- Paperback: 464 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (9 Oct 1986)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014009363X
- ISBN-13: 978-0140093636
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 195,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"'It's terrific... sheer Geldof, direct, loud-mouthed, honest, button-holing, obscene, compassionate, compelling... Everyone over thirteen should read it' Hunter Davies, Evening Standard 'He is funny, frank and often four-lettered - but never boring' Financial Times 'Plenty of bright, rebellious, style-setting, charismatic young men have swilled and fornicated, but not many of them have had the urge to kiss the wounded' Clive James, Observer '(It) shows that by a combination of charm, loquaciousness and irrevocable moral certainty, a wayward, catholic, hand-reared boy can shift the world on its axis' Sunday Times"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Vocabulary of 1000 words.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
THat was the comment from a newspaper journalist. I agree completey, this book wuld be an excellent read even if only about his childhood and rise to fame in the Boomtown Rats. On top of this, the book also closely documents how Bob came up with the idea for Band Aid, and how it came to reality, and how it led to Live Aid, the biggest concert ever in the world with 2 BILLION people watching it. Read it!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I do not own this book at present but have read it before. It is a marvellous, and truly rare insight into one of our hero's, a true living legend. Like his gigs of which I have seen two he is candid and open but does not like a fuss made about him. The man posseses more humility than is nessecary in any human being. A great read, for God's sake buy it!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
As great a cultural contribution as his Band Aid/Live Aid achievement (OK, almost as good!)
16 Mar 2011
Format:Paperback
Possibly the best autobiography ever written. I read this book when I was about fourteen and it felt like something I didn't want my Mum to discover in my room, so explicit was Bob's honesty and language. Not just foul language and sexual language, but a more honest and direct use of the English language than I'd previously encountered in any kind of publication anywhere at all.
Any fears or hopes that the book will be a step-by-step re-enactment of the Band Aid/Live Aid process are not necessarily founded, because the first two thirds of the book are like two separate books beforehand. Both of which are brilliant.
The first third is a a description of Bob's Irish childhood, adolescence and young manhood, which reads better than Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' or Roddy Doyle's 'Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha' (both of which I enjoyed in their own right).
The second third is a description of Bob's rise from wannabe pop/rock star, to bona fide writer/singer of international Number One songs and albums with The Boomtown Rats, which reads better than 'The Dirt' by Motley Cru, or Slash's Guns & Roses history (again, both of which I enjoyed in their own right), and sits alongside Chuck Berry's autobiography as the best of it's kind.
The third and final third, of course, depicts in detail the moment where Bob feels moved to take major-league humanitarian action on a larger scale than has ever been even contemplated, either before or since. He makes the impossible possible by first conceiving an unlikely yet inspired idea, then having the sheer strength of mind, body and soul to ensure it happens. It's an intriguing page-turner involving behind-the-scenes showbiz excitement, high-end politics and power in all it's forms.
Any fears or hopes that the book will be a step-by-step re-enactment of the Band Aid/Live Aid process are not necessarily founded, because the first two thirds of the book are like two separate books beforehand. Both of which are brilliant.
The first third is a a description of Bob's Irish childhood, adolescence and young manhood, which reads better than Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' or Roddy Doyle's 'Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha' (both of which I enjoyed in their own right).
The second third is a description of Bob's rise from wannabe pop/rock star, to bona fide writer/singer of international Number One songs and albums with The Boomtown Rats, which reads better than 'The Dirt' by Motley Cru, or Slash's Guns & Roses history (again, both of which I enjoyed in their own right), and sits alongside Chuck Berry's autobiography as the best of it's kind.
The third and final third, of course, depicts in detail the moment where Bob feels moved to take major-league humanitarian action on a larger scale than has ever been even contemplated, either before or since. He makes the impossible possible by first conceiving an unlikely yet inspired idea, then having the sheer strength of mind, body and soul to ensure it happens. It's an intriguing page-turner involving behind-the-scenes showbiz excitement, high-end politics and power in all it's forms.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Certainly not a Humble Man
I read this after a Paula Yates Biography and Jools Holland's Autobiography as they all seem to link together nicely. Whereas Jool's comes across as a fun, humble person, Mr. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by Ms. L. C. Paine
I cried, I laughed, I was inspired!
I am not a fan of this man's music but I am so glad I read this book!! It is a MUST read, it will open your mind and your heart. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2007 by Liverpool Poet
Compelling, poetic and beautiful
It's a mistake to see this book as just another celebrity read. Geldof writes beautifully with an elegance that is rare in most writers, let alone celebs. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2006 by Zombie Elvis
The best Biography I have ever read
It is well written, with Irish charm and gives compeling accounts of Live Aid, Band Aid and his younger years. Read it.
Published on 3 Jan 1999
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