Rock star charities

By Nancy
July 6th, 2008

There’s a certain rock star with a penchant for making ponderous proclamations and getting his picture taken with the Pope so often that he’s often the butt of jokes. My favorite of these jokes:

When Warren Zevon died, he was surprised to find himself in rock ‘n roll heaven. St. Peter was showing him around, introducing him to all the departed rock stars. He saw Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Bonham, Mama Cass, etc., jamming together in a beyond-the-beyond studio. Suddenly, with a flourish, Bono walked in and took over the session.

Zevon gasped to St. Peter: ‘I didn’t know Bono died!’

“Shhh,” whispered St. Peter. “That’s not Bono, it’s God. He just thinks he’s Bono.”

Although it’s fun to poke fun at Bono, he has been at the head of the pack when it comes to using his influence to get things done around the world. Here’s a list of some of his contemporaries that are following in his footsteps and doing their part to make a difference:

Mike Peters (front man for the Alarm)
One of the best guitar-driven bands of the 80’s who had a hit single a couple of years ago under a fake name because he didn’t want to be pigeonholed as an oldies act, Peters has survived two bouts with leukemia and gone on to create the Love Hope Strength Foundation, a worldwide charity that provides support and programs for cancer victims (www.lovehopestrength.org). He’s a hell of a nice guy and I’m hoping to interview him for JamsBio soon.

Annie Lennox (of the Eurythmics)
Lenox gave birth to a stillborn son named Daniel 20 years ago. In memory of him, she was inspired to become heavily involved with such charities as Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the Red Cross, who are honoring her in London next month for her work with families affected by AIDS and HIV.

The Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of the word selflessness, but they must really care about the welfare of beasts, as they have held numerous benefit concerts in New York City to benefit the ASPCA.

Peter Gabriel
Gabriel is the head of a charity called Witness that has a truly unique mission: enabling people around the world to record and publicize instances of human rights abuse in order to obtain justice and implement change.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Chili Peppers deserve a special mention due to the fact that since 2000 they have donated a percentage of their touring profits to charity. Most of the charities they support help children, including Neil Young’s Bridge School (which helps children with severe disabilities).