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The Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Event organisers to need to heed weather warnings
Many of the iconic photographs of the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 show a muddy mess as fans had fun in the mud after a large thunderstorm on the Sunday of the festival. That did not dampen the crowd's spirits and nobody was killed or injured by lightning during the event. This was the 'hippy' era of love and peace, with plenty of free love and great music that has and will live for generations to come. Some of the music industry's biggest icons were made at the event. My interest was pricked when I read the headline 'Steve Miller Band unexpectedly pulls the plug on entire North American tour'. My first impression was that it was due to band members' health problems, as they are long in the tooth, or for political reasons, a subject that is becoming boring lately, especially in the entertainment industry. How amazed I was at the real reason for the cancellation, which was cited as 'risky weather patterns'. I know that the older folk would say that the legendary rockers would never let something as trivial as the weather interfere with their concert. However, considering all the weather tragedies of late in the US, I think this is a responsible move, though Freddie Mercury (Queen) sang 'The show must go on'. I don't think he would have put his fans in danger. Incidentally, the Steve Miller Band tour was set to start on August 15, the same date as Woodstock in 1969. 'The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest fires make these risks for you, our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable,' the band said. 'So you can blame it on the weather; the tour is cancelled.' The Texas flooding, with the Camp Mystic tragedy, are not the only weather woes the US has experienced lately. Some headlines in the last week have been: 'Summer fishing trip turns deadly as lightning strike claims lives of 2 teens' and 'Lightning strike injures 20 at popular South Carolina vacation getaway'. If that is not tragic enough another headline read: 'Honeymoon ends in tragedy as lightning strike claims newlywed's life on Florida beach'. In addition, this is hurricane season in America, between June and November, so you can appreciate that the band made a wise decision. Many event organisers ignore the perils of severe weather. I think they are like the proverbial ostrich. Stick your head in the sand and hope all will go away. In 2011 there were five fatalities after a violent thunderstorm shredded canvas tents and brought down metal scaffolding at an open-air Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium, attended by 60,000 festival-goers. In 2016 at a rock music festival in Germany, lightning strikes injured 71 people in the 90,000-strong crowd. Many might say that only happens on the other side of the pond, but we have had incidents in the Bay where there was a collapse of a tent at an Ironman event, causing injuries that ended up in litigation. The same occurred when a jumping castle slide toppled during another outdoor event. It is interesting that America Online (AOL), in April this year, published an article titled 'Outdoor Events and Weather Emergencies: Tornadoes and Lightning Threaten These Venues'. In the article they referred to the fact that in recent years extreme weather had struck large public gatherings with little warning. They referred to golf fans being struck by lightning at a PGA Tour event and an Indianapolis 500 event that had to be abruptly cut short as a tornado passed nearby. It is possibly this article that led to the Steve Miller Band considering the safety of their fans and crew as reference was made to this year's extreme heat and that those attending concerts, sports and festivals needed to be prepared for the possibility of some of nature's more dangerous outbursts. No event organiser can control the weather or foresee a severe event. However, they must be aware of the risks and possibilities of such events, and do as much to minimise the risks through planning events when severe weather is not generally common. Forecasts and constant weather warnings are imperative. Ultimately organisers must have the courage of their convictions to cancel such events at short notice. The cost and time of litigation after the fact can be taxing on the company or organisation. This week in history: 1989: Strong winds in Graaff-Reinet result in widespread damage, especially to informal structures. Dam Levels 68.37%, slightly down from previous week ' s 68.81%. Impofu down to 50.40%. Weather Safety Tips: When pitching a tent for camping or an event, always double stake tent stays if strong winds are expected. Ensuring tent flaps are tightly secured is vital to prevent excessive wind from entering the area and causing an additional upward force to lift the tent.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Bob Geldof: ‘I never read about myself. I can't stand the stupid f**king things I say'
Bob Geldof has yet to sit down to Live Aid at 40 , the BBC's gripping and expletive-filled account of how he wrangled some of the world's biggest pop stars into appearing at the era-defining 1985 charity concerts at Wembley in London and in Philadelphia . 'I never watch anything that I'm in. I never read anything about myself. I can't stand the stupid f**king things I say. I can't stand looking at my crap hair and all that sort of stuff. But I know about it and the response has been amazing. I was in Britain on the 'anniversary day',' he says, referring to Live Aid's 40th 'birthday' on July 13th. 'Even calling it the 'anniversary day' is weird to me.' Live Aid at 40 portrayed Geldof in a largely laudatory light. There were quibbles about the lyrics of the 1984 Band Aid single, Do They Know It's Christmas? Ethiopian politicians were offended by the song's title, explaining that, with their rich history of Christianity, they were perfectly aware of the birth of Jesus. [ Live Aid at 40: Bob Geldof emerges from this less sanitised version of events seeming somehow more admirable Opens in new window ] But the film's wider message was that Geldof had done something extraordinary by cajoling music's brightest lights – most famously Freddie Mercury and Queen – into coming together to raise millions for the victims of the Ethiopian Famine. He is pleased the documentary was well received, and that the anniversary hoopla has refocused attention on the plight of so many in Africa today. 'The nicest thing I read was that the greatest achievement of Live Aid was, in this world of indifference, [it] put poverty in Africa back on the agenda 40 years later.' READ MORE Geldof (73) has a reputation as a garrulous interviewer and someone prone to going off on a tangent. However, he is chatty and considered when talking to The Irish Times ahead of a performance next weekend by his group the Boomtown Rats in Co Waterford. It's possible we've caught him at a good moment. He's out on the road, leading the band on a 50th anniversary tour and playing to packed houses (a new compilation record, The First 50 Years: Songs of Boomtown Glory, follows in September). Though Live Aid and his campaigning have arguably eclipsed the Boomtown Rats' melodic punk pop, music is still his first love – and on stage, he burns with the same anger that has been a defining quality of his band since they played their debut concert on the campus of Bolton Street Institute of Technology in 1975. His rage came from his experience as a young man coming of age in the near-theocracy that was 1970s Ireland. He wasn't the only one to bristle under the dead hand of the Church – but he spoke out about it where others refused to. That need to lash out was the driving force behind the Boomtown Rats' first single, Rat Trap – inspired by his experience working in an abattoir in Dublin and observing how Catholicism and a life of narrowed horizons had beaten down and hollowed out his colleagues. He was only getting started. He and his band were more or less blacklisted from Ireland after Geldof went on The Late Late Show in 1977 and denounced 'medieval-minded clerics and corrupt politicians'. He also had a go at some nuns heckling from the audience – telling them they had 'an easy life with no material worries in return for which they gave themselves body and soul to the church'. The appearance caused a furore – even the unflappable Gay Byrne looked shocked. The Boomtown Rats would not play again in Ireland until 1980. It was a price he was happy to pay – a point he made clear in the 2020 documentary Citizens of Boomtown, released along with a well-reviewed comeback album of the same name. Bob Geldof: 'I have more or less the exact same opinion as everybody else on the disgrace, the horror of Palestine.' Photograph: Chris Hoare/New York Times Geldof performs with The Boomtown Rats at Leixlip Castle in 1980. Photograph: Paddy Whelan 'There was certainly a focused anger with me,' he says today. 'Perhaps less so with some of the others [in the band]. An inchoate undetermined rage was definitely the fuel. If there was this society that was just stuck, and there didn't seem to be any way that it could unstick itself, we would just go – along with hundreds and thousands of others. But in our going we articulated, I think, that rage – either literally in the songs or in the sound we made.' Decades on, a new generation of Irish musicians has taken up the baton – most prominently the Belfast-Derry rap trio Kneecap and Dublin/Mayo indie band Fontaines DC, who have advocated fiercely on behalf of Gaza. Does he see something of himself and the Boomtown Rats in those artists? [ Citizens of Boomtown: 'Bob Geldof drove me out of my f***ing mind' Opens in new window ] 'As I said, rock'n roll is essentially an articulation of the hitherto inexpressible. If there's something bothering you and you're inherently musical it will find its way. And it is something that seems to catch the zeitgeist. That's why these things become popular. The attitude of Fontaines and Kneecap ... there's a direct line back to Little Richard. It's corny and obvious but it's true.' The distinction, he believes, is that music is no longer at the centre of the culture of protest. It isn't that bands today care any less than their predecessors or that their fans are any less invested. But society no longer looks to music for answers in the way it once did. 'The difference is that ... this is contentious, but why not? I think that rock'n'roll as the spine of the culture was a 50-year phenomenon,' he says. 'In my lifetime rock'n roll was the arbiter of the social dialogue. The role of music has been taken by social media. Pop was our social media.' Everything changed in the early 21st century, he believes. The internet assumed dominance, and music became just another art form rather than a lightning rod for dissent and challenging the status quo. Bob Geldof and Darren Beale of The Boomtown Rats on stage at the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, earlier this month. Photograph:'The year 2004 was when Google first made a profit. And 2004 was when this new thing appeared called Facebook. From that point on [music reverted to being] like music in the 1920s, '30s, '40s. Brilliant artists, brilliant writers, wonderful music. Fantastic songs. 'That doesn't mean music has lost all meaning. Just that it is no longer a pillar of social protest. You will always remember the feeling when you first kissed a girl, first kissed a boy. That will always be there,' he continues. '[But] it's been taken over by social media. Social media will take what a band has to say and amplify it. But then again social media is not a broad technology, it is an isolationist technology. So it has less impact. And while these bands make great music and they are fantastic bands, I'm not sure it will have the resonances that pop once had.' Geldof grew up in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin. His mother died of a brain haemorrhage when he was seven, and he was raised by his father, who managed restaurants around Dublin. The singer later attributed what The Irish Times once described as his 'premature independence' and habit of pushing back against the status quo to the absence of a mother and his father's long working hours. Having left Ireland and taken on various jobs in Cambridgeshire and Canada, he returned home and founded the Boomtown Rats in 1975. After one of their early gigs, a woman walked up and asked if she could sleep with him – an exchange he had never imagined possible in 1970s Ireland. At that moment, he understood that being a rock star could change his life. Relocating to London, the band had huge success with singles such as I Don't Like Mondays. The country myself and the Rats left was a very closed society, which ultimately led to a highly degenerate political body — Bob Geldof Geldof entered a relationship with TV presenter Paula Yates . They had three daughters and eventually tied the knot, though the marriage fell apart after Yates embarked on an affair with Michael Hutchence of INXS, with whom she had another daughter. Hutchence died by suicide in 1997. Yates suffered a fatal heroin overdose in 2000. In April 2014 there was further tragedy when Geldof and Yates's 25-year-old daughter Peaches died , also of a drug overdose. In a statement, Geldof said the family was 'beyond pain'. Geldof is widely admired, but he is not above criticism. After Live Aid, he was accused of encouraging a White Saviour attitude towards Africa. The naysayers have included Ed Sheeran who said last year that his vocals were added to a new remix of Do They Know It's Christmas? without his permission. His contribution was taken from a 2014 version of the song, and Sheeran said that, were he asked to participate today, he would decline. He quoted an Instagram post by singer Fuse ODG, who said undertakings such as Live Aid 'perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa's economic growth, tourism and investment, ultimately … destroying its dignity, pride and identity'. Geldof and Paula Yates in 1979. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images Live Aid: Geldof and fellow musicians on stage at Wembley in 1985. Photograph: BBC/Brook Lapping/Mirrorpix/Getty Geldof, along with his contemporary Bono, has also been attacked for staying 'quiet' about Gaza. Last year, singer Mary Coughlan said: 'We all saved the world when Bob and Bono were talking about saving the world, and I couldn't understand what was different about this situation in Gaza. Why would they would be so quiet about it?' 'Well of course I have opinions, like anybody,' he says of Gaza, adding that, as a trustee of the Band Aid Charitable Trust, his work with Africa is his primary focus. 'Whether I like it or not, I am associated with Africa. I've spent 40 years … Every day, I wake to at least 10 Band Aid emails about the latest situation. [The charity is] still building hospitals or … dealing with children Sudan. Or dealing with the ruined bodies of gang-raped women … And trying to give them some semblance of a future life. That's what I wake to every morning and have done for 40 years,' says Geldof. 'So you'll forgive me when I speak I stay focused on that where I know from whence I speak. I can literally do something about that. I have obviously more or less the exact same opinion as everybody else on the disgrace, the horror of Palestine. And, as you know, the answer to the issue of Palestine – it's not as if it's unresolvable. It is a two-state solution. And one way or the other that will ultimately occur. ' He points out that in 1984, nobody was taking a public stand about the famine in Ethiopia. He was the first musician with a platform to do so. Today, there is a chorus of voices about Gaza. 'There was an opportunity to give a focus point,' he said of Live Aid. 'There are plenty of focus points with regard to Palestine. But nothing is going to happen there until the wanton killing is stopped.' What about the argument that Ireland and Britain have flipped positions since Geldof was an angry young man? Once hidebound by religion, the Republic has blossomed into a poster child for progressive values – or so we like to tell ourselves. Meanwhile it has become voguish to paint post-Brexit UK as a wasteland of hollowed-out town centres and red-faced men in Wetherspoons complaining about refugees. [ The unsung Irishman behind Live Aid. Not Bono, not Bob, but Paddy Opens in new window ] 'I'd be wary of the starting point with regards to Britain ... It's a dynamic and creative country. Regardless of what you think, it's still the seventh biggest economy on the planet. In Ireland's case, it is transformative. I come back to what I always thought the country could be. That is not to say I don't know very well indeed the contemporary issues. I follow it rigorously and avidly. My family are in Ireland. I'm back all the time. I follow the politics etc. Having said that, the country myself and the Rats left [was] a very closed society, which ultimately led to a highly degenerate political body.' Bono makes an interesting point in the Live Aid documentary about he and Geldof, being Irish, having a folk memory of the Famine. Geldof wasn't aware of Bono's comments – as he says, he didn't watch the series. But he does wonder if being Irish did help put a fire under him. In one scene in the BBC film, he browbeats Margaret Thatcher into essentially removing VAT from Do They Know It's Christmas? He looks her straight in the eyes and talks without fear or deference – something it's hard to imagine even the most ardent English punk rocker doing. [ Live Aid spurred me into becoming a GOAL volunteer on the ground in Africa Opens in new window ] 'One of my pet theories is that punk is largely the product of the first generation of the Windrush people [ie migrants to Britain from the Caribbean] and the first generation of the 1950s mass migration out of Ireland. I don't think it's an accident you had Elvis Costello, Shane MacGowan, George O'Dowd [aka Boy George], Johnny Lydon, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, the Gallagher brothers. A very antsy attitude. Then you had the actual Irish like us. Some of us were friends some of us weren't – rivals or whatever. I always got on really well with Johnny. We always seemed to get on well with each other. Did it make a difference with Live Aid? I don't think anyone was surprised it came out of the Irish community.' The Boomtown Rats play All Together Now at Curraghmore Estate, Co Waterford, over the August bank holiday weekend. The First 50 Years: Songs of Boomtown Glory is released September 19th
The Journal
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Quiz: How much do you know about Queen?
LEGENDARY QUEEN GUITARIST Brian May celebrated his 78th birthday yesterday. Besides his big hair, the musician is best known for founding the iconic rock band alongside the late Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining shortly afterwards. Advertisement So we thought we would test your knowledge of the group. Are you a champion, or will you bite the dust? In which year did Queen form as a band? Alamy 1965 1970 1975 1980 What was Freddie Mercury's birth name? Alamy Francis Avallone Florian de Bounevialle Farrokh Bulsara Peter Gene Hernandez Which song got the band their first number one hit in the US? Alamy Bohemian Rhapsody Radio Ga Ga Killer Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love The famous I Want To Break Free music video was a parody of which long-running soap opera? Queen EastEnders Coronation Street Emmerdale Brookside Which of these statements is true about Queen's Greatest Hits albums, which was released in 1981? Alamy It is the longest 'greatest hits' album ever released by an artist All of the tracks on the album were re-recorded specifically for this record The band didn't make any money from its release It is the biggest-selling album in UK history Which of these Queen albums was released first? Alamy A Day at the Races Alamy A Night at the Opera Alamy A Kind of Magic Alamy News of the World Which of these Queen songs does not credit Brian May as a writer? Alamy Don't Stop Me Now Fat Bottomed Girls Who Wants To Live Forever We Will Rock You Brian May is known for his famous electric guitar the Red Special, which he built with his father when he was a teenager. But what does he use to play it? Alamy A toothpick A key A sixpence coin A normal guitar pick As well as being a guitarist, Brian May has a PhD in which of these fields? Alamy Astrophysics Engineering Medieval literature Zoology Finally, if you were listening to Bohemian Rhapsody- as you do - which of these lyrics would you hear latest in the song? Queen "He's just a poor boy from a poor family" "Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth" "I don't wanna die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all" "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?" "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me" "Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here" "Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me" "Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time" Answer all the questions to see your result! Alamy You scored out of ! We Are The Champions No time for losers here! Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy You scored out of ! Don't Stop Me Now You're having such a good time, you nearly got them all right! Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy You scored out of ! Under Pressure Why don't you give yourself one more chance? You'll do better next time Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy You scored out of ! The Show Must Go On You may not have gotten many right, but your smile still stays on Share your result: Share Tweet Alamy You scored out of ! Another One Bites The Dust And another one wrong, and another one wrong... Share your result: Share Tweet Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Queen legend Freddie Mercury's six-word question before making sweet gesture to music icon
Electro legend Gary Numan has detailed a heartwarming story about the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, which took place when the two musicians crossed paths in Tokyo Freddie Mercury, the legendary frontman of Queen, once posed a "darling" six-word question to another music superstar before making a thoughtful gesture at a party in Japan. Gary Numan, the electro pioneer behind hits like 'Are 'Friends' Electric?' and 'Cars', shared a touching anecdote about Freddie's kindness when they crossed paths in Tokyo. The 67-year-old Tubeway Army frontman described how the iconic rock band threw a "big party" at a sushi restaurant following their concert. However, there was one hitch for Gary: he didn't care for the Japanese speciality. But this didn't go unnoticed by the considerate Freddie, who approached Gary to check on him. This led to a brief conversation between the two musicians and the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' star making a food-related gesture. Speaking to Tom Parker-Bowles for the Mail's You Magazine, Gary said: "I once went to see Queen play in Tokyo, and afterwards they had a big party at a sushi restaurant. Everyone's sitting down and eating, save me. I don't like sushi." He continued: " Freddie Mercury comes over and says, 'Darling, why are you not eating?' I say I'm perfectly all right, and just so happy to be here at this cool evening. Freddie then organised his security man to go out and pick up a McDonald's." Summing up his story, Gary added that he proceeded to eat his McDonald's in the Tokyo sushi restaurant, "ordered by Freddie Mercury", and it would be the last thing he "ever ate in Japan". Freddie, who sadly died on November 24, 1991, aged 45, was reportedly a fan of good food, although it's said that he didn't greatly enjoy indulging in it. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, to Parsi-Indian parents, Freddie retained a lifelong affection for Parsi dishes, as reported by Far Out Magazine. His favourite was chicken dhansak, a classic Parsi recipe combining lentils, vegetables, and typically goat or chicken. In a heartwarming revelation from 2019, it was discovered that Freddie's spirit of giving lived on through his will, which instructed that a festive hamper from Fortnum and Mason be sent annually to his close friends and godchildren, with the bill charged to his estate. "We do think it's a lovely gesture," said a spokesperson for the store to MailOnline, "Which has been known to happen on occasion." Elton John has also spoken about Freddie's incredible generosity, recalling how he received a watercolour painting wrapped in a "beautiful pillowcase" from the ailing star. He added: "It was really moving. He was dying and he still thought of his friends. I still have it on its easel and I still have the pillowcase next to my bed. "That is the type of person he was. He was so so full of love and life."
Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Is this the worst celebrity diet you've ever seen?
My first food memory is my mum Beryl telling me the things on my plate were chips, when they were actually parsnips. She was trying to make me eat something healthy, but she wasn't fooling me. I knew they weren't chips and was having none of it. Trying to get me to eat better has been an ongoing battle since I was born. First my mother, and now my wife Gemma. Only yesterday she gave me a vegan sausage roll, and lied to me, saying it was made with meat. People try to trick me all the time to make me more healthy. My mum did all the cooking when I was growing up in Wraysbury, Berkshire – but was she any good? I have no idea. I'm a barbarian when it comes to food, and I eat terribly. I just have chips and sausages. I don't eat any greens at all. I once went to see Queen play in Tokyo, and afterwards they had a big party at a sushi restaurant. Everyone's sitting down and eating, save me. I don't like sushi. Freddy Mercury comes over and says, 'Darling, why are you not eating?' I say I'm perfectly all right, and just so happy to be here at this cool evening. Freddie then organised his security man to go out and pick up a McDonald's. So I ate McDonald's in a Tokyo sushi restaurant, ordered by Freddie Mercury. And that was the last thing I ever ate in Japan. My McDonald's order is always a plain Quarter Pounder, with nothing on it at all. No salt, no cheese, no nothing. That, and a medium or large fries. I don't know if this is because I'm autistic, but I'm able to eat the same thing every day for months and months. When I'm at home in Los Angeles, breakfast is two eggs and a hash brown. Or a bacon sandwich. Then dinner is a sausage sandwich, with one sausage. Then in the evening some English chocolate – a Fudge bar or Caramac. I don't really drink, so I never put alcohol on my tour riders. And as I get a bit nervous before gigs I don't really eat, so I don't ask for anything. The rider is less for me than for the band, so they can have what they want. I hate pretty much everything my wife eats. She's vegetarian, borderline vegan, and all her stuff smells horrendous, all garlicky and herby. We are so different from each other. I don't even know the names of most of the stuff she eats. All I know is that it smells terrible, and I often have to sit somewhere else so I can enjoy my own food. My comfort food is white toast with butter. Anything else on top ruins a perfectly nice piece of toast. I also like sandwiches – salmon, peanut butter, Marmite and, if I'm being really adventurous, ham. When you consider a ham sandwich exotic, you see the problem. I don't drink water because I genuinely believe I'm allergic to it. If I drink more than one glass, it makes my tummy feel horrible. My favourite drink used to be Coca-Cola, but now it's Coke Zero. I drink a lot of Coke Zero. I do miss a proper British pub lunch. Even though I don't drink, there's something about sitting on the grass outside a lovely pub. I just love that atmosphere. My last supper would be Gemma's roast dinner, with roast potatoes and her Yorkshire pudding. But I'd have a sausage instead of beef or lamb – two if I'm feeling special. We've found an LA company that does decent British sausages. It amazes me that I've got through life this far, still reasonably slim, without any ailments. I've done nothing to earn that with my diet. Nothing at all.
