Posted on 06/21/2005 5:40:29 PM PDT by blam
Leave Bush alone, Geldof warns stars
By Hugh Davies
(Filed: 21/06/2005)
Bob Geldof has reportedly warned a top recording artist not to publicly criticise the White House during the worldwide television broadcast of the Live 8 concerts next month.
The warning came after Geldof insisted that President George W Bush had done more for Africa than any other American leader.
The manager of the singer was quoted as having been told: "Please remember, absolutely no ranting and raving about Bush or Blair and the Iraq war. We want to bring Bush in, not run him away."
Geldof was said to be determined not to lose control of the central message of his concerts of putting pressure on the G8 leaders meeting at Gleneagles, although it will be difficult for him to stop artful performers like Will Smith, Eminem, 50 Cent and P Diddy from speaking out if they want to in Philadelphia.
Geldof, often the most trenchant critic of politicians, was sympathetic towards Mr Bush in an interview published by Time magazine. He sat with the U2 singer Bono, who recently publicly shook hands with the president.
Bono was exceedingly pro-Bush, calling him "the most important and toughest nut", a stance that has annoyed singers such as Billy Bragg and Sinead O'Connor, who think he is risking his credibility by getting too close to the leader.
But Bono seems to have influenced Geldof, who insisted in the interview that the United States had no "lack of empathy", adding that Tony Blair ("once a young git with the worst haircut save mine") was also "in tune with where we've come from".
Geldof confessed that he had been forced to defend the Bush administration in a visit to France, where "they refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa". Geldof said: "But it's empirically so."
The musician who was reportedly warned by Geldof to "stay on message" was anxious not to be identified, possibly noting the backlash that followed a comment by Natalie Maines, of the Dixie Chicks, at a London concert, when she announced: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Radio stations boycotted the band's music and their CDs were smashed by bulldozers before Maines publicly apologised to Mr Bush.
Has to be Eminem.
...."artful performers like Will Smith, Eminem, 50 Cent and P Diddy....."
Artful performers. God help us all.
As sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, the enlightened performers of the Free 8 concerts will use their microphones to slam all that is good and decent.
Amazing that Bush has done so much for Africa, on my tax dollar, while never asking my opinion.
I'm thinking those idiots, COLDPLAY.
Check that: HAS to be that noted stoner geo-political expert, Dave Matthews....
ping
wow. shouldn't someone ping the tolkien list?
:)
I'll bet it was Elton. He's a blowhard but wouldn't have the guts to stand by the bile he spews about GWB..
You gave him your opinion when you voted for him to be your leader.
The toughest nut? Hey dickhea-- I mean Bono, ever hear of France?
I don't recall maines ever apologizing to the President. was this a Durbin apology?
Will Smith is supposedly a conservative, but who knows what kind of influence Jada has had on him by now. I don't think those other liberals have enough self restraint NOT to bash Bush.
You have to laugh at has-beens who think that they are still relevant.
I think Elton is too much of an (expletive deleted) to actually go on stage and say anything, he saves his PMS rants for mags, rags, and fishwraps.
Where did you hear/read Will Smith is a conservative???
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