The Boomtown Rats

[Theblip]

A 90 minute documentary on BBC2 on a Saturday night....really? Were The Boomtown Rats as good and significant as Bob Geldof thinks they are?

[237SJ]

When I met him (many years ago) we had a little disabled kid with us who wanted Bob's autograph. The answer was "No"

[THECORBYLOON]

THELAND, it would be boring only if you watched "Covaid" and no-one would force you to do that.

[ducksie]

really??? Not a great fan of The Boomtown Rats but I adore Bob Geldof. Not only for the man he is but for how he helped to change Ireland for the better. I personally don't think so, but if you did think he did, good for you gness -he's arrogant,and as my friend would say, intoxicated by the illusions of his own verbosity which Gay Byrne just lauded him with it all - D4 gobshite that is not a popular person by the majority of the population, if half that know him now even know who he is - as well as that, any upstanding he had here he lost once he accepted a knighthood

[Ken4155]

Bought - and loved - their album 'Tonic For The Troops'. I thought they were a breath of fresh air - at the time , of course.
The tearing up of the photo of Travolta and Newton-John was done with tongue very much in cheek. They had been keeping the Rats off top spot for a few weeks and it was just Bob's way of celebrating getting above them in the charts.

[Ken4155]

237SJ; Where did you meet him?

[elliemay1]

I know that Ken but IMO it was a very childish stunt

[237SJ]

Ken - at work

[JimF]

I absolutely loved that! I was so sick of Grease, which just seemed to be everywhere at the time, that it was so good when the Rats finally knocked Summer Nights off the top spot.

[Ken4155]

What I meant was, under what circumstances did you meet him. Was he readily giving autographs and refused the disabled kid you had with you or was he refusing to give autographs to anyone?

[Ken4155]

Totally agree, JimF. :-)

[gness]

Ducksie.....he helped lead young folk away from the Catholic Church...its paedophile priests...cruel nuns who took pleasure in the torture they inflicted in Magdalene Laundries...he helped to show it was okay to question the church and the establishment...that's fine by me.
The Ireland I'm living in is so much better than the Ireland of my childhood...x

[tonyav]

I remember ''Summer Nights'' really well, can't remember which Boom Town Rats single knocked it off the No 1 spot though ( can't be bothered to Google ).

[Ken4155]

Rat Trap

[tonyav]

Thanks Ken.

[Ken4155]

Everybody remembers Summer Nights - mostly for that awful "Bu-ut, eugh, those su-ummer ni-iiiiiiiights!"

[JimF]

Doesn't everybody remember Rat Trap as well?

♫ It's a rat trap, Judy, and you've been CAUGHT! ♫

[ducksie]

gness, if you like to think that from geldof, good for you but he is not that popular, there are an awful lot of great Irish people who stayed in ireland and made it what it is today - the likes of Nell McCafferty and many more - Geldof was a showman - nothing more or less

[JimF]

Gness, you are by no means the only Irish person of that opinion!

[ducksie]

Wasn't geldof got the train to the 'north'to bring back the pill and the condom, nor was it geldof that exposed the church and historical abuse

[gness]

I know that, Jim...x

I know he didn't expose it, Ducksie...many did or tried before him and Catherine Corless is still leading a way despite being told to leave the remains of the tots where the nuns had thrown them...and deserves all the support she is getting.
Geldof enabled others...especially the young. That was a good thing.