Bob Geldolf - why the hate?

MadsL

It always strikes me that there is fair bit of hostility in Ireland towards Bob. Why is that, is it the Banana Republic criticism of Ireland whilst living in London, the "Sir" Bob thing, the silly names for the kids or just the whole "give us yer f*cking money"?

I grew up bopping around the living room to the Rats so he's a hero to me - I'm always suprised to hear him getting dissed.

What gives AH?

Borderfox

Hes not as bad as Bono, but thats not saying a lot

Wabbit Ears

Ive never heard any thing said negative about bob. He gave his kids stupid names but that's about it.

irishgirl19

Go back to bed MadsL. You're drunk

Borderfox

So good ya said it twice

StompToWork

MadsL wrote: »

It always strikes me that there is fair bit of hostility in Ireland towards Bob. Why is that, is it the Banana Republic criticism of Ireland whilst living in London, the "Sir" Bob thing, the silly names for the kids or just the whole "give us yer f*cking money"?

I grew up bopping around the living room to the Rats so he's a hero to me - I'm always suprised to hear him getting dissed.

What gives AH?

It's quite simple. The irish like to begrudge. "Jaysus, someone did something with their lives without sitting on their arses and hoping things just land in their laps. What a dcik".

Don't get me wrong. It's part of our loveable charm.

StompToWork

Or, it could just be the D4 accent!!

TeddyTedson

I like Bob myself but I guess people don't like him because of the perceived notion that he's self righteous and somewhat self absorbed.
Then there's the voice. The fact that this is Ireland too :P
His character would not appeal to certain parts of the country. To them he's just a posh Dub.

An Riabhach

The only thing I like about Geldof is the fact that he is an Atheist.
Always hated him for turning his back on Ireland and changing his nationality(then again I hate any Irish person who does that).Apart from that I just can't listen to his constant bitching and moaning.

lahalane

He set back the concept of the Monday club by decades

MadsL

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Go back to bed MadsL. You're drunk

Bed? It's 7.55pm here and I just poured my first beer of the evening.

TeddyTedson

MadsL wrote: »

Bed? It's 7.55pm here and I just poured my first beer of the evening.

It's almost 3am. Please stop drinking

MadsL

TeddyTedson wrote: »

It's almost 3am. Please stop drinking

Whoa...I have seriously small window of opportunity.

Thankfully I follow Jimmy Buffett's advice...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPCjC543llU

Bacon and Cabbage

It's himself alright!!

dan1895

Not the most pleasant of people to deal with I'm told by a number of people I work with.

Wattle

Seasan wrote: »

The only thing I like about Geldof is the fact that he is an Atheist.
Always hated him for turning his back on Ireland and changing his nationality(then again I hate any Irish person who does that).Apart from that I just can't listen to his constant bitching and moaning.

Oh please they went to London like a thousand other bands have because there was fuk all chance that the Rats would break big by staying in Ireland. They tried to play a big gig in Dalymount Park that was nearly banned by the authorities including the church who saw them as a threat to the morals of the country. Those were dark days and I don't blame anyone who tried to get out and make a better life. And I don't think he changed his nationality either.

kneemos

Could be the. "Sir"

or our sense of inadequacy.

razorblunt

It's the "give us your ****ing money" for me, in the 80s of all places and the daoine bochta in Limerick living in their bins.

anncoates

I quite like him. He's intelligent and a narky sarcastic fcuker.

His music, with the exception of Banana Republic, is pretty awful though.

April O Neill II

Not hate really, he always just struck me as quite self-serving with the whole Live Aid thing, not to mention patronising towards the people he was raising money for. I mean, he's articulate and all, but meh, slightly annoying.

kfallon

lahalane wrote: »

He set back the concept of the Monday club by decades

Classic, wish I could thank this twice!!!

Merkin

I love him. He's extremely articulate, intelligent and doesn't suffer fools gladly. His music is sh1te but I wouldn't hold that against the chap.

Hoop66

I met him at a Mercury Rev gig in London in the late 90s, he couldn't have been nicer. He took my calling him "Sir Bob" and trying to make him smoke a joint in good humour.

April O Neill II

Hoop66 wrote: »

I met him at a Mercury Rev gig in London in the late 90s, he couldn't have been nicer. He took my calling him "Sir Bob" and trying to make him smoke a joint in good humour.

I hope you called him Sir in an ironic way...

anncoates

kfallon wrote: »

Classic, wish I could thank this twice!!!

Tell me why?

Canis Lupus

He named his children Pixie, Peaches and Fifi Trixibelle.... That's enough for me.

foxyboxer

People know perfectly well that money must go to feed the poor and destitute.

It pisses people off when a multi millionaire reminds them of this.

It's like those CEO's of charities on whopper salaries. Bob is in the same league. I'm sure he's trousered a pretty penny from Live Aid onwards.

force eleven

He's always looking after Number 1.

paddydriver

Canis Lupus wrote: »

He named his children Pixie, Peaches and Fifi Trixibelle.... That's enough for me.

Was it not the nut he was married to at the time who named the kids weird names.. blame her, she isn't around to defend herself anymore:P

Canis Lupus

Canis Lupus wrote: »

He named his children Pixie, Peaches and Fifi Trixibelle.... That's enough for me.

Their mother was apparently a bit of an attention seeking flake , so I'd be more inclined to hold her responsible for that mess.

I like BG, heard a very lengthy interview with him on the radio a year or so ago and was impressed by his knowledge of developing world issues, his integrity, and his own self awareness. He can certainly express himself very well.

He didn't earn a penny for years while raising money for the poorest people in the world. He's racked with doubt about how certain things were done, but the genuine sincerity behind his actions was unmistakeable. At the very least, he's a guy who's spent his life trying to do the right thing, not just talking about it.

Not a Rats fan generally, but I like Rat Trap and I Don't Like Mondays, and I like knowing Banana Republic upset the establishment of the time.

ETA: One of the things I liked most about him is that he's aware he's not always liked, and he really doesn't care. He's very contained in that way.

So yeah, no hate here.

anncoates

foxyboxer wrote: »

People know perfectly well that money must go to feed the poor and destitute.

It pisses people off when a multi millionaire reminds them of this.

It's like those CEO's of charities on whopper salaries. Bob is in the same league. I'm sure he's trousered a pretty penny from Live Aid onwards.

Always in two minds about this.

There's something profoundly irritating about being lectured by a millionaires and tax dodgers on world poverty but part of me also thinks that for all the self-serving cringe of Live Aid, it did far more - in a bottom line sense - for famine victims than all the hot air in the pub or AH (of which I absolutely am a part of) could ever hope to do.

Plus I'm also ironically aware that if millionaires shouldn't have views on the plight of the developing world, then you and me probably shouldn't either seeing as we - while not being rich - enjoy a standard of life that is inconceivable to the people of the developing world.

Legs.Eleven

I think he seems alright although I haven't heard him talk in years and I appreciate he tried to do something with Live Aid. Has done more than I will ever do in my lifetime. He has the most South Side accent I've ever heard. I'm supposedly related to the drummer from The Boomtown Rats, so I couldn't really hate him as he's almost family....kind of.

anncoates

Candie wrote: »

Not a Rats fan generally, but I like Rat Trap

I forgot about that tune. I actually like that too.

Red Pepper

I love Bono and Geldof.

The world is a better place with both those men in it. Which is more than I can say for some of you crazies!

Femme_Fatale

anncoates wrote: »

Always in two minds about this.

There's something profoundly irritating about being lectured by a millionaires and tax dodgers on world poverty but part of me also thinks that for all the self-serving cringe of Live Aid, it did far more - in a bottom line sense - for famine victims than all the hot air in the pub or AH (of which I absolutely am a part of) could ever hope to do.

Plus I'm also ironically aware that if millionaires shouldn't have views on the plight of the developing world, then you and me probably shouldn't either seeing as we - while not being rich - enjoy a standard of life that is inconceivable to the people of the developing world.

Exactly. It's fashionable to criticise Live Aid/Band Aid just because... The whole cynicism for cynicism's sake thing.

The thing is: he still did something for the starving people in Ethiopia, unlike his detractors. I don't like everything about the way he went about it ("Just give us the f*cking money!" was obnoxious, and making demands of anyone and everyone, e.g. "Some 13-year-old girl in Wigan" as Morrissey put it :pac:) but Band Aid and Live Aid were fantastic achievements, which inspired lots of smaller copycat movements, and fair play to Geldof for using his clout to organise them. Live Aid was a global event - that is some accomplishment. People whinge about there still being starvation in Ethiopia - I don't think Geldof ever claimed he was gonna wipe it out completely ffs.

Geldof wasn't exactly a massive superstar either. The guy who made lots of royalties out of one song was hardly Michael Jackson.

Duggy747

I thought it was fairly well known that he never actually said "give us the fúckin' money"

chopper6

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Exactly. It's fashionable to criticise Live Aid/Band Aid just because... The whole cynicism for cynicism's sake thing.

The thing is: he still did something for the starving people in Ethiopia, unlike his detractors. I don't like everything about the way he went about it ("Just give us the f*cking money!" was obnoxious, and making demands of anyone and everyone, e.g. "Some 13-year-old girl in Wigan" as Morrissey put it :pac:) but Band Aid and Live Aid were fantastic achievements, which inspired lots of smaller copycat movements, and fair play to Geldof for using his clout to organise them. Live Aid was a global event - that is some accomplishment. People whinge about there still being starvation in Ethiopia - I don't think Geldof ever claimed he was gonna wipe it out completely ffs.

Geldof wasn't exactly a massive superstar either. The guy who made lots of royalties out of one song was hardly Michael Jackson.

The whole Live Aid di nothing whatever to address the underlying causes of the famine and anarchy of that area.

It was a sot to the middle-class and an excuse for certain fading musicians to revive thier flagging careers and line thier own pockets.

Muise...

Duggy747 wrote: »

I thought it was fairly well known that he never actually said "give us the fúckin' money"

Yeah, it's a misattributed quote. What he actually said was "Play it again Sam, and let them eat cake."

wretcheddomain

I don't believe Geldof's sincerity in trying to alleviate the poor.

Knight who says Meh

chopper6 wrote: »

The whole Live Aid di nothing whatever to address the underlying causes of the famine and anarchy of that area.

It was a sot to the middle-class and an excuse for certain fading musicians to revive thier flagging careers and line thier own pockets.

If it saved one life then it did something. It saved a good deal more than one life.

Warper

I say Geldof is alright. His accent makes you want to punch his head in though

pickarooney

In reality, feeding starving Ethiopians just resulted in a population boom and more staving Ethiopians.

anncoates

chopper6 wrote: »

The whole Live Aid di nothing whatever to address the underlying causes of the famine and anarchy of that area..

Whereas your searing analysis will end famine and anarchy there by teatime tomorrow?

hansfrei

If he was American we'd call him something cool like Boff and post pictures ofhim shaking some ejits hand on Facebook.

Begrudgery.

anncoates

Warper wrote: »

I say Geldof is alright. His accent makes you want to punch his head in though

Every time I see him, I always instantly hear PHONE WRECKERS ARE IDIOTS in my mind.

Fighting Irish

MadsL wrote: »

It always strikes me that there is fair bit of hostility in Ireland towards Bob. Why is that, is it the Banana Republic criticism of Ireland whilst living in London, the "Sir" Bob thing, the silly names for the kids or just the whole "give us yer f*cking money"?

I grew up bopping around the living room to the Rats so he's a hero to me - I'm always suprised to hear him getting dissed.

What gives AH?

The same reason irish people dislike people like bono and michael o'leary, jealousy

chopper6

anncoates wrote: »

Whereas your searing analysis will end famine and anarchy there by teatime tomorrow?

Very droll.


Africa is none of my business...i don't pretend to be interested in it.

dd972

StompToWork wrote: »

Or, it could just be the D4 accent!!

Geldof has always struck me as trying to put on a bit of a ''Duuublin'' drone to fool the Brits that he's some roughneck from Oireland, a sort of Hiberno-Mockney if you like, when in fact he went to Blackrock College and would probably be some Barrister or Accountant if his life panned out differently.

Femme_Fatale

He did say "Give the f'ucking money" - there's footage of it. He was in a studio with a couple of other heads and the presenter was getting uncomfortable with his swearing.

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

It's fashionable to criticise Live Aid/Band Aid just because... The whole cynicism for cynicism's sake thing.

Exhibit A:

chopper6 wrote: »

The whole Live Aid di nothing whatever to address the underlying causes of the famine and anarchy of that area.

It was a sot to the middle-class and an excuse for certain fading musicians to revive thier flagging careers and line thier own pockets.

I don't know what a sot is but even if fading musicians flagged their careers and lined their own pockets, Geldof still did a lot more for the cause than "edgy" cynical bluster will ever do.

wretcheddomain wrote: »

I don't believe Geldof's sincerity in trying to alleviate the poor.

Why? There really is no solid reason to genuinely believe he wasn't sincere.

justforlaugh

Seasan wrote: »

The only thing I like about Geldof is the fact that he is an Atheist.
Always hated him for turning his back on Ireland and changing his nationality(then again I hate any Irish person who does that).Apart from that I just can't listen to his constant bitching and moaning.

Bob Geldolf paternal grandfather was a Belgian and his paternal grandmother was an English Jew from London. Maybe why he don't have a deep affection for ireland

Femme_Fatale

hansfrei wrote: »

If he was American we'd call him something cool like Boff and post pictures ofhim shaking some ejits hand on Facebook.

Begrudgery.

The cynicism towards him came from other countries also, so give the "Typical Irish begrudgery" myth a rest.

Fighting Irish wrote: »

The same reason irish people dislike people like bono and michael o'leary, jealousy

You need new material. What's there to be jealous of btw?

chopper6 wrote: »

Africa is none of my business...i don't pretend to be interested in it.

And Geldof is interested in it, so... what's your point again?