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Is That It?
Bob Geldof formed Band Aid, orchestrated Live Aid, and is the driving force behind Live 8. He has rallied the forces of rock performers all over the world and inspired millions to raise millions for the starving in Africa. He has met with world leaders and demanded that they change their aid policies. He has travelled in Africa and seen famine first-hand, and he has overseen the disbursement of the millions that Band Aid has raised. In this vividly honest autobiography, written with wit, candour and characteristic energy, Geldof recounts his extraordinary childhood in Dublin and schooldays that were both horrifying and funny. He describes the origins of New Wave music and the beginnings, triumphs, and eventual eclipse of the Boomtown Rats. He writes of his years with Paula Yates, the formation of Band Aid and its achievements and he writes of his hopes for the future. Widely admired, Bob Geldof is nonetheless ferociously independent and remains the most charismatic and controversial public figure in Britain today.
80 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1986
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395 people want to read
About the author
Bob Geldof
22 books20 followersRobert Frederick Zenon Geldof KBE, known as Bob Geldof, is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist who became famous as a member of the rock band The Boomtown Rats. His achievements include organizing Live Aid and Live 8. Geldof's most notable compositions include "Rat Trap" and "I Don't Like Mondays". He also starred as Pink in Pink Floyd's 1982 film The Wall.
Geldof left the Boomtown Rats in 1986, to launch a solo career and release his autobiography, Is That It?, which was a best-seller.
Geldof left the Boomtown Rats in 1986, to launch a solo career and release his autobiography, Is That It?, which was a best-seller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
April 15, 2014
Coming across an old pile of books one day, I stumbled upon “Is that it?” by Bob Geldof, I thought to myself “hmm, maybe that would be interesting – I don’t know much about him”. I am glad I picked it up as this is the best autobiography I have read.
Watching the finale of the Live aid concert, it is impossible not to be bowled over by the frenzied energy of that performance. Somehow, it seemed inevitable that Geldof would be the man behind such an event. Yet, this is the story of a very ordinary guy. A guy who grew up in an ordinary part of Dublin, went to a typically ordinary Irish school, drank in very ordinary pubs, and like most of us drifted contentedly through life.
Geldof gives an insight into his troubled relationship with his father, a heart-breaking account of his mother’s death, his sometimes distant relationship with his siblings and his struggles at school. He then moves on to discuss his various mediocre aimless jobs (although bizarrely, he almost became the man that introduced the ‘buy & sell’ magazine to Ireland) before moving on to his Boomtown Rats days and then finishing just after the Live Aid concert. A particular thrill for me in the early pages of “Is that it?” was reading about the Dublin of Geldof’s youth – this is a fantastic resource for anybody who wishes to learn more about the Dublin of the 1960’s & 70’s.
Originally, I gave this book a 4 star rating. The reason for the 4 star rating was because I thought it lost its way after the Live Aid chapter. The book became more concerned about the whole Band Aid charity than Geldof himself. However, after thinking about it, I moved it up to 5 stars. Yes, the book was a bit chaotic after the Live Aid part. However, that was probably a very accurate reflection of Geldof’s life at the time. Suddenly, a fairly ordinary pop-star has become the figurehead of charitable aid in the western world. He is having casual chats with Prince Charles, hanging out with African dictators, discussing airplanes with the Australian prime minister. It would be difficult to fit all that chaos into a couple of chapters. So up to 5 stars it is!
This book did not endear Geldof to me. Actually, I probably came to dislike him– he steals from his Dad, cheats on his girlfriend, praises very few people, criticises a lot of people. Yet, the book made me respect him. More importantly, it allowed me to feel that I got to know Geldof. Not many autobiographies are like that. Most are just a compilation of exaggerated amusing anecdotes rather than an actual life story. This book was a life story.
It is the story of an ordinary guy. But it is also the story of how an ordinary guy can achieve extraordinary feats. In the words of Geldof, “you may as well push yourself right to the very extremes of your capabilities”.
Watching the finale of the Live aid concert, it is impossible not to be bowled over by the frenzied energy of that performance. Somehow, it seemed inevitable that Geldof would be the man behind such an event. Yet, this is the story of a very ordinary guy. A guy who grew up in an ordinary part of Dublin, went to a typically ordinary Irish school, drank in very ordinary pubs, and like most of us drifted contentedly through life.
Geldof gives an insight into his troubled relationship with his father, a heart-breaking account of his mother’s death, his sometimes distant relationship with his siblings and his struggles at school. He then moves on to discuss his various mediocre aimless jobs (although bizarrely, he almost became the man that introduced the ‘buy & sell’ magazine to Ireland) before moving on to his Boomtown Rats days and then finishing just after the Live Aid concert. A particular thrill for me in the early pages of “Is that it?” was reading about the Dublin of Geldof’s youth – this is a fantastic resource for anybody who wishes to learn more about the Dublin of the 1960’s & 70’s.
Originally, I gave this book a 4 star rating. The reason for the 4 star rating was because I thought it lost its way after the Live Aid chapter. The book became more concerned about the whole Band Aid charity than Geldof himself. However, after thinking about it, I moved it up to 5 stars. Yes, the book was a bit chaotic after the Live Aid part. However, that was probably a very accurate reflection of Geldof’s life at the time. Suddenly, a fairly ordinary pop-star has become the figurehead of charitable aid in the western world. He is having casual chats with Prince Charles, hanging out with African dictators, discussing airplanes with the Australian prime minister. It would be difficult to fit all that chaos into a couple of chapters. So up to 5 stars it is!
This book did not endear Geldof to me. Actually, I probably came to dislike him– he steals from his Dad, cheats on his girlfriend, praises very few people, criticises a lot of people. Yet, the book made me respect him. More importantly, it allowed me to feel that I got to know Geldof. Not many autobiographies are like that. Most are just a compilation of exaggerated amusing anecdotes rather than an actual life story. This book was a life story.
It is the story of an ordinary guy. But it is also the story of how an ordinary guy can achieve extraordinary feats. In the words of Geldof, “you may as well push yourself right to the very extremes of your capabilities”.
July 14, 2009
Okay. So I am biased. Geldof has been a Hero of mine ever since I saw the Boomtown Rats on Top of the Pops in 1978. But this autobiography is one of the most complelling, tear-jerking and humbling books I have read. From Geldof's early life in Ireland (horrid school days) to him working as a Navvy to the formation of the Boomtown rats it cuts a fast and interesting read. The end of the book shows you behind the Band Aid and Live Aid events and Geldof's famous run in with Thatcher.
September 20, 2023
I keep thinking it is time for a Volume two. Bob's had a rather eventful life post-‘87 and I wish I could hear Geldof's version beyond the two or three albums he's made during that time.
Read
August 9, 2008More than two decades ago I bought this, imported, for about 40 dollars, the most expensive book I ever got - and then I never read it.
I fear it's usually too late to read books you once desperately wanted, and while perusing little Bob's childhood stories I just think that all biographies are the same - all stories are the same.
Now that I read about Bob's behaviour after the thrashing by his father, I do not understand why I don't sympathise, when my views on corporal punishment correspond with his.
I read with odd detachment another familiar story, how he's a child alone in a house that's always dark and cold, sometimes just eats sugar on bread, but still dreads the sounds heralding his father's return, the weekends forced to spend with him. Bob has a man's body explode over him (hit by train), gets deflowered at 13 by a woman, nearly gets raped in a pea factory, never studies, becomes the mascot of a big-bellied whoreing road crew, does drugs and shoots bands in London and teaches in Spain.
The chapter where he sees the misery of Dublin upon his return (where I mainly wondered about vegetarian Jews) and then moves to Canada aptly has him say that his life seemed like a movie without a point - like the book so far, episodic, more experiences than ordinary folks, yet pointless. When he fears to be raped in a motel in Canada I not only wonder why this sounded out of time and unreal, but also if he isn't obsessed with being an object of male attention. He's 22 and hasn't had anything to do with making music yet.
Canada is the great divide, not the first time he's out of Ireland, but further away and sufficiently different to suddenly have him be a success, develop into a fully fledged doer, with the previous episodes giving no clue why he managed either. Returning to Dublin stiffles him like such a return does most exchange students, but while trying to set up an ads paper, he accidentially becomes a member of a band. The rest are described as mostly-just-talkers, so from now on it seems Bob single-handedly brought the Boomtown Rats to fame.
While the book becomes more engrossing, it's bafflingly short on relation to music, but then that is explained by Bob being an organiser first and foremost, who spends the pages around 160 deriding anybody talking (pop) music seriously. While seeing Ginsberg as a smart, tiring poseur and Bono as a shifty, nervous guy his groupie rejects, the attacks against The Clash of course go against my grain: leaving aside clothes and the press, it seems ludicrious (esp. today) to claim they had only a few minor hits and only the Rats knew how to write melodies, when The Clash wrote nothing but, while the Rats don't sound particularly catchy or melodic. Similarly, while ranting against the NME as a punk enclave and the destructive seriousness of the "movement", Bob loves Johnny Rotten for being against anything out of principle (a "great Irish trait" - whereas Bob's energy comes from the hatred against all that's "typically Irish"). It's interesting to hear how the Rats supposedly were the biggest and best band around; it's more easily imaginable that they got along better with The Police et al (Bob used to know all Cliff Richard songs by heart :)).
After Bob enjoyed "real" Mongolia and China, he stars in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (He was also wanted as an actor in Flashdance. Hee.), then goes back to the invigorating "real" Asia. In-between he lables Vidal Sassoon a poofter because he's a pompous ass, then realises (later than the reader) that the beautiful Indian whore is a (former, operated like many) boy and doesn't fuck her, despite wanting to, because it would make him feel insecure as a man ... (p. 246). A few pages later another young man has to be thrown out of his bed in a train, and as with others of Bob's strong opinions, his creed to live everything is contradicted repeatedly. His pleasure in Third World countries can only come from the security of being a man (tall, white), and this is the only instance where he balks. He does close a paragraph with the insightful comment "there is a cowardice in living vicariously" though.
Bob continues now in full swing as an organiser, and it reads like an endless list of primary tasts set and achieved or diverted. I actually laughed twice, when Bruce Springsteen sang when the high voices were meant to, and when Geldof's 2yr old gave Lady Di her flowers with the words "More fish, please". But as Band Aid happened out of the blue(s after the Rats' failure) and Live Aid right afterwards, I didn't mind the endless list as much as not really knowing what he did - all the seeming details about phone calls could not distract me from that. I guess a bio isn't a How To book, and Geldof himself often wonders about serendipity (but then he is at least a closet Christian), but I would have believed some things more readily if I had an inkling of what direct action produced which results - apart from the big mouth.
Geldof remains a supporter of the famous, be it pop stars or politicians, although he underpins that by describing them as talented, hard-working and succesful and saying most of the line-up wasn't his personal type of music. I became more and more cynical as he described the details of the stars 5-15 min sets and the distribution of Aid's money. The first were stunts like Phil Collins et al flying from London to Philadelphia in the Concorde to play both - despite Bob's statement that the donations always increased at certain acts he had been sure were needed to get more money, many details like this or the Mick-David-duet I still don't believe. When it seemed like he was the first one to point out the food that has to be expensively destroyed in the EU and US (after having been funded before) should go to Africa - apart from the fact that this is obvious to the layman (and so would the repartee be: it's often cheaper to throw something out than to sell it on ebay and pay the shipping costs). Not only would that have been obvious to others, even the powerfeal heads of state would have been told before - on that basis I am still utterly unconvinced how English speaking Geldof had gotten all that insight into African situations that no other person working in famine relief had. Only in one respect did he again, belatedly, make clear he was aware of facts and meant it: he'd have used millions to help people certain to die in KZs as well. And I most admired his stance at the Black Caucus awards, though of course as an Irish annoyed by "American Irish" it was easier for him.
It was with great reluctance that I made myself tackle the second half of the book; I might have appreciated it more, been interested and moved once, back then, when I didn't allow myself to eat anything after lunch for a long time in the face of starvation suffered by others.
I fear it's usually too late to read books you once desperately wanted, and while perusing little Bob's childhood stories I just think that all biographies are the same - all stories are the same.
Now that I read about Bob's behaviour after the thrashing by his father, I do not understand why I don't sympathise, when my views on corporal punishment correspond with his.
I read with odd detachment another familiar story, how he's a child alone in a house that's always dark and cold, sometimes just eats sugar on bread, but still dreads the sounds heralding his father's return, the weekends forced to spend with him. Bob has a man's body explode over him (hit by train), gets deflowered at 13 by a woman, nearly gets raped in a pea factory, never studies, becomes the mascot of a big-bellied whoreing road crew, does drugs and shoots bands in London and teaches in Spain.
The chapter where he sees the misery of Dublin upon his return (where I mainly wondered about vegetarian Jews) and then moves to Canada aptly has him say that his life seemed like a movie without a point - like the book so far, episodic, more experiences than ordinary folks, yet pointless. When he fears to be raped in a motel in Canada I not only wonder why this sounded out of time and unreal, but also if he isn't obsessed with being an object of male attention. He's 22 and hasn't had anything to do with making music yet.
Canada is the great divide, not the first time he's out of Ireland, but further away and sufficiently different to suddenly have him be a success, develop into a fully fledged doer, with the previous episodes giving no clue why he managed either. Returning to Dublin stiffles him like such a return does most exchange students, but while trying to set up an ads paper, he accidentially becomes a member of a band. The rest are described as mostly-just-talkers, so from now on it seems Bob single-handedly brought the Boomtown Rats to fame.
While the book becomes more engrossing, it's bafflingly short on relation to music, but then that is explained by Bob being an organiser first and foremost, who spends the pages around 160 deriding anybody talking (pop) music seriously. While seeing Ginsberg as a smart, tiring poseur and Bono as a shifty, nervous guy his groupie rejects, the attacks against The Clash of course go against my grain: leaving aside clothes and the press, it seems ludicrious (esp. today) to claim they had only a few minor hits and only the Rats knew how to write melodies, when The Clash wrote nothing but, while the Rats don't sound particularly catchy or melodic. Similarly, while ranting against the NME as a punk enclave and the destructive seriousness of the "movement", Bob loves Johnny Rotten for being against anything out of principle (a "great Irish trait" - whereas Bob's energy comes from the hatred against all that's "typically Irish"). It's interesting to hear how the Rats supposedly were the biggest and best band around; it's more easily imaginable that they got along better with The Police et al (Bob used to know all Cliff Richard songs by heart :)).
After Bob enjoyed "real" Mongolia and China, he stars in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (He was also wanted as an actor in Flashdance. Hee.), then goes back to the invigorating "real" Asia. In-between he lables Vidal Sassoon a poofter because he's a pompous ass, then realises (later than the reader) that the beautiful Indian whore is a (former, operated like many) boy and doesn't fuck her, despite wanting to, because it would make him feel insecure as a man ... (p. 246). A few pages later another young man has to be thrown out of his bed in a train, and as with others of Bob's strong opinions, his creed to live everything is contradicted repeatedly. His pleasure in Third World countries can only come from the security of being a man (tall, white), and this is the only instance where he balks. He does close a paragraph with the insightful comment "there is a cowardice in living vicariously" though.
Bob continues now in full swing as an organiser, and it reads like an endless list of primary tasts set and achieved or diverted. I actually laughed twice, when Bruce Springsteen sang when the high voices were meant to, and when Geldof's 2yr old gave Lady Di her flowers with the words "More fish, please". But as Band Aid happened out of the blue(s after the Rats' failure) and Live Aid right afterwards, I didn't mind the endless list as much as not really knowing what he did - all the seeming details about phone calls could not distract me from that. I guess a bio isn't a How To book, and Geldof himself often wonders about serendipity (but then he is at least a closet Christian), but I would have believed some things more readily if I had an inkling of what direct action produced which results - apart from the big mouth.
Geldof remains a supporter of the famous, be it pop stars or politicians, although he underpins that by describing them as talented, hard-working and succesful and saying most of the line-up wasn't his personal type of music. I became more and more cynical as he described the details of the stars 5-15 min sets and the distribution of Aid's money. The first were stunts like Phil Collins et al flying from London to Philadelphia in the Concorde to play both - despite Bob's statement that the donations always increased at certain acts he had been sure were needed to get more money, many details like this or the Mick-David-duet I still don't believe. When it seemed like he was the first one to point out the food that has to be expensively destroyed in the EU and US (after having been funded before) should go to Africa - apart from the fact that this is obvious to the layman (and so would the repartee be: it's often cheaper to throw something out than to sell it on ebay and pay the shipping costs). Not only would that have been obvious to others, even the powerfeal heads of state would have been told before - on that basis I am still utterly unconvinced how English speaking Geldof had gotten all that insight into African situations that no other person working in famine relief had. Only in one respect did he again, belatedly, make clear he was aware of facts and meant it: he'd have used millions to help people certain to die in KZs as well. And I most admired his stance at the Black Caucus awards, though of course as an Irish annoyed by "American Irish" it was easier for him.
It was with great reluctance that I made myself tackle the second half of the book; I might have appreciated it more, been interested and moved once, back then, when I didn't allow myself to eat anything after lunch for a long time in the face of starvation suffered by others.
December 6, 2023
I'm so glad I've read this amazing autobiog, which a friend kindly lent me (thanks Jacqui).
I've read countless autobiogs over the past 35 years or so - and this is def one of best!
Bob chronicles his extraordinary life, from growing up in Ireland (and the death of his mother when he was still a young boy), through some rather dubious manual jobs (including helping to build the M25!) while living in a squat in London, to eventual fame and fortune with The Boomtown Rats.
The final few chapters deal with the whole Band Aid/Live Aid era, and make for a fascinating read - this book ending in 1987. We can only hope he writes some more to cover the following decades, though they are tinged in tragedy & heartbreak, as we know.
Bob comes across as a highly-intelligent, intellectual, driven, and extrovert character who it seems was maybe always destined for a life in the spotlight.
It was so inspiring to see how the situation in Ethiopia in 1984 was a real catalyst for him to bring all his skills and personality to a worldwide cause which he passionately championed. He really did change the world for a while!
This had been such an amazing read, and I really admire Bob for everything he's done and stood for.
I've read countless autobiogs over the past 35 years or so - and this is def one of best!
Bob chronicles his extraordinary life, from growing up in Ireland (and the death of his mother when he was still a young boy), through some rather dubious manual jobs (including helping to build the M25!) while living in a squat in London, to eventual fame and fortune with The Boomtown Rats.
The final few chapters deal with the whole Band Aid/Live Aid era, and make for a fascinating read - this book ending in 1987. We can only hope he writes some more to cover the following decades, though they are tinged in tragedy & heartbreak, as we know.
Bob comes across as a highly-intelligent, intellectual, driven, and extrovert character who it seems was maybe always destined for a life in the spotlight.
It was so inspiring to see how the situation in Ethiopia in 1984 was a real catalyst for him to bring all his skills and personality to a worldwide cause which he passionately championed. He really did change the world for a while!
This had been such an amazing read, and I really admire Bob for everything he's done and stood for.
December 11, 2021
Eyeopening and harrowing.
September 11, 2025
Poignant knowing what was to come 😢
July 9, 2016
The Fine Art Of Surfacing is one of my favourite records - it's also about the only Boomtown Rats album I can listen to all the way through without wincing. It's interesting to note that this album was produced by someone other than their regular producer until then, and their work afterwards was produced by others also. I mention this because this book is a fusion of several different genres and styles and feels to have been different things along its gestation as well.
It starts with a bog-standard in media res stadium rock moment (Live Aid, July '85 about halfway through "I Don't Like Mondays," the only Live Aid moment that has really stuck in my mind, if you're interested), then loops back to Mr Geldof (KBE)'s childhood and his growing up in Ireland
I'd've hated to have had Bob in my class: he's opinionated, undisciplined, argumentative, and he comes across in some instances as the kid who starts arguments with the crap excuse that "I was just trying to make things interesting." However, despite the troublemaking, you get to see the social conscience and anger forming, as well as the pragmatism that has made him one of the most admired and detested figures in modern music history. He constantly looks for an escape and what we get is a story of a boy who seeks a way out through literature and music. Then he leaves his school, his home, his town and family and makes a series of spectacular bad moves before seeming to find stability and a measure of success. That's bio number one.
Bio number two is the rock star story: the graft as the band gets together and tries to make it big. And here we see more of Geldof's drive as he tries to create a model for music distribution that hadn't previously existed in Ireland. He takes the hostility directed at the Boomtown Rats and makes lemonade from it (he takes reviews that slate them and uses them as ammunition for publicity: "The Boomtown Rats have learnt a new chord - you can hear it at..."), he and the band work hard to become modest successes then breakout successes - with more than the usual amount of controversy, mostly due to Geldof's mouth - then charts their decline into spent forces, wondering what happened (although Geldof is usually able to pinpoint exactly where it happened and how).
Bio number three is the story of Band Aid, Live Aid and what happened around those times. Here Geldof takes his drive and pragmatism and uses it to get stuff done. He states constantly throughout the book that when he wants to achieve something, he'll do whatever it takes to achieve it, a trait that endeared him to very few people as a musician, but which serves astonishingly well at getting food to Africa. His honesty is refreshing on the page but it would be a pain in the arse in reality, I imagine.
There are some inconsistencies here, mostly to do with some passages where Geldof talks about something then seemingly contradicting himself on details a few dozen pages later, but they come across as more poorly expressed rather than hypocritical, and the change the book takes in the latter stages where it becomes the story of Band Aid rather than of Geldof is a little disconcerting but it moves so fast that you are willing to roll with it.
It's also touching and sad to read this book in the light of history: Geldof's own relationship with Paula Yates is lovely and sweet to read about here, but heartbreaking in hindsight, as is the brief passage about how marriage to Diana changed Prince Charles for the better, making him more confident and relaxed.
It doesn't feel as though Geldof has pulled any punches here, although he may have glossed over some details. He is honest, sometimes breathtakingly so, seemingly at peace, or at least at terms, with some of his decisions and history and tells - with the help of Paul Vallely - a refreshingly fluff-free story of a life.
December 5, 2014
Geldof's account of the inception of his BAND AID and LIVE AID efforts to combat starvation in Ethiopia are fascinating: detailed, engaging, and well-written. However, this is not covered until halfway through the book. If I had been Geldof's editor, I would have advised him to start there, and leave out the earlier 175-page account of his misadventures in his childhood school days.
He comes off as a very intelligent, fearless force of nature: thrown innocently into an international geopolitical situation, responsible for the dispensation of millions of pounds raised by his campaign which innovatively accomplished an almost 100% voluntary effort from every musician, producer, promoter, and vendor employed to create the BAND AID single (Do They Know it's Christmas?) and the internationally satellite uplinked LIVE AID concert on July 13, 1985. His account of how encounter after encounter returned positive results is almost unbelievable, yet it happened.
It is also interesting to read this account, written in 1986, in light of the subsequent rising star of Bono as the readily recognizable rock star-as-international activist. While most people might be familiar with Geldof's name, in these recent years, it has come to light because of the tragic heroin deaths of both his wife, Paula Yates, and his daughter, Peaches Geldof. It is very sad to read his obvious devotion for Paula, whom he portrays as kind and clever; a non-drinking, non-drug using, truly loving wife whom he gravitated toward especially during the grueling 18 months during which he almost singlehandedly kept up the momentum for Live Aid. How heartbreaking to learn (after the scope of this account) that she eventually left him for the lead singer of INXS, who died tragically, and then later she died of a heroin overdose. A decade later, her daughter Peaches also died of a heroin overdose.
Starvation and civil war in Africa we still have, unfortunately, but
I can't help but wonder if Geldof's technique of confronting African leaders about their policies on food distribution, refugee resettlement, and economics have had any lasting effect on how international NGOs get their work done.
I also must add that as I read Geldof's account, it seemed a very familiar story, until I remembered that Helen Fielding's first (pre-Bridget Jones) novel, Cause Celeb was based on her own experience as a journalist producing a satellite uplink in Ethiopia for the (post-Live Aid) Comic Relief fundraising production. Live Aid spawned a series of later efforts by other groups working with the same philosophy: 100% donated services, cooperation and consensus between NGOs to determine how the raised funds are distributed.
I only gave this book 4 stars because of my earlier caveat about how it could have been pruned of his childhood experiences; I don't feel they really are necessary to appreciate the impact of his later work. He hated being called "St. Bob," but he really was.
He comes off as a very intelligent, fearless force of nature: thrown innocently into an international geopolitical situation, responsible for the dispensation of millions of pounds raised by his campaign which innovatively accomplished an almost 100% voluntary effort from every musician, producer, promoter, and vendor employed to create the BAND AID single (Do They Know it's Christmas?) and the internationally satellite uplinked LIVE AID concert on July 13, 1985. His account of how encounter after encounter returned positive results is almost unbelievable, yet it happened.
It is also interesting to read this account, written in 1986, in light of the subsequent rising star of Bono as the readily recognizable rock star-as-international activist. While most people might be familiar with Geldof's name, in these recent years, it has come to light because of the tragic heroin deaths of both his wife, Paula Yates, and his daughter, Peaches Geldof. It is very sad to read his obvious devotion for Paula, whom he portrays as kind and clever; a non-drinking, non-drug using, truly loving wife whom he gravitated toward especially during the grueling 18 months during which he almost singlehandedly kept up the momentum for Live Aid. How heartbreaking to learn (after the scope of this account) that she eventually left him for the lead singer of INXS, who died tragically, and then later she died of a heroin overdose. A decade later, her daughter Peaches also died of a heroin overdose.
Starvation and civil war in Africa we still have, unfortunately, but
I can't help but wonder if Geldof's technique of confronting African leaders about their policies on food distribution, refugee resettlement, and economics have had any lasting effect on how international NGOs get their work done.
I also must add that as I read Geldof's account, it seemed a very familiar story, until I remembered that Helen Fielding's first (pre-Bridget Jones) novel, Cause Celeb was based on her own experience as a journalist producing a satellite uplink in Ethiopia for the (post-Live Aid) Comic Relief fundraising production. Live Aid spawned a series of later efforts by other groups working with the same philosophy: 100% donated services, cooperation and consensus between NGOs to determine how the raised funds are distributed.
I only gave this book 4 stars because of my earlier caveat about how it could have been pruned of his childhood experiences; I don't feel they really are necessary to appreciate the impact of his later work. He hated being called "St. Bob," but he really was.
December 14, 2018
I read this book initially because I am fascinated by the Live Aid concert that was held in aid of the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s. With the release of the “Queen” movie, it seems that the 1980s are trendy and popular again. I recently reread my favorite parts of the book and realized how much I enjoyed reading the book and learning about this amazing man.
The book is really interesting because it shows how a fairly ordinary school boy from Ireland can grow up to became one of the greatest philanthropists the world has ever known. Like millions of other viewers, Bob Geldof watched a documentary on BBC about the Ethiopian famine in October 1984. Unlike the millions of other viewers, Geldof could not sit still and watch idly.
He was driven by the desire to help, and with help from his fellow musicians released the Christmas single “Band-Aid,” and orchestrated the Live-Aid concert by the following summer, both of which raised money for Ethiopia. He started an age of philanthropy by celebrities that continues to this day and was the biggest influence for Bono and Sting’s entry into philanthropy.
Despite what one feels about celebrities writing autobiographies to stroke their own egos, this is a very interesting book to read, and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is a fascinating story of a troubled Irish school boy growing up in Dublin, his entry into the music world, and then his entry into the world of charity by spearheading aid for Africa.
The book has many interesting stories and tales which are written in a lighthearted easy manner and make a pleasant read. Overall, the book is easy to read and I enjoyed all the fascinating events that took place in this one man’s life.
I recommend this book for young adults and up. The world needs people like Bob Geldof, who actually follow through when something bothers them. The book is a true to life example of how nothing is impossible to achieve when one puts their mind to it, and for this reason, I recommend this book highly.
The book is really interesting because it shows how a fairly ordinary school boy from Ireland can grow up to became one of the greatest philanthropists the world has ever known. Like millions of other viewers, Bob Geldof watched a documentary on BBC about the Ethiopian famine in October 1984. Unlike the millions of other viewers, Geldof could not sit still and watch idly.
He was driven by the desire to help, and with help from his fellow musicians released the Christmas single “Band-Aid,” and orchestrated the Live-Aid concert by the following summer, both of which raised money for Ethiopia. He started an age of philanthropy by celebrities that continues to this day and was the biggest influence for Bono and Sting’s entry into philanthropy.
Despite what one feels about celebrities writing autobiographies to stroke their own egos, this is a very interesting book to read, and I enjoyed reading it very much. It is a fascinating story of a troubled Irish school boy growing up in Dublin, his entry into the music world, and then his entry into the world of charity by spearheading aid for Africa.
The book has many interesting stories and tales which are written in a lighthearted easy manner and make a pleasant read. Overall, the book is easy to read and I enjoyed all the fascinating events that took place in this one man’s life.
I recommend this book for young adults and up. The world needs people like Bob Geldof, who actually follow through when something bothers them. The book is a true to life example of how nothing is impossible to achieve when one puts their mind to it, and for this reason, I recommend this book highly.
June 5, 2008
In my humble opinion, it's surprising that a "rocker" can write such a great book. When you add in his optimistic and self-deprecating observations about how his own struggles with poverty and later success led to the development of a social conscience from which sprung Live Aid, you get taken on a real journey so very different than that of the average rock-star formula (of arc/plummet/stint-in-rehab/triumphant-return) mostly because no other rock star seems to have his capacity for responsibility. It doesn't surprise me at all that 20+ years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof is still actively engaged in getting Western governments to supply aid and resources to the people struggling in parts of Africa. Everyone snickered when he was first called St. Bob, but watching him grow into that role over the years shows you that anything is possible and that music really can help to heal the world even if it's just a few struggling people at a time.
October 23, 2017
Is that it by Bob Geldof
My birthday gift 1985, the year they took my license to drive away, I was given a special birthday gift: was the watching nonstop, no chores no meals to make and i was able to watch the whole liveaid and even told others my brother is Bob Geldof.
Like that he's a knight now and nominated for the nobel peace problem but mostly because of the aide he's helped raised.
Story focuses on his childhood and although he had siblings he felt alone.
Very detailed descriptions, adult content but was happy got to hear about the process of setting up bandaid and how others helped.
Trip to Ethiopia was hard to listen to because of what was there.
Loved this book due to all the work involved in making th event a success.
Received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
My birthday gift 1985, the year they took my license to drive away, I was given a special birthday gift: was the watching nonstop, no chores no meals to make and i was able to watch the whole liveaid and even told others my brother is Bob Geldof.
Like that he's a knight now and nominated for the nobel peace problem but mostly because of the aide he's helped raised.
Story focuses on his childhood and although he had siblings he felt alone.
Very detailed descriptions, adult content but was happy got to hear about the process of setting up bandaid and how others helped.
Trip to Ethiopia was hard to listen to because of what was there.
Loved this book due to all the work involved in making th event a success.
Received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
February 2, 2014
These days, Keith Richard's autobiography is the standard by which all other rock 'n' roll bios are measured. But before then, this book slipped through. Written shortly after Bob Geldof brought the fundraiser Live Aid to life in 1985, he openly shares a life that could just as easily gone down the gutter. His years with the Boomtown Rats are quite funny as his big mouth may well have cost them their career as a rock band. My only complaint is that Geldof hasn't updated this book to include his subsequent years working with several organizations to bring about change to Africa. Well worth reading if you're either a rock fan, bio lover or just curious. I'm all three, and truly enjoyed this book from cover to cover.
July 19, 2015
Autobiography of Sir Bob Geldof, this came out just after Live Aid. A remarkable man, his mother died from a brain haemorrhage when he was young and his father was quite violent. He grew up in poverty in Ireland before crossing the Irish Sea like many of his compatriots to work on the M25. He also had a spell as an English Teacher in Spain before joining an Irish band on the first wave of punk, the Boomtown Rats. The band was a success and hit the number one spot with "Rat Trap" and "I Don't Like Mondays". The book is foul mouthed and he is clearly no saint but he is a driven man, who came to the world's attention with first Band Aid and then Live Aid, charitable concerns by musicians to help the starving in Ethiopia.
December 9, 2017
Sometimes good things happen to you by accident. If I remember correctly this is called serendipity. One sleepless night in a hotel room in Canberra, without a book, I called up Reception and asked them if they had anything to read. All they had was a copy of this book.
I still did not get any sleep that night but I read the story of one of the most genuine people I have ever come across. Bob does not pull any punches in this, either about himself or his life. Whatever you may think of Geldof personally you cannot deny after reading this book that whatever he feels it is heart-felt.
the book is well written and well worth a read
I still did not get any sleep that night but I read the story of one of the most genuine people I have ever come across. Bob does not pull any punches in this, either about himself or his life. Whatever you may think of Geldof personally you cannot deny after reading this book that whatever he feels it is heart-felt.
the book is well written and well worth a read
June 26, 2007
I was walking through the library trying to find another book when my eye caught this one. I was a fan of the Boomtown Rats and I cried my way through Live Aid...so I checked it out. It turned out to be a fairly good read. Bob Geldof had the resources to do something about a huge problem and he gave the rest of us a way to feel we could help too. There is a soft spot in my heart for Bob Geldof that was created while reading this book.
December 21, 2013
Read it years ago, and found it to be an entertaining and revealing read in terms of the effort behind Band-Aid, and then Live Aid. A turning point in the western world's social consciousness in the mid-1980s, I think. I was 15-years-old in 1985 and most of my musical idols were involved. How could I not be deeply interested?
July 25, 2008
Who is Bob Geldof? Exactly! He was the lead of a "barely so so" 70's pop punk band, he started all this feed the world business and he apparently lived a very interesting life besides all that and is very honest about all of it.
August 28, 2019
I'm pretty sure I decided to read this in high school because I had no idea who Geldof was before Live Aid became such a huge phenomenon. I found it interesting, but of course, it only covers his life up through the late 80s.
May 6, 2008
Incredibly inspiring. Starts slow but once the change happens it's amazing to see how much one person can do. I heart Bob.
February 6, 2008
Interesting to hear about his life before and during the Boomtown rats
January 27, 2009
Is That It? The Autobiography of Bob Geldof by Bob Geldof (1987)
Read
April 11, 2010Is That It? by Bob Geldof (1988)
December 14, 2010
Loved this book I am a big fan of the music world and all who have moved through it. Is That It? is an interesting and entertaining read about one of Ireland's most well known sons!
March 25, 2011
A must read after Band Aid etc. Re-read a few years ago and interesting particularly in relation to what happened to Paula Yates many years later.
September 30, 2011
Loved this book! Love Bob Geldof and it was interesting to learn more about his life and what lead him to do "The Wall" and LiveAid. I have to check if he's written anything recently.
April 29, 2012
I think this book makes a good read , and it is really interesting .I remember when it came out and i went and brought it and have read it again and again .
July 8, 2012
Signed copy. Best music bio I have read.
September 7, 2013
The beginning was more interesting. Ireland back in the day. His childhood.
The later part was Meh.
The later part was Meh.
August 5, 2013
I will now boycott goodreads until I hear amazon have changed their poor practices.
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