This is a book telling my story of 45 years in the music industry, and on the way ‘pinching’ myself as things happened that I could never have expected in my wildest dreams.
Watching Bob Geldof grow from a musician to a global statesman.
The thrills and fears of putting on Live Aid and Live 8.
Being called an ‘idiot’ by Princess Diana.
Being given the cold shoulder by Björn and Benny from ABBA, but then being part of the story that led to 70 million people seeing Mamma Mia!
Nearly being blown to pieces in the Guildford pub bombing.
Nearly going to jail so that the Stone Roses didn’t have to.
Shooting the breeze with Tony Blair, Peter Gabriel and Bob Geldof in 10 Downing Street.
A hug from Paul Mc Cartney over backstage beers.
Sharing a salad with Pavarotti.
Crossing swords with Richard Branson.
Selling 33 million records with Elton John.
The joy of working with Sinéad O’Connor.
Laughing with the Dalai Lama.
On the other side of an argument with George Michael.
Lending Bill Clinton my Bic pen.
Getting Richard Curtis an access all areas pass.
Ensuring I was not on Morrissey’s Christmas card list.
Presenting Ringo with a life time achievement award without mentioning the Beatles.
Asking Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to do the decent thing.
Ending chart hyping.
Representing one of the UK’s biggest ‘supergrass’ witnesses – nothing to do with the band.
Flying on Concorde for U2 negotiations.
Avoiding a revolution in Sudan.
Telling Bob Geldof that I had told Pink Floyd that it was OK if they didn’t turn up for Live 8!
Tabla de materias
INTRODUCTION
FOREWORD by Bob Geldof
1 EARLY LIFE
2 BECOMING A MUSIC BUSINESS LAWYER
3 BEING A MUSIC BUSINESS LAWYER
4 AMSTERDAM
5 A MIS-STEP
6 J P KENNEDY AND CO
7 1983 – 1996 : Advising clients at the legal coalface
8 THE STONE ROSES
9 MIKE JOYCE
10 BAND AID
11 LIVE AID 13/7/85
12 1985 – 2005 : At the Band Aid coalface
13 PERSUASION INSPIRATION AND LEADERSHIP
14 A TRILOGY OF DATES
15 THE UNIVERSAL YEARS
16 MAMMA MIA!
17 LIVE 8
18 LIVE 8 : The day itself
19 THE DAY BEFORE LIVE 8 : 1/7/2005
20 GLENEAGLES and was it worth donating an hour of my time?
21 THE DALAI LAMA, BILL CLINTON, TONY BLAIR,
THE MAESTRO PAVAROTTI AND PETER BLAKE
22 BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY
23 THE FINAL CHAPTER
Sobre el autor
‘There is not, never was, and never can be Band Aid without John Kennedy. And for 40 years all of this monstrous responsibility and workload done for free. John was probably the first person to say ‘you’re going to need to do this…’ and I blithely said ‘could you just take care of that for me please.’ And he did. And 40 years on is still taking care of it. None of us, and definitely not myself, could have even begun Live Aid and Live 8 or any of everything we’ve done without this man. Nothing. None of it. It would all have been a disaster. I and we all owe him. He is also a fabulous and hilarious storyteller and those wildly improbable stories and characters are all here in this book. What a life!’ Bob Geldof