Music that makes you think of OTFers

[DCI Harry Batt]

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which raised money for the Mercury Phoenix Trust for AIDS research. It was an evening thing, as far as I recall, as it was 'only' a few hours long – I have clear memories of watching it on a black-and-white TV, of all things. Which makes it seem like it must've been about 1976, but I was 12, my parents were watching other stuff in the living room and even in 1992 that was the only alternative we had in the spare bedroom.

I was there. It seemed longer than just an evening thing at the time, I'm sure, though maybe that was including all the getting here and getting home shenanigans.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I've just realised that I've got a complete false memory of watching Live Aid. I was playing cricket, got out to a slower ball for 49, and came back into the pavilion where the rest of the team were watching the concert. Except that that was a team I joined in 1987, so it couldn't be true. Now I'm going to have to rack my brains to figure out a) where did I actually watch Live Aid, and b) was there another charity Wembley gig in the late 80s that I'm confusing it with?

Were there lots of long-haired blokes, theatrics and a royal presence watching on? If so, that was the FA Cup Final.

[longeared]

Mandela concert at Wembley in 1988?

[imp]

Lots of fond memories of Live Aid here. So it was just me boycotting this obscenely self-serving fest of fuck-witted pop-twats pretending they gave a toss about starving Africans?

Like pebbledash, I was playing cricket too - notched 18 for Market Rasen Second XI before getting a top edge to mid-off. The only time I couldn't avoid the concert was on the car radio on the way to the game, which was in Lincoln somewhere - luckily I was in the back and it was turned down so low you could barely hear it. The driver, who was one of our local cops, was telling us how he'd caught a couple shagging on the local golf course and issued them with a caution. Not a great story, but better than listening to Live Aid.

[Gangster Octopus]

Lots of fond memories of Live Aid here. So it was just me boycotting this obscenely self-serving fest of fuck-witted pop-twats pretending they gave a toss about starving Africans?

Nope, but I'm sure that we discussed this years ago.

[MsD]

I thought it was naff (and barely watched it at the time), but overall, it raised awareness. AID versus not-AID has been discussed over and over here but it's a perennial debate.

As with Band Aid, I know a few people involved at the organisation and performing levels and it's funny (for me) to hear the micro side of it (who was bitching about whom, who was drunk, who tried to get off with whose partner), as opposed to putting it in context of African famine relief.

[Satchmo Distel]

I watched the British leg because there wasn't much music on TV at the time and I was curious as to how they would cover it. I lasted about two hours and was drifting in and out for most of that time.

Did it save a few lives? Maybe. Did it revive the careers of dinosoars and thus leave less space for new acts? The charts of the next few years would suggest so. Did it give Thatcher and Reagan a figleaf to hide behind whilst simultaneously widening global inequality? Definitely? Did future Comic Relief efforts provide free advertising for corporations waving checks around? Yes.

[Jah Womble]

A lot of my friends (and girlfriend of the time) banged on about how great it all was, but Live Aid wasn’t for me. It was on in my parents’ front room, so I think I caught a bit of U2 at Wembley and Simple Minds at JFK.

Great that the entire campaign and its offshoots raised awareness, but I’ve never been especially comfortable with the wealthy beseeching (or guilt-tripping) joe public into parting with his cash.

[imp]

Raised awareness? I'd argue that it did the opposite. It perpetuated numerous myths, the worst being that 1. Africa is a place where everyone is starving and lives in misery and 2. You can do something about that by watching your favourite band, buying the record and/or donating ten quid. Then you can forget about it again.

[Sporting]

Raised awareness? I'd argue that it did the opposite. It perpetuated numerous myths, the worst being that 1. Africa is a place where everyone is starving and lives in misery

Fair enough but I for one thought it was about Ethiopia and not about the whole continent.

[Sporting]

And there was a lot of poverty. I remember being in a refugee camp in eastern Sudan in the early 80s; most of the refugees were dirt poor, they had nothing. I can say the same thing about other areas in the places I lived in and visited. Now, Live Aid wasn't in the end the answer. But there were questions.

[MsD]

Yes, there is/was poverty in parts of Africa. No, it isn’t/wasn’t because the people there are childlike or passive.

Maybe we could start another thread, or resurrect one of the many others on this subject. The most recent being the White Saviours one.

[laverte]

Watching a recent Top of the Pops repeat, i found myself hoping that the moment Phil Collins looked up from his piano, tilted his head and sang the words "Just think about it" was when Chris Morris said to himself "I need to work with this man."

[Patrick Thistle]

Yes, there is/was poverty in parts of Africa. No, it isn’t/wasn’t because the people there are childlike or passive.

Maybe we could start another thread, or resurrect one of the many others on this subject. The most recent being the White Saviours one.

Yes I think that would be a good idea.

One Week was on the radio the other morning and I thought of WOM

[Bored Of Education]

Fair enough but I for one thought it was about Ethiopia and not about the whole continent.

I think the "There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas" in the original single set the trend for the thought that it was all about the continent as well as the Live Aid logo itself (with its oddly stunted rendering of Ethiopia). Midge Ure says that that that line was the only part that he changed but it was switching "Ethiopia" in the original to "Africa" for scanning reasons. What he did do though was exacerbate the original meteorological inaccuracy.

[imp]

Fair enough but I for one thought it was about Ethiopia and not about the whole continent.

Exactly. What about the whole continent? It was only covered when there was a famine. Then, and for a long time afterwards, and arguably still now, the majority of news coverage about the African continent focuses on it as a place to be pitied and to which we must send aid (cf. White Saviour references above). In reality, it is an extremely dynamic, innovative continent full of potential with a very young demographic. Considering the useless evils that we as colonists bequeathed it - Christianity, capitalism, arbitrary national boundaries, mass exploitation of its people and resources - it's a continent that's broadly in rude health, but largely disregarded in media coverage unless there's a catastrophe - famine or civil war. The current western attitude towards Africa is alternatively neglect or condescension, instead of a co-operative approach aimed at allowing it to thrive through being allowed to make the most of its own resources.

[MsD]

All covered in that thread.
https://www.onetouchfootball.com/for...ey#post2324402

[Patrick Thistle]

Inadvertently though, now I'm going to think of imp any time Live Aid is mentioned. Or Bob Geldof.

[delicatemoth]

I cannot resist any longer.

'Felicity' by Orange Juice.

[MsD]

Actually, yes.

[Satchmo Distel]

'Misty' - MsD

[MsD]

Heh. I’ll take it.

A friend bought me the Stand & Deliver single for my birthday, which I didn’t have, I don’t think (another friend bought me the Antmusic single).

Outside Ant circles people don’t really get the difference between punk Ants and pop Ants, but it’s OK because the pop Ants singles all have killer punk B-sides, in this case Beat My Guest, which I love.

[kokamoa]

I think was when he had his breakdown and tried to sail his yacht to Rio and got about as far as Falmouth before it sank. I might be misrembering this.

He sank just off Falmouth when only trying to get to Cherbourg in the Fastnet race. A year later, he managed to complete the Whitbread Round the World Race without incident.