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I've just watched Good Vibrations on dvd about Terri Hooley, the godfather of Belfast punk. In his record shop there is a poster of a person carrying a severed head with the name of the band Rudi on it. The Boomtown Rats used a virtually identical poster. Does anyone know which of the two bands was the first to use it and who the artist was who drew the poster?
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salutiamo gli amici, il vecchio Bob e le ragazze, sollevando il bicchiere dell' addio
From an extensive interview with Classic Rock's Hugh Fielder in March 2004 Geldof relates the following:
From the start, Geldof knew the importance of being noticed. I wanted to put up posters, just with the name, no information, he recalls. So I cut out a picture of a man walking, from the waist down. His hand was hanging down and it was carrying a severed head. There was blood dripping down on the cobblestones and he was walking towards an empty manhole cover. And the poster just said: The Boomtown Rats. The next one was even more successful. There was just a pair of legs clad in rubber stockings and stilettos very Lou Reed Transformer era. And it said, very stylishly: The Boomtown Rats. I knew that the feminists would come out with their felt-tip pens and write sexist on it. Which they did. Two weeks later I announced that they were my legs. Which they were. We also got hold of a Rentokil promotional film, and wed project it on to the wall behind us at gigs, with all these shots of rats gnawing away at the food inside your fridge.
So it seems Geldof was the originator of this poster, back in the early days of the Rats. Most likely it was just cut from some comic. Rudi's version is more likely be an imitation or homage or whatever. I can't see the reverse situation of the Rats ripping off a fairly obscure band from East Belfast by using a poster they had created and claiming it as their own.
BTW That film is one of film critic Mark Kermode's favourite films of 2013- no, make that favourite, according to the Kermode Best of 2013 review on the Kermode/Simon Mayo movie show on Radio 5 Live. Also Rudi seemed to have been a pretty good band, though they never broke into the punk mainstream.
Thanks for researching that Noel! I was hoping it was the Rats that used it first. Although Geldof has allegedly been known to 'print the legend/embellish the truth' on occasions it would appear that in this case the timescales of the 2 bands would support his version of events.
I watched the film on the strength of Kermode's recommendation and while good I certainly wouldn't have put it as film of the year. I'd better not say anymore or I'll feel the wrath of Man At The Top for going off a rat topic Besides film of the year surely goes to the one projected at the back of the stage on the Rats live gigs!!!
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salutiamo gli amici, il vecchio Bob e le ragazze, sollevando il bicchiere dell' addio
Ha ha. Like it. Rudi was a Belfast band that he through were going to be the next best thing. But then the undertones came on the land mark and the Rudi boys bit the dust. You even have me talking about other bands now LOL
I quite liked the Undertones actually - though that Feargal Sharkey guy looked a bit weird! Not in the same league as our Bob ... I remember watching some Xmas special prog with Noel Edmonds presenting - I think it was the type of thing where they visit all the ill children in hospital on Christmas morning. Anyway, they had a "live" slot with the Undertones, only the music started and the camera was just showing Feargal and the band looking a bit bored and bemused for about 20 seconds, and then they started "singing"! Didn't know whether to feel sorry for them or not ... but could certainly feel for them.
Anyway sorry to get off track, but at least it's not as gruesome as talking about severed heads! Watched Hot Fuzz (again) recently and that is so horrible with severed head scene, almost as bad as Midsomer Murders ...
PS Will talk about the Rats again maybe when bank a/c recovers from xmas and I can start thinking about going to a gig or two
Thanks for researching that Noel! I was hoping it was the Rats that used it first. Although Geldof has allegedly been known to 'print the legend/embellish the truth' on occasions it would appear that in this case the timescales of the 2 bands would support his version of events.
I watched the film on the strength of Kermode's recommendation and while good I certainly wouldn't have put it as film of the year. I'd better not say anymore or I'll feel the wrath of Man At The Top for going off a rat topic Besides film of the year surely goes to the one projected at the back of the stage on the Rats live gigs!!!
Geldof and the band took to painting 'Boomtown Rats' on walls and the London Underground to create a bit of hype, in the early days. The Rentokill film thing is true also, imagine gnawing rats being projected on a large screen, it certainly would get noticed. I think they even collected dead rats and threw them into the audience or even let loose live rats. Geldof got ripped off by the Stones who he claims used one of his photos in a poster ,without modest Bob being credited.Bob is like a rock version of Woody Allen's Zelig, having been at the IOW Festival 1970 and the Stones at Hyde Park as well. So far he hasn't claimed to have been at Woodstock!
I'm a big fan of 'motormouth film critic' Mark Kermode. I never know if Mark and Simon are really fighting, but they always provide great entertainment. Lol from Good Vibrations when Mayo asks Kermode is Good Vibrations 'as good as Abba the Movie?'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoJilfvZMVY
-- Edited by noelindublin on Wednesday 15th of January 2014 04:04:36 PM
-- Edited by noelindublin on Wednesday 15th of January 2014 04:16:53 PM
Ha ha. Like it. Rudi was a Belfast band that he through were going to be the next best thing. But then the undertones came on the land mark and the Rudi boys bit the dust. You even have me talking about other bands now LOL
There' a great wee song (you have me at it now!) called What's With Terry? by The Undertones. I don't think it's to do with Terri Hooley, but it's a song about a young man and his thick glasses. Great tune.
We begin the sad tale when Terry was young When Enid Blyton proved lots of fun But his vision didn't dim his adventurous nights He read the Secret Seven under artificial lights
Oh dear what's with Terry Oh dear it's not right The local girls are not so pretty But they all look the same through Terry's sight
Then came the day Terry always did dread Christmas had come a present lay on his bed A Johnny 7 or a cuddly toy? No harm them glasses fit for a boy
Oh dear what's...
Wearing glasses never became the craze So the years they passed in a hazy daze Even at matches he'd shout and roar Pretending he'd seen another George Best goal
Being Joe 90 has proved a success But he's no Clark Gable never the less They found the answer to this classic case It wasn't the glasses it's his horrible face
Besides film of the year surely goes to the one projected at the back of the stage on the Rats live gigs!!!
