Bob Geldof Gets Honorary Degree

Bob Geldof poses in Gateshead before receiving an honorary doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Newcastle later in the day - a special honor for key figures in the campaign against world poverty. I've sort of had a love hate relationship with Geldof. I couldn't stand The Boomtown Rats and thought most things musical he did after that were mediocre. My love relationship is with how much he cares for things - namely that most of the world's population is poor and we should do something - anything - how dare we keep our collective knuckleheads in the sand. He stood up off course and produced Live Aid and followed with many attempts to somehow tell us to get off our trans fat arses and realize we are too well off.

I have to take a ride back with Geldof. Back when he was with that super nut - Paula Yates. They seemed to have a pretty good partnership for a while anyway until Yates interviewed Michael Hutchence from INXS. She was besotted. Astounded. Taken aback. She promptly ran home and pasted a picture of dear Michael on her kitchen fridge to be prayed to daily. This conjurer of Love's endurance finally managed to convince Michael he would be better of without Helena Christensen and come and have a nudge and a wink with her. Meanwhile back at the ranch that held that deteriorating fridge magnet, Geldof felt that his wife's antics where to be shrugged off as general folly. Little did he know that the Kama Sutra was being rewritten in a little hide away in the English country side.

Their love flourished and produced their pride and joy Tigerlily. Theirs was a dangerous liaison with talks of ecstasy and opium balls being found and their London apartment - tough of wars between Geldof and Yates over their own children's visitation etc. When you looked into their eyes you could see that these two were in for something.

Hutchence arrived back in Australia for a tour with INXS in 1997 looking bloated and wasted. He had always strutted his stuff with confidence and charisma (I wasn't much of a fan except for when I was about 17 and I saw the band at my local pub in the early days. Can I be so bold to include that Hutchence leapt off the stage and planted a kiss on my dear ape face? Go on then you name dropper Sheila!) Anyway, back to that fateful year. Hutchence decides to get all auto-erotic and hangs himself using his own belt. Erotic asphyxiation moved around the media like wild fire and then everyone started talking about it. Me, embarrassingly naive, had never really heard of it before. Before long everyone had either done it or knew someone who was doing it. Off course my friend Troy at work knew the funniest tale. It was of a man who was heavily in to it. Seriously devoted. He would tie a chain around his neck and then to a tree, jump into his VW and then let the car slowly drive around a tree. Eventually he would have his way with the whole thing. His devotion would cost him his life.

I felt so badly for Paula, everyone did. It was such a stupid way to die. No one could believe it at the time and then after a while everyone sort of believed it. The funeral was held in Sydney and everyone was there. It wasn't long before Yates followed Hutchence which seemed inevitable.

Back to Geldof. Everyone felt like he was some sort of puppet master and somehow all this was his bloody fault. He trundled along like the Irish leprechaun he is and decided to bring up Tigerlily (centre) along with her half sisters.