GELDOF RECALLS LIVE 8 MADONNA CONVERSATION

Bob Geldof was the glue that solidified the multi-city, multi-national and multi-continental Live 8 event, and fans can see his hard work in action by purchasing the Live 8 DVD that was released on Tuesday (November 8).

Geldof’s biggest accomplishment was getting Pink Floyd together, but what people don’t realize is that getting Madonna to do it was a close second. Geldof told our cameras and several select members of the press about dealing with the Material Girl via snail mail.

“I wrote this letter to Madonna because I don’t do e-mail. It’s a bore. And I wrote her this letter and it was such a fantastic letter I got back. ‘So!!!,’ it starts — not Dear Bob…and it goes, ‘I understand manipulation or flattery. I use it myself.’ And it goes through this thing, like, ‘Why should I do it? You’ve never done anything for me…’ and it was not ‘yours sincerely’ or ‘Love Madonna’ it was ‘over to you, Madonna.'”

Madonna’s “Ray Of Light,” “Like A Prayer,” and “Music,” are all featured on the DVD as are performances from Green Day, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, and Bon Jovi among others.

“Well this thing went on and I wrote back and I said, ‘Good question, this is why you should do it,’ and I went through what we were trying to do and I said, ‘Listen, if you asked me to do something and you explained to me what it was for and I can go along with that, then of course.’ So I heard no more and then I got a call to say that she would do one song — because she takes a week to do one song because all the outfits, all the this and all the that — and of course she does, I don’t know, three four songs, and she’s amazing, the sort of essence of Madonna distilled, this mega show, but she’s got fifteen minutes, you know?”