--- description: Singer Bob Geldof fired back at critics of his charitable song for Ebola-stricken countries in characteristically blunt style title: Bob Geldof to Band Aid 30 Music Critics: 'F**k Off' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb2dbd1b3c7fde7f/69876da5e20a870995a83e2d/454604230.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bob Geldof Has a Four-Letter Response to Band Aid 30 Critics  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 9, 2014 6:21 PM CUT  Sir Bob Geldorf speaks during the Campus Symposium - Change - Fear of the Future or New Vision!? on Sept. 4, 2014 in Iserlohn, Germany. Sir Bob Geldorf speaks during the Campus Symposium - Change - Fear of the Future or New Vision!? on Sept. 4, 2014 in Iserlohn, Germany.Andreas Rentz—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 9, 2014 6:21 PM CUT Bob Geldof [has two words](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11281894/Bob-Geldof-Dont-like-the-Band-Aid-lyrics-Then-f-off.html "undefined") for critics of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, the classic Band Aid song he [re-recorded](http://time.com/3588938/band-aid-one-direction-bono-do-they-know-its-christmas/ "undefined") with a selection of celebrities this year in aid of Ebola-stricken African countries. Those words? “F\*\*\* off.” Geldof’s invective was apparently directed at William Pooley, a British nurse who contracted the Ebola virus while treating patients in Sierra Leone. Pooley recently [described the lyrics](http://time.com/3624950/ebola-survivor-band-aid-cringeworthy/ "undefined") to the charity single by Band Aid 30 as out of touch and “cringeworthy.” Similar sentiments have been raised by a [variety of critics](http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/11/bob-geldof-ebola-africa-band-aid-bono-one-direction-famin-20141113833733496.html "undefined") in Africa and beyond. “It’s a pop song, it’s not a doctoral thesis.” Geldof said in response to the latest bout of criticism, [the Daily Telegraph reports](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11281894/Bob-Geldof-Dont-like-the-Band-Aid-lyrics-Then-f-off.html "undefined"). “They’re more than welcome to be offended by me. I couldn’t give a toss.” \[[The Telegraph.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11281894/Bob-Geldof-Dont-like-the-Band-Aid-lyrics-Then-f-off.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/"},"headline":"Bob Geldof Has a Four-Letter Response to Band Aid 30 Critics","datePublished":"2014-12-09T18:21:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:42:07.937Z","description":"Yes, it begins with F","url":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/","keywords":["Music","ebola"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb2dbd1b3c7fde7f/69876da5e20a870995a83e2d/454604230.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfb2dbd1b3c7fde7f/69876da5e20a870995a83e2d/454604230.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Campus Symposium 2014","caption":"Campus Symposium 2014","creditText":"Andreas Rentz—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/","name":"Bob Geldof Has a Four-Letter Response to Band Aid 30 Critics"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch One Man’s Story of Surviving Ebola","description":"Watch One Man’s Story of Surviving Ebola","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/XfeUoCr9/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-10-03T18:55:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XfeUoCr9.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3625756/bob-geldof-band-aid-30-critics/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```