Bob Geldof Admits "DTKI Christmas" is Awful

[Carl]

I tend to keep my thoughts about "Do They Know It's Christmas" a little guarded, as I don't want to come off as a Grinch. But I squirm at the whole "Isn't it horrible to be in Africa where it doesn't snow" vibe. Just something very colonial about it.

It turns out Bob Geldof thinks it's terrible as well. And "We Are The World" too. And he has daughters named Fifi Trixibelle, Tiger Lily Hutchence, Pixie and Peaches. This is good stuff.

BOB Geldof would like to apologise. It has only taken a couple of decades but, as the 26th anniversary of Do They Know It's Christmas? looms, he knows you are well and truly sick of it. If it's any consolation, so is he.

The father of four daughters dreads the day every year when he has to head to the supermarket to pick up the Christmas roast.

"I am responsible for two of the worst songs in history," he said.

"The other one is We Are The World. Any day soon, I will go to the supermarket, head to the meat counter and it will be playing. Every f ... ing Christmas."

There's no escape from the song at his London home. Local carollers include it in their repertoire alongside the traditional O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night.

"They think Do They Know It's Christmas is as old as Silent Night. Sometimes I think that's wild because I wrote it," Geldof said.

"Or else I am thinking how much I want them to stop because they are doing it really badly."

The man who wrote or sang on those phenomenally successful musical calls-to-action for African poverty and also penned I Don't Like Mondays is swapping the activist lectern for the rock star mic and guitar to perform at Star City next month.

Musician is what he lists on the dozens of international immigration forms he must fill in each year and, while he insists he is regularly performing, it has been eight long years between albums for Geldof.

His last album was called Sex, Age And Death. Geldof must be mellowing because, while he insisted he loves the record, he will admit it was bleak and almost unbearable to listen to.

The title of the new album suggests his sense of humour hasn't been irreparably damaged by constant exposure to the ravages of poverty and the platitudes of politicians.

IT'S called How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell, the title lifted from a 1930s song book he found on the piano of his mate, legendary producer Rupert Hine. But that cheeky moniker is a smokescreen.

Geldof's new album is punctuated with songs about love. There's romantic love - he lives with his long-time partner, French actress Jeanne Marine, who holds the Geldof fort when he is on the road.

A touch of paternal love - he has raised his three daughters Fifi, Peaches and Pixie with Paula Yates and Tiger Lily, her child with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.

And familial love. His 96-year-old father Bob Sr died in August and just weeks later his sister Cleo died suddenly of a brain aneurism in Spain.

Geldof says he is glad they both got to hear the album. His father proclaimed it "not bad" while his sister said it "sounded nice for once".

"I guess there are songs about love because this period of my life is a nice one. You go through a period of existential despair [after Yates' death] and then you find out, as everybody does, that there is better stuff to come. And what gets you to that spot is love," he said.

"Some pre-reviews have called it a celebration of the heart. I am not sure if it is as corny as that. It's not simply 'He's happy now and life is wonderful'. Maybe it has a slight glimmer of a smile."

Geldof sounded flummoxed talking about the love stuff and became even more so when the subject of his daughters was broached. He prefers not to talk about them and stammers when it is suggested he, a campaigner for fathers' rights in the UK, might write a handbook about raising girls.

"No ... that's a ridiculous idea. Look, like any kids on the planet, they are the best fun in the world and a pain in the arse in equal measure. I am Dad, they are cute girls. And I make Christmas dinner so they agree with me or they don't eat," he said.

No doubt Geldof will cross paths with his "great, old friend" Bono who will be on tour in Sydney at the same time as the former Boomtown Rat plays at Star City on December 16. Luckily they are not playing the same night or "I'm f ... ed!".

He claims they have never fought or yelled at each other, even after a few pints at their local pub.

There may be a "bit of a sulk or I'll be a bit tetchy" but after a "sotto voce" conversation those tensions just disappear.

Bono was one of the first to hear the songs for How To Compose: "He said he thought it was the best album he had heard in his life - and frankly I find it hard to disagree."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sir-bob-geldofs-tacky-curse-of-christmas/story-e6freuy9-1225961709521

[skybluesky]

Well, it was a little self-serving for rich, white, privileged rock stars to be pointing out to the rest of the world that they were awesome because they were singing about helping poor Africans who could live for five years on what George Michael spent on hairspray in a month, let alone what boy George spent on heroin. That being said, I like the song, just for the where are they now assemblage it eventually became.

[pinkstones]

I'm glad Bob can bring himself to admit the song is crap. Now when is he going to admit that his horrible overacting, coupled with some really bad music, ruined The Wall?