Sunday 3 July 2005

At the end of the day


Just some jumbled thoughts on the day:
    • Dido and Youssou N'Dour - brilliant! 7 Seconds was awesome.
    • Velvet Revolver - did they get invited in error? Did someone think the Velvet Underground were going to regroup for Live8?
    • Coldplay - I might finally be catching up with everyone saying they might be a band to watch
    • Okay - I admit that I cried at the start. I know exactly where I was and with whom on 13/07/1985 when Quo sang "Rocking all over the world" and Geldof and Ure added a new term to the English language - "Live Aid". Lots of things have happened to me in those 20 years and not all have been good.
    • Mariah Carey - why?? All the "Dahling" stuff about needing a stand despite saying she wouldn't was a tad annoying but then trying to big up her act by using a group of children selected because they were orphans?? That's sick I'm afraid. And then using Live8 as a platform for her new song - I couldn't really tell if it was new or not as I'm not an avid collector of her back catalogue but I can only fervently hope that she gets the sales she deserves rather than what she wants.
    • Geldof - milked the pause in "I don't like Mondays" but that's what the day was about wasn't it? Probably shouldn't be singing but it wouldn't have happened without him
    • The Who - "Bus pass rockers blow away the teenies" - if The Sun steal that I want royalties!
    • Floyd are still able to send me to sleep after all these years
    • McCartney - Okay then, he's got the sole franchise on some of the finest pop songs ever written - he even wrote some of them - but it's still hard to forgive "Mull of Kyntyre" and "The Frog Song"
    • I cried again when Saint Bob introduced the video from 20 years ago with "Drive" by The Cars - everyone in the west should be made to watch that regularly but not so much that they become immune to its power.
    • I cried even more when he then introduced a survivor from that film. I thought "even if Live Aid only saved one of them was it a waste of time?"
    • Gates - I've already seen some of the cynical shite being written about his appearance but as far as I'm concerned anyone who divvys up the kind of brass he has to support development in some of the crappiest parts of the planet deserves respect. To hear some people talk you would think he sold heroin or crack rather than built a successful company - and before anyone starts hitting the "add comment" link to start berating me about Microsoft's business practices or how the world would be a lovely place if we all pissed about with Linux please save your time and mine - today really isn't the day for myopic rantings about the number of angels that can dance on the beak of a penguin.
    • Keane were cool
    • Will Smith did his best to engage the US audience but he's fighting a losing battle, TV coverage is very limited so the majority of the electorate in the most powerful country on the planet will probably hear very little about the real disaster that is happening outside their borders - that of itself is another tragedy.
    • Green Day rocked
    In amongst it all Calum and I also eat and he played on the PC upstairs and we erected the six-man tent in the paddock across the road to air it and we looked for a camp site for the family holiday and we had a tickling battle (I am still the undisputed champion) and we generally chilled.

    7 careful considerations:

    Anonymous said...

    the day was very powerful for feelings and being a lover of Rock, it was a tearful time when Pink Floyd started playing & what dispair when the children were shown..Way too many years for poverty and famine. Those powerful men really need to and better make a difference. Now isnt' too soon.

    Anonymous said...
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    Nogbad said...

    I zapped a comment as it seemed to link to a pay site to download mp3s of the Live8 gig. No issue with people making mp3s available but I'd rather they didn't use my space to advertise and grab money. And anyway, it's my party so I can make my own rules! :-)

    Nogbad said...

    Way too many years for poverty and famine. Those powerful men really need to and better make a difference. Now isnt' too soon.

    With you all the way!

    Buggles Balham High Road said...

    You must have heard us saying exactly the same about Maria Carey! Disgusting woman.

    Coldplay leave me cold. And Pink Floyd have never floated my boat either. But we really enjoyed the whole thing and I want the name of Paul's cosmetic surgeon!

    Nogbad said...

    You must have heard us saying exactly the same about Maria Carey! Disgusting woman.

    I rarely disagree with you Mornev and I certainly won't start with this - she was crass, insensitive, inappropriate, mawkish and generally the worst face of pop in the 21st century. "Oh - I have a massuese!" - well so have many of us honey! If nothing else she should serve as a reminder of what is simply not important.

    Coldplay leave me cold. And Pink Floyd have never floated my boat either. But we really enjoyed the whole thing and I want the name of Paul's cosmetic surgeon!

    I think he has a portrait in the attic :-)

    bluefluff said...

    Although your review doesn't mention the REM slot, you might like to know that Michael Stipe seems to have been quite moved by the whole event. He made several references to it during his gig in Hull tonight & had people handing out postcards with the "Make Poverty History" weblink on.