2005 - commentary June 4 - Greil Marcus

[Charlie]

Hi Charlie...as someone who has been waiting for Sir Bob's phone call these past few weeks, in vain of course, I can only say that I concur with your comments 100 percent. What damage would it do to either the stature, the drawing power, the mediability or the fund-raising potential of Live 8 to have a few prominent African acts early on in the bill. It would give a worldwide audience a taste of what they're missing AND prove that Africa has much much more to offer the world than famine, corruption and aids.

Well said. Hope you're well, cheers, Andy.
=======================================================
Andy Morgan
manager, Tinariwen
19 Tewkesbury Road
Bristol BS2 9UL, UK
Tel: (+44) (0)117 9556615
andy.morgan@apartment22.com

[Charlie]

He must know that the music of many African artists is as sophisticated as any music being made today.

Dear Charlie -- Please go public on air about this. Much African (and Cuban) music is FAR MORE SOPHISTICATED and stimulating than the pap pop we are exposed to in most English-language radio programming.

By the way as a Womad veteran, why don't you take a look at this link, annual three-day event here in Brussels in a really cool old customs depot -- think about coming over, next year if not this time! Be our guest. Not only is the music and atmosphere amazing, this is BELGIUM, and the gourmet food alone takes up a whole village of booths representing dozens of different (non-EU) countries. Link is in three languages and anything goes at Couleur Cafe.... YOUSSOU N'DOUR, FEMI KUTI, and errr... Jane Birkin are among those headlining this year.

http://www.couleurcafe.be/

Best, Eva

Eva Kaluzynska
Coordinator

DG TRADE Civil Society Dialogue

[Charlie]

Unfortunately, I left out of my emailed bulletin the usual request for any responses to posted here, rather than emailed back to me.

So I've been inundated with emailed comments, among them this one from journalist Paul Gorman:

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Good on you Charlie for saying what has to be said.

While I bear no animus towards Bob Geldof (it's always great to witness an Irishman getting up the noses of the British Establishment), my grudge is more against the lazy media, whose job it is to challenge such people - they should be going in much harder on the non-representation of African musicians at Live 8, etc.

TV radio etc and in particular music magazines have quailed in his presence for two decades now, when in fact he should be challenged much more, particularly when it comes to music.

A recent example was the uncritical Mojo reappraisal of the Boomtown Rats - who were really a cabaret act (getting audiences to Do The Rat and women to show their knickers to the unforgivable Mary Of The Fourth Form). They also allowed him to get away with the claim that he had never even heard of Bruce Springsteen when Rat Trap was released in 1978 - Bob was Irish stringer for the NME in 1975 when that paper raved about Springsteen...

And for all its noble intent, the original Live Aid did, I believe, set the advance of popular music back by allowing the old guard (Queen, led Zep etc) onto the world stage again.

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Which gives me a chance to make clear that I like Bob Geldof, admire his energy and what he has achieved.

And although Rat Trap by the Boomtown Rats may have been a Springsteen pastiche, I Don't Like Mondays is still one of the best British pop singles ever.

CG

[Charleybarley]

Thanks, Charlie, for a great show, as ever. Regarding songs that have had books written about them, there was one a few years back about Billie Holiday's recording of "Strange Fruit".
(David Margolick: Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday, Café Society and an early cry for civil rights, 2001)
Surely a song that would have merited a monograph if it hadn't already been written, don't you think?

Charleybarley, Sweden

[max reinhardt]

With a soldier's stance I turned my hand at the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not I'd become my enemy in the instant that I preach
Good and bad I defined these terms
Quite clear no doubt somehow
Ah but I was so much older then
I'm younger than that now

well it is kind of late ....good missive this week charlie

Best
Max

[neil spencer]

One can only surmise that despite his many trips to Africa, Geldof has never actually sat down and listened to any African music. Or if he has, that he has cloth ears (plenty of evidence for that on his own recent musical offerings).

Or that he's simply scared that someone like Baaba Mall would blow quite a few of the other acts off stage.

Either way it's boorish behaviour. No suprise there, then.

[oeokosko]

Hi Charlie...as someone who has been waiting for Sir Bob's phone call these past few weeks, in vain of course, I can only say that I concur with your comments 100 percent. What damage would it do to either the stature, the drawing power, the mediability or the fund-raising potential of Live 8 to have a few prominent African acts early on in the bill. It would give a worldwide audience a taste of what they're missing AND prove that Africa has much much more to offer the world than famine, corruption and aids.

One would think so. However, the mindset extends far beyond Geldof himself. I was making the same point on the Geldof forum - and look at the reactions I got... http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark? ... rID=205042

BTW Congrats on getting that phone call - from Peter Gabriel?

And perhaps you can enlighten us, at least those of us on the Geldof forum, as to why Peter Gabriel associates himself with African musicians.