Bob Geldof on personal toll of Live Aid: "It probably ended up costing me my marriage."
14 July 2020, 13:06 | Updated: 14 July 2020, 14:14
The Boomtown Rats rocker has looked back at the event 35 years later and remarked upon the toll it took on his career and personal life.
Sir Bob Geldof has looked back on Live Aid on its 35th anniversary and revealed the personal toll it took on his life.
The Boomtown Rats frontman is most famous for joining forces with Ultra Vox's Midge Ure to bring about the event, which took place on 13 July 1985 to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine crisis.
In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, Geldof has revealed how he "hated" the praise he received over the 1984 Band Aid charity song Do They Know It's Christmas? and the subsequent Live Aid event, which saw him go from a musician to a celebrity overnight.
“I hated it. It became impossible,” Geldof said. "For a while I was bewildered. I didn’t have much money at the time. It impinged entirely on my private life."
Geldof, who was married to the late Paula Yates from 1986 to 1996, added: "It probably ended up costing me my marriage."
READ MORE: Was Live Aid the greatest gig ever?
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid 1985)
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Geldof also admits losing himself and his purpose in the aftermath of the Wembley event, which saw everyone from David Bowie to U2 take part and saw Queen give their most iconic performance.
“I wasn’t allowed to go back to my job. "I’m a pop singer. That’s literally how I make my money. That’s my job. I get up in the morning, if I’m in the mood. I’ll try and write tunes. I’ll go and try and rehearse," he said:
"And I couldn’t. And no one was interested. Saint Bob, which I was called, wasn’t allowed to do this anymore because it’s so petty and so meaningless. So, I was lost.”
Though proud of his achievements, Geldof doesn't feel Live Aid would be able to happen in the same way today.
“It was the end of that political period of cooperation and consensus and compromise. Would that happen today? No. You just have to look at the clowns running the planet to understand that could never happen again,” Geldof said.
Speaking in a new video introduction for the event's 35th anniversary, Geldof said: "Welcome to the 35th anniversary of what is commonly called the greatest concert of all time."
He added: "The reason why it became he greatest concert isn't just because of the elevated performances you're about to see, but because of the reason for having the concert in the first place..."
Watch his full introduction below:
Bob Geldof - Introduction to Live Aid 35
READ MORE: Do Bob Geldof and Midge Ure receive any royalties for Do They Know It's Christmas?
