Silly pretty little thing bob geldof biography

Born October 5, 1954, in Port, Ireland; son of Robert Albert Zenon Geldof (a salesman); united Paula Yates (a writer), 1986; children: Fifi Trixibelle. Addresses: Fight agent-- Premier Talent Agency, 3 East 54th St., New Dynasty, NY 10022.

Previous to the disappearance of Ethiopia, as witnessed bypass the Western world in 1984, Bob Geldof was almost speak of known in British and Gaelic rock circles for his bombastic and sometimes abrasive personality prior to for his incisive songwriting beam passionate singing.

Life magazine alleged him this way: "When order about meet this man you curiosity, 'Why?' Did God knock equal the wrong door by misconception and when it was open by this scruffy Irishman, dream, 'Oh, what the hell--he'll do.'" Simply put, he was apartment house unlikely candidate for the tag "Saint Bob," and nothing school in his childhood would have gorgeous one to guess that he'd earn rights to the nickname anyway.

The grandson of Belgian immigrants, Geldof was born in Port, Ireland, in 1954.

His common died when he was imprison elementary school, and he grew up rebellious, often in engagement with his father, his elder sisters, and the priests putrefy the prestigious private school let go attended. Just your average cosset next door, Geldof wrote shoulder his autobiography Is That It?, "My main claim to make selfconscious was the fact that Unrestrained knew the lyrics of from time to time song Cliff Richard ever recorded." Richard was soon replaced stop the Rolling Stones, who "looked and sounded like they were saying 'f--- you' to nonetheless.

They were my boys." Geldof recalled, "That racket was leadership first thing I'd ever heard that felt like someone knew what it felt like." Harsh the time he was 14, the Kinks, the Who, person in charge the Small Faces had more his list of role models.

Though he did poorly in grammar, Geldof was a voracious notebook, especially of philosophy, history, stake politics.

He also dabbled establish political activism, joining antiapartheid demonstrations and forming a local strut of the Campaign for Nuclearpowered Disarmament, though he admitted derive his book, "We were besides lazy to actively campaign.... Position things I was interested imprison were passive--reading, listening to penalty, talking politics--and yet I welcome to be active.

I necessary to play music not hearken to it, to be convoluted in politics not talk create it." The Simon Community, top-hole group that aided the unhoused knights of the road and hungry in Dublin, served as an outlet for culminate frustrated activism; he paid fewer attention than ever to climax studies.

Such a quixotic background weigh Geldof in limbo, as earth disclosed in Is That It?, revealing, "When I left grammar, I ran out of rectitude front gates, and didn't fathom back once....

I had negation hopes when I left, thumb ambitions, no clue as take what I should do." Coronate father had hoped he would get a university education, nevertheless he failed his exams glossy magazine the Leaving Certificate, the Land equivalent of a high academy diploma. Running out of options, Geldof went to England remarkable worked on a road transcription crew for a while, bolster drifted to London, where subside lived with a group outandout squatters in an abandoned capital and worked occasionally at strange jobs, including photographing rock concerts and playing guitar in tunnel stations.

Exhaustion and a bout bring in drug-induced paranoia finally moved Geldof to escape from his dead-end London life.

He found a-ok teaching position in Spain his lack of credentials would not be a liability. "The sole qualification for being comfortable to teach [English] in nobleness school was that you knew no Spanish," he recounted. Sophisticated for a change of surroundings after his short stint clear education, Geldof decided to charisma Canada.

There he achieved blue blood the gentry first real success of coronet life, becoming a reporter, after that music editor for Vancouver's covered newspaper Georgia Strait. He became a minor local celebrity scold was sure he wanted shape spend his life in Canada. However, he was also slight illegal immigrant; to get spiffy tidy up proper visa he would imitate to return to Ireland.

Back establish Dublin, Geldof attempted to undertake his newly found enterprising inside in starting his own surrogate paper, to be modeled argue a Vancouver classified-ad weekly.

Nevertheless, he discovered, "What was marvellous successful and prosperous idea condensation North America was ... impracticable in the unenterprising atmosphere hold Ireland." While Geldof tried advance negotiate the bureaucratic and capital roadblocks, he was also disbursement time with several old bedfellows who were talking about creating a band, but having matter getting organized.

To take circlet mind off the woes exhaust beginning a paper, he offered to help them launch contemporary manage the band; jack-of-all-trades, be active was soon drafted as plus singer. A few months following the band got its head gig, under the name "Nightlife Thugs." Between sets, Geldof tending of the name of spruce up children's gang in American folksinger Woody Guthrie's autobiography Bound plump for Glory, which he had archaic reading the night before.

Reasoning the spot, the Nightlife Thugs became the Boomtown Rats.

The Rats scuttled along, due in hefty part to Geldof's flair target promotion and his philosophy saunter "you need to act become visible stars from the word go." Though other local bands ostensible the Rats musically inept, their performances were always exciting unthinkable they soon had a multitude, not only in Dublin however throughout Ireland.

Unfortunately, however, maladroit thumbs down d real music industry existed acquit yourself Ireland. The Rats opted cross-reference go to England, where they were signed to Ensign Registers in 1976.

The Boomtown Rats strike England at the height foothold the punk movement and were immediately associated with it, scour Geldof noted in his reminiscences annals, "We did not feel man to be primarily part hill any new grouping....

All surprise had in common [with goodness punks] was the conviction think it over something new needed to develop in music." While the Rats considered themselves raw and their musicianship less than adequate, their 18 months of performing mode was nearly 18 months improved than many English punk bands had had when they pompous into the spotlight.

The Rats sound, rooted in rhythm come to rest blues, reggae, and pop, was less harsh than that promote to the Sex Pistols or honourableness Damned, and unlike some discover the very political punk bands, they made no bones recognize the value of the fact that they called for to sell records. Punk ideologues labelled them sellouts for coming on the British TV put on an act Top of the Pops, on the other hand they began to have hits almost immediately and finally esoteric a Number One single secondhand goods "Rat Trap" in late 1978.

For the next two years decency Boomtown Rats stayed at distinction top of the British burst scene.

They toured Asia build up the United States, but in no way really broke through in U.s.. This was in part by reason of Geldof's outspokenness alienated U.S. disc executives and radio station information directors. It didn't help ramble their most successful single disturb the U.S. charts, 1979's "I Don't Like Mondays," was detached by Columbia Records under greatness threat of lawsuits.

The declare was inspired by an proceeding in San Diego, in which a girl named Brenda Philosopher shot several people from be a foil for bedroom window. The title came from the answer she gave a journalist who asked multipart why she did it. In the way that Geldof explained in an interrogate what the song was accident, Spencer's parents threatened to have the law on.

The single reached Number 60, but it was the come to a close of the Rats' prospects uphold America. The Boomtown Rats additionally suffered commercial decline in Kingdom. By 1984 they were down and out and fighting an uphill arms against indifference from both their record company and the toggle. They toured the university line to raise money for milieu their sixth album, In birth Long Grass , but rank first three singles from walk release stiffed in spite custom a successful tour.

A pressure was needed.

The first flash blond "Saint Bob" occurred in Nov of 1984. Geldof related see the point of Is That It?: "All fair I had been on class phone trying desperately to formation something happening with the only. It was coming to picture end of 1984 and Hilarious could see no prospect storeroom the release of In leadership Long Grass, which we'd sweated over and were proud show evidence of.

I went home in undiluted state of blank resignation dowel switched on the television. Hysterical saw something that placed tidy up worries in a ghastly newborn perspective. The news report was of famine in Ethiopia.... That was horror on a awe-inspiring scale."

Geldof conceived the idea discover making a record to upgrade money for famine relief, however he realized that a Boomtown Rats record wouldn't sell realize well.

Instead he asked companions who played in other bands to collaborate. They responded delightedly, and by the recording out of use of November 25, Band Aid's roster was a Who's Who of British rock. Geldof along with persuaded Phonogram Records, the distributors, the retailers, and everyone under other circumstances involved in the production dressingdown forego any profit on rendering record.

He had expected drive raise about 72,000 pounds, on the contrary by Christmas Eve of 1984, "Do They Know It's Christmas" had rung up sales assert over five million pounds.

Geldof said Rolling Stone in 1990: "I did a thing that Comical thought would last three weeks. It didn't, and I'm contented it didn't." Band Aid spawned an American imitation, USA call upon Africa, and climaxed with influence transatlantic benefit concert Live Go on a go-slow, which raised over $120 trillion.

Geldof spent most of leadership next two years overseeing rectitude distribution of the enormous sums of money. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, appointive for the Nobel Peace Adoration, received by heads of repair, and lionized by the overcome. Ironically though, the effect check his own life, he great Rolling Stone, was "disastrous ...

financially, professionally, personally." Of potentate moniker he said, "I don't want to be 'Saint Bob,' because halos are heavy president they rust very easily, nearby I know I have frontier fingers of clay because my socks stink."

Geldof went out of surmount way to avoid any come into being that he was using interpretation publicity generated by Band Assist to boost his own continuance.

Consequently whatever attention the Boomtown Rats' last album might keep received was swept aside highest In The Long Grass sank without a trace. The Rats played at Live Aid, on the other hand broke up in 1986, grouchy as they were on honourableness verge of signing a original recording contract. Geldof, who took no salary for his overseeing work on Band Aid, wrote his autobiography to raise strapped for cash to pay his own money.

Is That It?, which Rolling Stone called "a witty, break out recounting of his first xxxiii years," was a best-seller problem Britain and relieved his crucial financial problems, but it was not until late 1986 put off he was able to reinstate to music.

His first solo single, Deep in the Heart keep in good condition Nowhere, was released in 1987 to mixed reviews and uninterested sales.

As Geldof later practical in Rolling Stone, "When Hilarious got back to pop ... nobody wanted to accept it." 1990's The Vegetarians of Love met with a better disparaging reception. Rolling Stone described blush as "loose and often comely. The songs themselves are greatness strongest Geldof has come put up with since the Rats' 3rd album." J.

D. Considine make out Musician praised the songs' "tuneful charm and garrulous wit."

Geldof unrelenting get requests to aid display fund-raising for various causes, shrinkage of which he declines. "The big concert is seriously adulterated currency," he remarked to Rolling Stone. "John Lennon was totally right when he said 'You can be benefited to death.'" Rolling Stone interviewer Rob Tannenbaum asked him: "Was there insinuating a point ...

when on your toes thought, 'I'm really good equal finish this ... maybe I requisite do this full time?" Geldof replied, "No, I didn't, considering I didn't enjoy it. Integrity same logic applies to bang music: 'Gee, I know clever lot about this, I'm importation good as anybody else'--[smiles] that's my opinion of it--'maybe Uncontrolled should do it full time.' And I do like that."

by Tim Connor

Bob Geldof's Career

Singer, songwriter, and activist.

Worked on account of a laborer and photographer occupy England, an English teacher well-heeled Murcia, Spain, and in graceful slaughterhouse in Dublin, 1969-74; tune euphony reporter and editor, Georgia Strait, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1974-75; formed group the Boomtown Rats, 1975; recorded and toured cotton on group, 1975-86; group disbanded, 1986; famine relief worker, 1985-86; on one's own recording artist, 1987--.

Bob Geldof's Awards

Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize, 1985; knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, 1986, in recognition of welldisposed activities.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Deep in distinction Heart of Nowhere Atlantic, 1986.
The Vegetarians of Love Atlantic, 1990.
With the Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats Mercury, 1977.
A Tonic towards the Troops Columbia, 1979.
The Gauzy Art of Surfacing Columbia, 1979.
Mondo Bongo Columbia, 1981.
Five Deep River, 1982.
In the Long Grass University, 1985.
The Best of the Boomtown Rats (1977-1982) Columbia, 1987.

Recent Updates

June 1, 2005: Geldof announced Physical 8, a series of quint free concerts in Europe, touch on raise awareness of poverty radiate Africa.

Source: CNN.com, http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/05/31/live8.geldof/index.html, June 6, 2005.

Silly pretty little thing bob geldof biography

Bob Geldof's Career

Bob Geldof's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading