A response to this challenge has been "You're History", which is a series of stimulating contributions by leading public figures, such as Akbar Ahmed, Richard Curtis, John Pilger, John Simpson, Terry Waite and Benjamin Zephaniah.

The Live 8 concerts

On March 31, 2005, Geldof announced the Live 8 project, to raise awareness of issues that he claims burden Africa, such as government debt, trade barriers, and AIDS issues. Geldof organised six concerts on July 2, 2005: in London, with Elton John, U2, Coldplay, Madonna, and Paul McCartney; in Paris, with Andrea Bocelli, and Youssou N'Dour; in Rome, with Duran Duran and Faith Hill; in Berlin, with Brian Wilson, Green Day, Audioslave, andCrosby Stills & Nash; in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Sarah McLachlan, and Stevie Wonder; Barrie, Ontario, Canada with Neil Young, The Barenaked Ladies, Bryan Adams, Deep Purple, Gordon Lightfoot and the Tragically Hip.

The rock band Pink Floyd also performed together in London, in its classic lineup, for the first time since 1981. This was considered by some to be the highlight of the chorus of shows.

The concerts were free, and were scheduled just days before world leaders gathered in Scotland for the G8 economic summit, on July 6. 'The boys and girls with guitars will finally get to turn the world on its axis,' Geldof said in a statementhttp://www.live8live.com/media/index.shtml.

Criticism of Live 8

Although part of the campaign "Make Poverty History", Live 8 was accused of hijacking MHP by planning its concerts on the same day as the giant MPH march in Edinburgh, which was said to be the biggest social justice march in Scottish history.

In addition, there was criticism at the lack of African or black artists scheduled to play at some of the concerts. However, Geldof responded that only the biggest-selling artists would attract the huge audience required to capture the attention of the world in the run-up to the G8 meeting. Geldof added that there was insufficient public interest in African music among the concert's target markets in Europe and the United States. Including African artists at the expense of recognised artists would have been tokenist, he said, and would have undermined the effect of the concert.

In the lead-up to the G8 Gleneagles summit, Geldof fronted Tony Blair's Commission for Africa, emphasising public private partnerships, free trade and foreign direct investment; Geldof labelled critics of the summit 'a disgrace'. Some leading African campaigners have asked Geldof to stand down from the global anti-poverty movement, and the New Internationalist (between January and February 2006) said 'It would be long overdue if he did.'

There were also accusations that Live 8 gave unqualified support to the personal and political agendas Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, particularly in the lead up to an election. Though many felt that it was the British politicians who had accepted Geldof's agenda, rather than the other way round, this led to accusations that Geldof had compromised his causehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5220235-103677,00.html. In contrast with the media support given to Live Aid, Live 8 was subject to criticism by some sections of the media.

The promises made for Africa at the Gleneagles summit, were widely praised: 'the greatest summit for Africa ever' (Kofi Annan), 'an important, if incomplete, boost to the development prospects of the poorest countries' (Professor Jeffrey Sachs) or 'a major breakthrough on debt' (Kevin Wakins, until recently head of research at Oxfam). But many aid agencies pronounced they were disappointed with the outcome, which led some cynics to claim that Live 8 had been more about rehabilitating the careers of aging rock stars, including Geldof himself, than it was about the poor people of Africa. However, Geldof has made no attempt to revive his music career, somewhat disproving this accusation.

Business interests

In 1992, Geldof co-founded Planet 24, a television production company that has made such programmes as The Big Breakfast, The Word and Survivor. In 1994, the company was sold to Carlton Television for an estimated $7 million, while the rights to Survivor were retained. He then launched an online travel business, which sold in 2001 for an estimated $17 million. His company Ten Alps Communications is a media, entertainment and marketing venture in which he retains 8%.^* A subsidiary of Ten Alps creates 'branded environments' and has worked for BP, JP Morgan, EMI, Disney, FHM, L'oreal, UK Ministry of Defence, Glaxo Smithkline, Microsoft and the British Foreign Office.

Career after the Boomtown Rats

Geldof left the Boomtown Rats in 1986, to launch a solo career and release his autobiography, Is That It?, which was a best-seller.

After Live Aid, Geldof returned to his career as a musician, successfully releasing a series of solo albums. He also performed with David Gilmour (such a performance - "Comfortably Numb" - is documented in the DVD David Gilmour in Concert) and Thin Lizzy. Along with U2's Bono, he has devoted much time since 2000 to campaigning for debt relief for developing countries.

Geldof has also worked as a DJ for XFM radio. In 1998, he erroneously announced Ian Dury's death from cancer, possibly due to hoax information from a listener who was disgruntled at the station's change of ownership. The event caused music paper NME to call Geldof 'the world's worst DJ'.

Grumpy Old Man

In 2003, Geldof was featured in the BBC Two documentary Grumpy Old Men, which featured men of the baby boom era airing their grievances about life.

Fame and infamy

After Live Aid, Geldof became one of the world's most recognisable people. He also became particularly known for his use of strong language in conversation, regardless of his target audience. It was widely claimed that he exhorted viewers to 'give us your ****in' money' in the course of an afternoon session at the BBC's Wembley studio during Live Aid. However, this is an urban myth: he actually said 'People are dying NOW. Give us the money NOW. Give me the money now'; shortly afterwards, he said '**** the address, just give the phone, here's the number...', when trying to emphasise the point of Live Aid as a fundraising event.

In mid July 2006, he infuriated many New Zealanders by critisizing New Zealand's contribution to various charities as 'pathetic'.

Awards and honours

Geldof has received many awards for his fund-raising work, including an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II; as he is not a citizen of a Commonwealth realm, Geldof is precluded from using the title 'Sir'. Regardless, the nickname 'Sir Bob' has stuck, and even media reports will frequently (and erroneously) refer to him as 'Sir Bob Geldof'.

Geldof works closely with DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), an organization founded by U2's Bono to advocate for Africa. In February 2006, he was among the 191 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4657627.stm

In a list compiled by the magazine New Statesman, in 2006, he was voted third in the list of 'Heroes of our time'New Statesman.

Political views and controversies

Bob Geldof adopted an anti-euro stance by appearing in an advertisement against the single currency,http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2080930.stm in 2002. Geldof also criticised the European Union (EU), in 2004, for what he called its 'pathetic' response to Ethiopia's food crisishttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2939878.stm. Glenys Kinnock, an MEP (Member of the European Parliament), has accused Geldof of getting his facts wronghttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2947560.stm. During a visit to Ethiopia, Geldof also praised President George W. Bush's proposal to fight AIDS in Africahttp://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=1960. This proposal has been criticised from aid groups, due to its heavy emphasis on Christian morality and sexual abstinence http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1447713,00.html. Many on the political left have charged Geldof with hypocrisy, due to his conspicuous lack of support for causes such as the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) and the anti-war movement. Some critics have also claimed that Geldof is becoming the acceptable face of euroscepticismhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/netnotes/article/0,6729,748092,00.html. Geldof is also an active fathers' rights spokesperson in the United Kingdom. http://www.parents4protest.co.uk/_private/bob-geldof-fathers-rights.htm.

In December 2005, Geldof became an adviser on global poverty to the British Conservative Partyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4563258.stm. He stated, however, that he was uninterested in party politics, and would continue to 'shake hands with the devil on my left and the devil on my right', in order to achieve results.

Relationship with Paula Yates

As Geldof became world famous, his personal life was affected by bitter tragedy. He met long-term partner Paula Yates when, as a rock journalist, she became an obsessed fan of the Boomtown Rats in their early days. They got together as a couple when she travelled by aeroplane to Paris, to surprise him when the band was playing gigs there.

The couple had a daughter, Fifi Trixibelle, before they were married. After several years together, they married in 1986, with Simon Le Bon (of Duran Duran) acting as Geldof's best man. The couple then had two more daughters, Peaches Honeyblossom and Little Pixie, the latter said to be named after a celebrity daughter character from the cartoon Celeb in the satirical magazine Private Eye, itself a lampoon of Geldof's earlier children's names.

In 1994, Yates, former presenter of cutting-edge music show The Tube, left Geldof for Michael Hutchence, singer with INXS, whom she met when interviewing him on The Tube.

Yates had a daughter with Hutchence, named Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence. When Hutchence was found dead in a hotel room in 1997, Geldof went to court and obtained full custody of his three daughters. His experiences, at the time of his divorce, have led him to become an outspoken advocate of fathers' rights. After Yates's death from an overdose in 2000, Geldof became the legal guardian of Tigerlily, believing that she should be raised with her three half-sisters.

Geldof is profitably involved in business activities, and was rumoured for a time to be considering seeking election to the office of President of Ireland in 2004. The rumours were later dismissed as the product of inaccurate media speculation.

Genealogy

In his 1986 autobiography (with Paul Vallely) Is That It? (ISBN 014009363X), Geldof notes that his surname is extremely rare in Ireland, and first appeared with his grandfather, who emigrated to Ireland from Belgium at the start of the twentieth century.

Wealth

Ten Alps - a PR, broadcast and television company, whose current client list includes BP, JP Morgan, Ford, the UK Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, EMI, Disney and many more - was founded by Alex Connock, Bob Geldof and Des Shaw. Connock bought Planet 24 Radio for £1, on the day that Carlton Television acquired Geldof's previous company Planet 24 for a reported £15 million. Ten Alps posted profits of £600,000 in 2005, on a turnover of £37,000,000.

Geldof's wealth was estimated by Broadcast magazine, in 2001, to be £30 million ^*, a position of 18th in a list of UK broadcasters.

He is currently embroiled in a legal wrangle with his former bandmates in the Boomtown Rats, who accuse him of withholding substantial profits from the band's recordings from them.

Actor

Geldof played the central character Pink in the film of Pink Floyd's The Wall, and made a cameo appearance as himself in the Spice Girls' pop music satire Spiceworld.

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions				Album
Year	Title	US Hot 100	US Modern Rock	US Mainstream Rock	UK	Album
1990	"Love or Something"	-	#24	-	-	Vegetarians of Love

Discography

Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats (1977)
A Tonic For The Troops (1978)
The Fine Art Of Surfacing (1979)
Mondo Bongo (1981)
V Deep (1982)
In The Long Grass (1984)

Solo

Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere (Mercury/Universal) 1986
Vegetarians Of Love (Mercury/Universal) 1990
The Happy Club 1992
Loudmouth (The Best Of) (Vertigo/Universal) 1994
Sex, Age & Death (Eagle Rock/Edel) 2001
Under The Influence 2004

References

External links

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