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Sir Bob Geldof has remembered the late Garry Roberts by affectionately labeling him a ‘pain in the arse.’
The Boomtown Rats star died in November last year at the age of 72, with the band confirming the sad news with ‘a very heavy heart.’
Roberts was a founding member of the iconic Irish band, which formed in Dublin in 1975 with Sir Bob as frontman.
Having been together for over 45 years, toured the world and grown up doors down from each other, Sir Bob and Roberts had a special relationship, though the singer admits it wasn’t always ‘a great one.’
The I Don’t Like Mondays singer appeared on Wednesday’s episode of This Morning where he reflected on Roberts’ loss, paying tribute to his incredible guitar skills and ‘fundamental’ status within the band.
‘He was a difficult man,’ he admitted. ‘He was filled with rage, but we all were.
‘It was 1976, it was punk, it was perfect for us.’
Roberts was full of ‘rage’ which helped Boomtown Rats songs become what they were (Picture: Redferns)
Sir Bob and Roberts had been friends since they were children and formed the group together (Picture: Redferns)
Admitting he was ‘very missed,’ Sir Bob said he could write the music but Roberts was ‘the animus, the rage’ that made the Rats what they were.
‘He’s a mate, a colleague, but not someone you’d ring up and ask for a pint.’ he said, explaining they had been beside each other on busses, trains, in hotels, in interviews, ‘for years’ and it was a different type of relationship, but one that was ‘fundamental.’
‘How do you replace this very annoying person who had been glowering over your shoulder? I turn around and it won’t be Gaz anymore.’
He joked that, ‘like most guitar players’ he was ‘a general pain in the arse’ for the singer, as he would constantly turn up the sound on his guitar during live shows.
‘He had to stare at my skinny arse for 40 years – it wasn’t a good relationship.’
Sir Bob finished by saying he was a ‘great guitar player.’
Sir Bob described their relationship as ‘fundemantal’ (Picture: ITV)
Roberts died at the age of 72 in November last year (Picture: Redferns)
The legendary guitarist was mourned by his bandmates following his death las November as they extended their ‘deepest sympathy to his family and friends.’
‘On a clear spring evening in 1975, in a pub in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Garry became THE founding member of what turned out to be a great rock ’n’ roll band, driven largely by that sound of his – a storm of massive considered noise that punched out from his overtaxed amplifiers and which animated not just the rest of the group but audiences he played to around the world.’
In a statement, they continued: ‘For fans he was The Legend – and he was. For us he was Gazzer, the guy who summed up the sense of who The Rats are.
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‘We have known Garry since we were children and so we feel strangely adrift without him tonight. Safe travels Gaz. Thanks for everything mate.’
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITVX
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MORE : Boomtown Rats confirm death of guitarist Garry Roberts
The pair had been friends since they were children.
