Live 8 - How was it for you?

[Cerys]

Unfortunately they underestimated the number of people who take it personally when such-and-such a programme isn't shown, boo hoo.

Apologies if I offended, 'twas not the intention.

Don't worry - that wasn't aimed at you personally.  My previous comment on the subject was, but only because I got riled and posted before I calmed down.  The bit you quoted was aimed at all the people across the country who doubtlessly whinged because they were missing some piece of shit that usually they'd um and aah about watching anyway.  (As an aside, I'd been planning to tape Horror Hospital, but got caught up in the moment of Live 8 and forgot, heh, so if anything I'm pleased they didn't show it, because it means I won't have missed it.)

But all four Beeb channels had been saturated with Live 8 coverage. I appreciate the good intentions but it was preaching to the converted.

I have no problem with this.  There are other things to do of an evening.

After which it only becomes a huge and self-indulgent pop concert.

I have no problem with this, either.  Put it this way: it got noticed.

Horror Hospital has never been shown on terrestrial - to the best of my info - in the thirty-plus years since it was made.

I have vague memories of seeing it, but I might have got it mixed up with something else.  Anyway, I'm sure they'll shoehorn it in somewhere else at some point.  After all, they've presumably paid for it.

Surely there's room enough for both? And if not...why not?

Why begrudge them one day of airtime?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Wasn't it "Vive Le Rock" that AA did at Live Aid though?

Yes, it was. Terrible song.

[Jon_Norton]

It would be more accurate to say that no one bothered to slag off the music at Live Aid, because no one ever praised it as a musical event to begin with. It was always a big spectacular mass news event, the biggest TV story this side of the Moon landings. But you didn't get anyone enthusing  about the performances much. The much-remembered U2 and Queen appearances were just the only memorable bits, that's all.

The non-appearance of chart sensations Tears For Fears didn't make any difference then or after.

[Jon_Norton]

That Johnny Borrell of The Razorlights is the most unbelievable careerist shit though. I read an interview with him on teletext a few weeks back and he said he "did a conference call" with his record company commandants and that's how they decided to release whatever dog-end was his last single. He's just a cynical cunt and nothing will make me believe he didn't go into Live8 without thinking of what a fantastic advert it would be for a pathetic chancer like himself.

Him, The Killers, and Snow Patrol had NO BUSINESS being on that bill, you might as well have replaced their sets with adverts for Woolworths.

Instead, Bob should have moved mountains to get Oasis to appear. I'm noit a great fan, but you've got to admit that they know what to do in front of an audience like that, and it sounds nothing like Dido. And Geldof should have ordered all the acts to do something different in their slots - a 14-minute cover of Gimme Shelter, followed by a 1-minute thrash through Wonderwall would have been just the tonic from the Manc boys.

It was quite right of The La's to pull out though - there was no way they could go on after Madonna.

[Adrian Brezhnev]

I think the majority of the audience would think of Oasis as being past their sell-by date, and the rock genre was already represented by a number of great artists, old and new.

I think there could have been more variety (in terms of musical style)- and it's a shame there wasn't any comedy, apart from brief appearances from Little Britain, Lenny Henry, and Dawn French.

Him, The Killers, and Snow Patrol had NO BUSINESS being on that bill

Why on earth not? It was great, having some new-ish acts on the line-up.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I popped out to get some bread when The Killers came on, and when I got back they were off again. I assumed they'd play more than one song, and the one they played was not one of their best either.

As for Snow Patrol, it was nice to see them on stage. Sure they can be bland, but at least they played their uplifting anthems, and not the plodding monotony that they do in general.

[Coughlan]

I popped out to get some bread when The Killers came on, and when I got back they were off again. I assumed they'd play more than one song, and the one they played was not one of their best either.

As for Snow Patrol, it was nice to see them on stage. Sure they can be bland, but at least they played their uplifting anthems, and not the plodding monotony that they do in general.

Due to over running the killers had their set cut, why they couldn't have done this to joss stone or mariah i don't know. and as for snow patrol, I'm a fan myself but It would have been nice if the lead singer wasn't drunk and kept forgetting his lines.

[mayer]

C4 News said that all the people who played Live 8 enjoyed increased album sales today, except...Pete Doherty, whose sales went down.

Just read that on Teletext.

Apparently sales of The Libertines Up The Bracket (Released 2002, Reiussued 2003, in every sale going 2004) went down 35%. I'm surprised they gave that figure instead of the one for The Libertines (Released 2004, Reissued er, 2004, on every sale going 2005).


I'd wager that UTB sold three copies last week and two this week.

Doherty didn't play any of his (Libertines, Babyshambles, Solo) songs. The real question is how sales of T-Rex have been affected.


The fact of the matter is that it is painfully hip to jump on the anti-Doherty bandwagon, because:

- The media nonsense, his overly close relationship with the tabloids
- His live performances have deteriorated even more in the last 12 months
- All the potential Babyshambles had a year ago just hasn't been translated into anything, if anything the newer songs are less inspiring than the Libertines-rejects he was playing with Babyshambles two years ago.
- The Carlish documentary
- He's not actually released a record since last September, and the new single sounds awful.


(EDIT: I've read the "Make Doherty History" LOL pun in three different places now)


Also, the HMV/Virgin Summer sales have just kicked in, which always skews record sales. The La's were fantastic at Glastonbury, and they'll hapilly take the credit if it pops back in the charts, but let's be honest, that couldn't have anything to do with it being onsale in HMV for £2.99 could it....?

[chand]

Due to over running the killers had their set cut, why they couldn't have done this to joss stone or mariah i don't know. and as for snow patrol, I'm a fan myself but It would have been nice if the lead singer wasn't drunk and kept forgetting his lines.

I think The Killers were always only getting one song, they did an interview really early in the day where they said they'd only be doing one.

[Jon_Norton]

It MAKES ME SICK to see the heavy TV advertising for Joss Stone in the wake of her Live8 appearance. Sick, sick , sick.

[Jon_Norton]

When Doherty was on stage, did anyone in the crowd shout "Do the drugs!"?

[mayer]

I think James Mullord said it. Peter looked annoyed and said it wasn't going to happen, then the crowd of pop-lovers booed him till he half-heartedly injected some heroin into his penis, and everyone cheered.

[Jon_Norton]

It's just so tiring that it comes up in every interview he does, right at the start. Richard and Judy... Ross... Blue Peter.... they all think they're the first ones to have the idea of asking him "go on, Pete, do that funny thing you do with the heroin".... and he has to go through it all again....

[Gazeuse]

Isn't Joss Stone the one that makes that terrible noise??? Like Janis Joplin but with all the 'feel' removed???

*googles*

Ah, yes, it is.

[thisissi]

I'm going to wait 20 years until I make a final descision on Doherty.  He's either going to turn into a proper rock star with drugs and crazy antics and maybe even release a few good albums (perhaps as a result), or it's going to turn out that he's a bumbling knob.

He's not really got off to the start I would have liked.  His bands have hardly turned out to be Led Zep / Sabbath / The Doors / T-Rex etc., which makes me think the latter option is more likely.

It would be nice to get a proper rock star again though.

[Garfield And Friends]

Isn't Joss Stone the one that makes that terrible noise??? Like Janis Joplin but with all the 'feel' removed???

Correct.

Her eyes are peculiar. Actually, her whole face is strange. She reminds me of a 'natural' version of Jocelyn Wildenstein (a socialite with famously bad facial plastic surgery).

See: http://www.8bm.com/diatribes/volume02/diatribes012/images/jocelynwildenstein.jpg

[jeffjeff]

I'm not sure why, but I'd started to assume that Doherty was more or less off the drugs; probably just because he seemed a lot more healther looking recent pictures. I think it's a shame that so many people just know him as That Junkie What Kate Moss Is Shagging, and what's even worse is that people will start to know him now for the Babyshambles music, which is crap, and not the Libertines who made two genuinely great albums.

He's in the papers today saying the performance on saturday was so shambolic because Geldof's daughter Peaches pinched his arse before he went on stage and he was freaked out by it all. I think what you've got to keep in mind as well is that he was on stage with lots and lots of seasoned pros. That he managed to stand up straight and remember most of the words would be pretty good going at one of his own gigs.

I think as well that we shouldn't exactly take what Chris Martin said about it being the best thing ever too seriously. He's not exactly the most articulate of chaps at times, and I think it was just come old Public School Boy exuberance coming out. He'd probably already said that morning, "This is the best toast ever" or "These socks are just unbelievably fantastic".

[sam and janet evening]

"This is the best toast ever"

That's odd. A friend of mine's brother once said that and it became a sort of running joke.

[Mister Cairo]

and I think it was just come old Public School Boy exuberance coming out.

I`m sorry, but this annoys me. Why does the schooling system someone attended make any diffrence to their behaviour? Are you saying that if this Chris Martin person was educated at home, in the state sector or in any other way he wouldn`t behave in the way he did? Your use of Words Starting With Capitals suggests you think all such people are elite over-confident people owning fast cars. That`s wrong.

[Jon_Norton]

It's just what one would expect from an Oik.

[Artemis]

Thought people interested in this thread might be interested in this

Always brings a smile to my face to see David Frost in the front row of Snoop Dogg's set (1m10s into the first song) with ear plugs in and what looks like some kind of rug someone's thrown over him to cope with heat loss or something. It's actually a sweater but it makes me chuckle.

[John Williams]

George Monbiot has written a damning piece about Geldof in today's Guardian
which acts as an interesting coda to the whole Live 8 experience.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1563360,00.html

[Pinball]

bump for these links. Do they still work? (I'm not allowed to access 'em from work...)

Both parts now uploaded:

Part 1:
"Live8 - 1-6pm - BBC Radio1 - 2 July 2005.mp3" (285958 KB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=20LKZIU4

Part 2:
"Live8 - 6pm-12.30am - BBC Radio1 - 2 July 2005.mp3" (369136 KB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=24BWL531

These links should hopefully not expire (like yousendit does)...

[smoker]

George Monbiot has written a damning piece about Geldof in today's Guardian
which acts as an interesting coda to the whole Live 8 experience.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1563360,00.html

john bolton is an utter, utter cunt

[Borboski]

the article reminded me how distasteful i thought the whole thing was for most people.  "lets go and watch the kaiser chiefs in a park" - you know?  and that's going to help the very poor?

It reminded me of those tarrant on tv shows where he does child abuse in between wacky shots of Takeshi's Castle.