Following criticism of the lyrics to 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' from William Pooley, a British nurse who survived Ebola, Bob Geldof has issued a typically colourful response.
Pooley had told the Radio Times: "It’s Africa, not another planet. That sort of cultural ignorance is cringeworthy. There’s a lyric about ‘death in every tear’. It’s a bit much."
"It’s a pop song," Geldof responds in The Telegraph, "It’s not a doctoral thesis. [Critics] can fuck off. I couldn’t give a toss.
He continues: "The reality behind the pop song – Christmassy, corny, whatever you think about it – the reality behind it is stark. If it’s a pop song that can help ease the pain, the agony, if they can die with a little more dignity then, yeah, I’m there. It’s pretty simple."