Bob Geldof
Robert (Bob) Frederick Zenon Geldof was born October 5, 1951, in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland. He is known mostly for his singing, songwriting, acting, and political activism. Geldof attended Blackrock College, but found the strict Catholicism and nationalistic mentality stifling. He went on to partake in many odd jobs, including such diverse occupations as slaughterer and pea canner, until finally becoming a music journalist for Georgia Straight, a Vancouver, British Colombia publication.
By 1975, Geldof returned to Ireland and landed the lead in a new up and coming punk band The Boomtown Rats. As lead singer, Geldof led the band to their first #1 UK single, “Rat Trap” in 1978. The following year, the band enjoyed another #1 hit with “I Don’t Like Mondays.” Despite its commercial success, the song became mired in controversy. Recounting the elementary school shooting by Brenda Ann Spencer, the song’s title provides her reasoning for why she killed and wounded so many innocent people.
In September of 1981, Geldof’s career would take a dramatic turn. He was invited to play at an Amnesty International benefit show titled The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball. He performed as a solo artist along with the likes of Sting, Eric Clapton, and Phil Collins. The show spurred both albums and movies and raised a sizable amount of money as well as raising awareness of human rights violations. Geldof found a lot of personal fulfillment in this endeavor, and the seeds were planted for his later fusing of rock star celebrity and charity work.
Ultimately unable to maintain their commercial success of the late 70s, 1984 saw a collapse of the Boomtown Rats. But that same year, Geldof saw a report on the Ethiopia famine. Inspired by his previous charity work, Geldof decided to use his unique situation to do something. With fellow musician Midge Ure, Geldof co-wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas.” While on a BBC radio station, Geldof promoted the charity single rather than his new album, and the media buzz began immediately. Shortly after, Geldof formed the group Band Aid which consisted of the preeminent Irish and British musicians of the day. The single was released just before Christmas in 1984 and far surpassed Geldof’s original hope of earning 70,000 pounds. Going on to make many millions of pounds, it became the highest selling UK single in history (only usurped in 1997 with Elton John’s ode to Princess Diana).
The concept was repeated many times over, including in the United States with “We Are the World,” co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was also redone in 1989 and 2004. Both times were extremely successful.
In July of 1985, Geldof used the leverage from his incredibly successful campaign to organize Live Aid, one of the largest charity concerts that had been seen to date. Raising staggering sums of money to fight poverty, Geldof also put together Live 8 in 2005, a series of six concerts meant to raise funds and awareness of AIDS and poverty in Africa. The latter concerts were a success but also marred by intense media and public scrutiny.
Never satisfied with just one medium, during his career Geldof moved between music and film. His acting career was short lived and only included a few credits. He appeared for one episode on the British television series Marc in 1977 and in 1982 he landed the role for which he would receive the most critical acclaim. He played the lead in Pink Floyd The Wall. Dangerously close to home, the film recounted the life of a rock star in all its gloom—groupies, drugs, and a complete sense of alienation. His last acting job was in 2002. He provided his voice for the animated six-minute short, The Old Fools. He also released his autobiography Is That It? in 2005 to stellar sales.
Geldof has also had many highly successful business endeavors including co-founding a television production company, Planet 24, which was responsible for the hit show Survivor. After selling the company for over $7 million, he founded an online travel business which sold for $17 million. He also retains 8% of the company Ten Alps Communications.
In recognition of his impressive charitable works, Geldof was one of 191 other nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
Geldof has been married one time to Paula Yates. The two wed in August of 1986 and divorced in May 1996. They had three children together. Yates went on to have a child with INXS member, Michael Hutchence. They had one daughter together, whom Geldof obtained custody of after Hutchence’s death and Yates’s overdose. Through Geldof’s custody battles, he has become a spokesman for father’s rights.
YUDDY
