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Eye to eye with Sir Bob Geldof

Hope FM radio presenter RUTH OLIVER talks to Sir Bob Geldof about life, activism and family

BOB Geldof never seems to be far from the media spotlight. Being at the forefront of so many campaigns, including Live Aid and Fathers for Justice has ensured that he has constantly appeared on our television screens and newspapers over the last 12 months. So it will come as no surprise to you that I was tickled pink when I scooped an interview with Sir Bob.

The Band Aid star was in Bournemouth to talk about fathers’ rights at the annual general meeting of The Townswomen’s Guild. There were literally thousands and thousands of women attending the conference and the national press were there with a vengeance to try to get an interview with the former Boomtown Rats star. As a freelance broadcaster, I thought I had done extremely well to wangle a press pass, and with my father in tow as my ‘official photographer’, (one has limited resources being freelance), I bundled my way into the pack press conference.

I was squeezed between the reporter for The Times newspaper and a correspondent for GMTV. We heard Bob Geldof deliver his speech to a packed auditorium and his emotional speech about Fathers' Rights went down very well with the women. “I have just returned from Africa," he announced at the beginning of his speech. “While I was there I witnessed the death of a mother who had starved because she had given up what food she had to her children. The father was out trying to find food and on his return he also refused to eat in order to secure the survival of his children. He died a few weeks later. Fortunately aid reached his family in time for all the children to survive. That is what parents do for their kids and it makes no difference if it is the mother or father. They both love them enough to die for them. That is why I am campaigning for parents to have equal access to their children.”

Following the loud applause from the floor, Bob was ushered into the busy press conference, followed by cameras, lights and huge microphones. Little me was sat right at the back with the smallest microphone in the room, but fortunately I was right in Bob Geldof’s eyeline.

He had been fielding questions from top newspaper and TV journalists and most of the questions were rather politically charged. All the time he was talking I had made sure that I kept his eye contact. After about 10 minutes there was a break in the questioning and I seized the moment. I got up from my seat and walked down to the front with my heart racing as all the eyes in the room followed me and wondered what on earth I was doing. I sat right beside him and asked: “How does it feel when a father is restricted access to his children?” He went quiet, looked at the floor and just opened up.

He told me how it felt to be thrown out of your own home, to lose the woman you love more than anything in the world and to be a visitor to your own house, knocking at the house and smelling the smell of Sunday roast while another man was living behind that door – with your children that you only get to see for one hour a week. “Many times I could not go through with it,” he said with genuine sadness in his eyes as he recalled his own experience.

“Why is it that so many relationships are breaking down?” I asked him.

“I think people have too high expectations from a relationship”, he said. “People expect that finding another person will make them happy. How can another person make you happy! That is ridiculous!

“I don’t believe in God, but I recognise that everyone has a space within them that they are trying to fill with something. If you are expecting someone else to fill that space and make you whole, then you will be terribly disappointed!”

I asked what motivated him to campaign for things like eliminating poverty and fathers' rights.

He thought for a moment and said: “Quite simply … when I see something that is not right, I think it just needs a little shove that way and then it will be right.”

He had mentioned earlier that men find it difficult to talk, so I asked why that is. He replied: “Why is it that women don’t realise that men don’t feel the need to talk? When you first meet a girl, everything she says is tantalisingly brilliant! … But then the relationship moves on and women have to realise that men don’t have the same need to talk. Men and women are very different and women want their men to be macho. If we are saying that men need to talk more, then you have a major problem with 50% of the world’s population! It’s not going to happen!”

Sir Bob Geldof may not believe in God, but I’m glad I do, because I believe it was God that gave me that interview that day!

Ruth Oliver is presenter of the All Woman Show which goes out on a Community Christian Radio Station, namely Hope FM which operates from Bournemouth, Dorset. Hope FM has applied for one of the new community radio licences which Ofcom are awarding and they hope to hear if they are successful later in the year. See www.rutholiver.com

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		PEOPLE Eye to eye with Sir Bob Geldof Hope FM radio presenter RUTH OLIVER talks to Sir Bob Geldof about life, activism and family BOB Geldof never seems to be far from the media spotlight. Being at the forefront of so many campaigns, including Live Aid and Fathers for Justice has ensured that he has constantly appeared on our television screens and newspapers over the last 12 months. So it will come as no surprise to you that I was tickled pink when I scooped an interview with Sir Bob. The Band Aid star was in Bournemouth to talk about fathers’ rights at the annual general meeting of The Townswomen’s Guild. There were literally thousands and thousands of women attending the conference and the national press were there with a vengeance to try to get an interview with the former Boomtown Rats star. As a freelance broadcaster, I thought I had done extremely well to wangle a press pass, and with my father in tow as my ‘official photographer’, (one has limited resources being freelance), I bundled my way into the pack press conference. I was squeezed between the reporter for The Times newspaper and a correspondent for GMTV. We heard Bob Geldof deliver his speech to a packed auditorium and his emotional speech about Fathers' Rights went down very well with the women. “I have just returned from Africa," he announced at the beginning of his speech. “While I was there I witnessed the death of a mother who had starved because she had given up what food she had to her children. The father was out trying to find food and on his return he also refused to eat in order to secure the survival of his children. He died a few weeks later. Fortunately aid reached his family in time for all the children to survive. That is what parents do for their kids and it makes no difference if it is the mother or father. They both love them enough to die for them. That is why I am campaigning for parents to have equal access to their children.” Following the loud applause from the floor, Bob was ushered into the busy press conference, followed by cameras, lights and huge microphones. Little me was sat right at the back with the smallest microphone in the room, but fortunately I was right in Bob Geldof’s eyeline. He had been fielding questions from top newspaper and TV journalists and most of the questions were rather politically charged. All the time he was talking I had made sure that I kept his eye contact. After about 10 minutes there was a break in the questioning and I seized the moment. I got up from my seat and walked down to the front with my heart racing as all the eyes in the room followed me and wondered what on earth I was doing. I sat right beside him and asked: “How does it feel when a father is restricted access to his children?” He went quiet, looked at the floor and just opened up. He told me how it felt to be thrown out of your own home, to lose the woman you love more than anything in the world and to be a visitor to your own house, knocking at the house and smelling the smell of Sunday roast while another man was living behind that door – with your children that you only get to see for one hour a week. “Many times I could not go through with it,” he said with genuine sadness in his eyes as he recalled his own experience. “Why is it that so many relationships are breaking down?” I asked him. “I think people have too high expectations from a relationship”, he said. “People expect that finding another person will make them happy. How can another person make you happy! That is ridiculous! “I don’t believe in God, but I recognise that everyone has a space within them that they are trying to fill with something. If you are expecting someone else to fill that space and make you whole, then you will be terribly disappointed!” I asked what motivated him to campaign for things like eliminating poverty and fathers' rights. He thought for a moment and said: “Quite simply … when I see something that is not right, I think it just needs a little shove that way and then it will be right.” He had mentioned earlier that men find it difficult to talk, so I asked why that is. He replied: “Why is it that women don’t realise that men don’t feel the need to talk? When you first meet a girl, everything she says is tantalisingly brilliant! … But then the relationship moves on and women have to realise that men don’t have the same need to talk. Men and women are very different and women want their men to be macho. If we are saying that men need to talk more, then you have a major problem with 50% of the world’s population! It’s not going to happen!” Sir Bob Geldof may not believe in God, but I’m glad I do, because I believe it was God that gave me that interview that day! Ruth Oliver is presenter of the All Woman Show which goes out on a Community Christian Radio Station, namely Hope FM which operates from Bournemouth, Dorset. Hope FM has applied for one of the new community radio licences which Ofcom are awarding and they hope to hear if they are successful later in the year. See www.rutholiver.com © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.