Free Republic

If you haven’t heard a rendition of Do They Know It’s Christmas yet this year, it’s only a matter of time. But should you curse Bob Geldof for writing That Song, you’ll be in good company. He’s fed up with it too. The single was released 26 years ago today as Geldof set up Band Aid to raise money for famine-hit Ethiopia. And although it became the biggest selling single in the world at the time, it seems he’s had enough. He said: ‘I am responsible for two of the worst songs in history. One is Do They Know It’s...

Riddle me this: What do Madonna, Bono, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair all have in common? They want to help poor Africans, that's what. But how to do that is the rub. Madonna has signed up for the latest Bob Geldorf concert series to heighten "awareness" of the dire African situation. She will join Paul McCartney and other pop stars in a series of shows next month. This is a nice, if somewhat fuzzy, idea. The last time Geldorf swam into these waters, in 1985, his "Live Aid" project raised about $150 million dollars for Ethiopian famine victims. The...