Live Aid - the 1985 worldwide charity extravaganza - has often been called the "greatest concert of all time." So why is it here getting the Polishing Turds treatment?

Well, there's more to Live Aid than the iconic Queen set from Bohemian Rhapsody. There's the disturbing, politically-charged famine that inspired the event in the first place. There's a famously inept reunion show from a legendary band backed by a globe-trotting Phil Collins. And of course, there's the lingering, thorny question of where exactly all that money went.

We discuss all of these things and more in this brief little minisode!

SELECTED SOURCE MATERIAL:

https://www.spin.com/2015/07/live-aid-the-terrible-truth-ethiopia-bob-geldof-feature/

https://web.archive.org/web/20180516155623/http://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/file%20uploads%20/peter_gill_famine_and_foreigners_ethiopia_sincebook4you.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/19/turn-down-band-aid-bob-geldof-africa-fuse-odg

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/07/14/rock-around-the-world/1f4ca02b-a8b2-4bd7-a94c-b60713b59a93/

[Also credit to Bob Geldof's 1986 autobiography Is That It?]

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It's a brand new millennium. The "Tubthumping" heyday is long gone and most people have forgotten Chumbawamba even existed. But that doesn't mean our quirky comrades are down for the count; on the contrary they're ready as ever to confront this modern tech dystopia with their trademark wit and biting social commentary, in addition to a rather liberal employment of accordions....

As always, inadvertent history lessons come with the territory of discussing this band, and in this episode you'll be treated to a number of delightful tidbits including the sinking of the HMS Glorious, the British traditions of fell running and pantomime theatre, and the controversy surrounding the use of a certain metal band's music to interrogate Iraqi prisoners.


Great SPIN article on the use of torture in music: https://www.spin.com/2006/11/music-torture-war-loud/

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At long last, it's TUBTHUMPING TIME!! After endless digressions through history, politics, and obscure music scenes we finally arrive at Chumbawamba's era-defining hit. What does "Tubthumping" mean? What inspired its composition? Which creepy pederast mogul pushed it onto pop radio? We're gonna tell you everything you wanted to know about this tune and then some!

This episode also includes a special theatrical contribution from the following voice actors. HUGE THANKS to the these talented humans:

Jeremy Isabella

Peter and Dasha Barnes

Peter Mackie

Jack Mackie

Kseniya Yorsh

Jason Dipietro

Anthony Howes

...stay tuned for Part IV!

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email: polishingturdspodcast@gmail.com