Leave Bush alone, Geldof warns stars
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 21/06/2005)
Bob Geldof has reportedly warned a top recording artist not to publicly criticise the White House during the worldwide television broadcast of the Live 8 concerts next month.
The warning came after Geldof insisted that President George W Bush had done more for Africa than any other American leader.
The manager of the singer was quoted as having been told: "Please remember, absolutely no ranting and raving about Bush or Blair and the Iraq war. We want to bring Bush in, not run him away."
Geldof was said to be determined not to lose control of the central message of his concerts of putting pressure on the G8 leaders meeting at Gleneagles, although it will be difficult for him to stop artful performers like Will Smith, Eminem, 50 Cent and P Diddy from speaking out if they want to in Philadelphia.
Geldof, often the most trenchant critic of politicians, was sympathetic towards Mr Bush in an interview published by Time magazine. He sat with the U2 singer Bono, who recently publicly shook hands with the president.
Bono was exceedingly pro-Bush, calling him "the most important and toughest nut", a stance that has annoyed singers such as Billy Bragg and Sinead O'Connor, who think he is risking his credibility by getting too close to the leader.
But Bono seems to have influenced Geldof, who insisted in the interview that the United States had no "lack of empathy", adding that Tony Blair ("once a young git with the worst haircut save mine") was also "in tune with where we've come from". Blair actually cares passionately about Europe and the transatlantic alliance but also Africa too.
Geldof confessed that he had been forced to defend the Bush administration in a visit to France, where "they refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa". Geldof said: "But it's empirically so."
The musician who was reportedly warned by Geldof to "stay on message" was anxious not to be identified, possibly noting the backlash that followed a comment by Natalie Maines, of the Dixie Chicks, at a London concert, when she announced: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Radio stations boycotted the band's music and their CDs were smashed by bulldozers before Maines publicly apologised to Mr Bush
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 21/06/2005)
Bob Geldof has reportedly warned a top recording artist not to publicly criticise the White House during the worldwide television broadcast of the Live 8 concerts next month.
The warning came after Geldof insisted that President George W Bush had done more for Africa than any other American leader.
The manager of the singer was quoted as having been told: "Please remember, absolutely no ranting and raving about Bush or Blair and the Iraq war. We want to bring Bush in, not run him away."
Geldof was said to be determined not to lose control of the central message of his concerts of putting pressure on the G8 leaders meeting at Gleneagles, although it will be difficult for him to stop artful performers like Will Smith, Eminem, 50 Cent and P Diddy from speaking out if they want to in Philadelphia.
Geldof, often the most trenchant critic of politicians, was sympathetic towards Mr Bush in an interview published by Time magazine. He sat with the U2 singer Bono, who recently publicly shook hands with the president.
Bono was exceedingly pro-Bush, calling him "the most important and toughest nut", a stance that has annoyed singers such as Billy Bragg and Sinead O'Connor, who think he is risking his credibility by getting too close to the leader.
But Bono seems to have influenced Geldof, who insisted in the interview that the United States had no "lack of empathy", adding that Tony Blair ("once a young git with the worst haircut save mine") was also "in tune with where we've come from". Blair actually cares passionately about Europe and the transatlantic alliance but also Africa too.
Geldof confessed that he had been forced to defend the Bush administration in a visit to France, where "they refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa". Geldof said: "But it's empirically so."
The musician who was reportedly warned by Geldof to "stay on message" was anxious not to be identified, possibly noting the backlash that followed a comment by Natalie Maines, of the Dixie Chicks, at a London concert, when she announced: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Radio stations boycotted the band's music and their CDs were smashed by bulldozers before Maines publicly apologised to Mr Bush
He seems to be trying to make a career out of Africa I wonder how much he skims off the loot he raises .I mean where does this guy get his money royalties off the boomtown rats I don't think so 
