‘Live-Aid’ Star Hits Rock Bottom

--Rock star Bob Geldof says that his efforts to aid African famine victims have left him broke. Geldof, the lead singer of the “Boomtown Rats,” who organized the successful “Live-Aid” concert, told a New York news conference that friends had to put up the money for him to fly to New York and promote a book about the concert. “I’m broke. I get people to pay for my air fare (to promote the book). The same with hotels . . . . Every penny and cent that people give to Live-Aid and Band-Aid goes to fight famine,” he said. The 192-page book of color photographs has already sold 200,000 copies in Britain and is expected to sell half a million copies in the United States, Geldof said. “I could say how useful (the book) is as a Christmas present, but I’m four months too early,” the Irish singer said. He said that most bookstores were giving their profits to the famine relief fund and that magazines were contributing free advertising for the souvenir book. A movie of the July 13 rock marathon, which brought together scores of musicians in London and Philadelphia stadiums and was televised worldwide, is being considered, he said. Geldof, a possible nominee for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said that the Live-Aid concert and related smaller fund-raisers have brought in roughly $90 million for African famine relief.

--Dr. Benjamin Spock says that a society trying to prevent child-snatching should be spending money on better child care instead of on fingerprinting children. “Most of the children kidnaped are abducted by their father, who no longer lives at home with the child,” Spock said. “And the other major reason for missing children is the teen-ager running away from home . . . trying to get the parents’ attention.” Spock, author of “Baby and Child Care,” told an audience at the First Congregational Church in Fall River, Mass.: “We must get this problem into some sense of proportion. We are scaring millions of kids.” He said that paying too much attention to the situation can conjure up unnecessary “morbid fear” in children of being kidnaped. Spock added that having children fingerprinted and placing pictures of missing children on milk cartons bring youngsters’ attention to the world of crime at too young an age.

--Actor Yul Brynner has entered a hospital for treatment of what was described as “a mild case of bacterial meningitis,” his agent said. Brynner entered New York Hospital for tests last month, Robert Lantz said in a statement issued by the agency of Solters, Roskin & Friedman. “He is making very good progress and recovery” and “is expected to leave the hospital shortly,” Lantz said.