Geldof interview

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

Geldof interview

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

This......

May 09, 2005

Live Aid II? Over my dead body – Geldof focuses on the future
By Adam Sherwin in Lucerne

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BOB GELDOF has rejected plans for a Live Aid II concert in Hyde Park to coincide with the G8 summit, telling the organisers that the event could be a breach of his copyright.

Coldplay, U2 and Robbie Williams are tipped to appear at the concert, which is designed to focus attention on the July gathering of world leaders in Scotland, where a British plan to relieve Africa’s crippling debt is top of the agenda.

However, the instigator of the 1985 Live Aid concert told The Times that a repeat of the event would take place “over my f****** dead body”.

Mr Geldof believes that an all-star London concert is an irrelevant attempt to recreate past glories. He is calling for a global network of awareness-raising events that would force the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Italy to commit themselves to cancelling the debt and double aid to Africa at the Gleneagles conference.

Mr Geldof said: “To try and artificially reproduce Live Aid would almost be a disaster. I wouldn’t do it and I can’t see a point to it. We already have high awareness of the issue in Britain. Live Aid II happens over my dead f****** body — nor can they use the name Live Aid, because it is a copyrighted brand.”

The record industry and broadcasters are pushing for a 20th anniversary Live Aid concert, which would achieve massive international exposure, but Mr Geldof will not be bullied into participating. He said: “They want Geldof to ring bands up and say, ‘Will you do it?’ Is that going to achieve anything? I didn’t do Live Aid so I could sit there and watch Queen. People don’t want to revisit Bob’ s greatest hits, either.”

Campaigners and concert promoters backing the Make Poverty History initiative offered to take over the annual Prince’s Trust Party in the Park pop event in Hyde Park, which has been cancelled owing to poor ticket sales and a lack of artists. Mr Geldof has discussed a fortnight of musical activities, working in conjunction with the BBC, but believes that the July concert, which clashes with the Wimbledon men’s tennis final, will lack impact.

An Africa concert without Mr Geldof, who collected a special award for his humanitarian achievements at the Rose d’Or Festival in Switzerland, would shatter the event’s credibility. Insiders believe that ultimately he will be persuaded to participate. Instead of fund-raising, Live Aid’s prime motive, Mr Geldof is concentrating on achieving political change through the eight (including Russia) world leaders who hold the future of Africa in their hands. The Live Aid trustees will meet this week to discuss an alternative musical campaign.

Mr Geldof said: “For the week of the G8, I have asked every band around the world to make their gig a Live Aid 20th anniversary. ”

Martina Milburn, the chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said that the organisation would be “delighted to support” any concerts organised by Mr Geldof.

Mr Geldof sat on the Africa Commission, set up by Tony Blair, which called on developed nations to double aid to Africa, adding £30 billion a year over ten years. Mr Blair and Gordon Brown will be let down by their fellow global statesmen at the G8, Mr Geldof fears.

He said: “Silvio Berlusconi told me, ‘I sign up to these targets on paper. It means nothing’. That is shocking. I am telling Gerhard Schröder: if you are not prepared to alter your policy and support this agenda, which your people back, you are not welcome at Gleneagles. President Bush personally owes Blair and, the thing is, dropping the debt will not cost the American people anything. But will these eight people sitting around a table on a golf course do this thing? They will not.”

Mr Geldof will attend the G8 summit.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

or this

May 20, 2005

Geldof aims to scale new heights with Ten Alps
By Adam Sherwin
Our correspondent explains why ‘Sir Bob’ believes niche channels are the future

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IF YOU’RE looking for somebody to blame for Celebrity Love Island then you could start with Bob Geldof. But the Africa activist, former Boomtown Rat and now media mogul happily soaks up the abuse. “Reality TV is hopelessly awful, riveting and it makes millions in advertising,” he exclaims.

The knighted campaigner was responsible for bringing Survivor — the original reality castaway series — to Britain through his Planet 24 TV production company, which also aired The Big Breakfast and The Word to often horrified audiences.

Planet 24 was sold in 1999 for £7 million to Carlton Communications, but the voluble Irishman immediately began again. This time, though, Geldof has abandoned mass viewing, and is banking on niche channels and documentaries for his next media venture.

That is Ten Alps Communications, an AIM-listed advertising, radio and television production-to-events management company. Geldof co-founded it and retains an 8 per cent stake and a seat on the board. His role is company visionary and front man, leaving day-to-day management in the hands of his partner, chief executive Alex Connock.

Since floating in 2001, Ten Alps has acquired producers such as Brook Lapping, the award-winning documentary specialists responsible for The Death of Yugoslavia. The business now employs 150 in South London and its sales grew 65 per cent last year to £11.9 million.

A £60 million partnership with the Department for Education and Skills has seen the launch of Teachers TV, a news and training channel for educationists. Ten Alps owns 70 per cent of the channel, which is run by Nigel Dacre, former editor of ITN.

“The content has credibility and intellectual rigour,” Geldof insists, arguing that he has found a new purpose for television. “If the reaction is positive then why not have Firemen TV and Mechanics TV? Digital interactive television allows people to communicate with each other about their lives.”

Ten Alps hopes, like a growing band of listed independent producers, to take advantage of the BBC’s commitment to increase the amount of independent production by 25 per cent. With a market value of £19 million, the business is small compared to rivals Shed Productions and RDF Media, each worth £50 million.

But Geldof cuts an unlikely “suit” and admits he is “very lucky to be surrounded by creative people and a fantastic board”. He is happiest pop-philosophising on the television upheavals in which he has played a central role since the Live Aid concert in 1985 marked the peak of his fund-raising.

Surprisingly, the “Iron Lady”, with whom he clashed over the European butter mountain, is a heroine. “Television was moribund until this Johnny Rotten character called Margaret Thatcher came along and broke up the BBC cabal. She swiped her handbag at all the institutions and had the same mix of venom and vitriol. Actually, she also had Johnny’s blizzard hair.”

The creation of Channel 4 by the Thatcher Government opened the door to The Tube, where Geldof met presenter Paula Yates, who later became his wife. “The Word invented reality TV,” he asserts. “It showed people would do anything to get on TV including kissing their granny in a bowl of worms. We did the The Big Breakfast, which showed that mutual loathing among presenters was as interesting as sexual chemistry.”

Despite failing on British television, Survivor was “The Beatles in America”, Geldof claims, and he retained the format rights when he sold Planet 24. “Reality TV is people being placed under physical, psychological and emotional pressure — that hasn’t changed since Survivor,” he argues.

His chart-topping days may be over but Geldof, 52, still considers himself a musician foremost. He was secretly delighted to receive a lifetime achievement Brit Award for the Boomtown Rats. But the pop market has declined and he cannot help noting that the Rats sold 700,000 singles to reach number one 25 years ago, whereas 20,000 suffices today.

Music, however, is in the past. “The whole TV ride has been intoxicating for me. I am proud to have been at the birth of punk with the Boomtown Rats and then its television equivalent at Planet 24. Now I’m with another group of people who are full of ideas. In fact, I f***ing love Ten Alps.”

_johanna_ · Drag Me Down

thanks alot...interesting stuff... Now let's see if it's all true