Rare Online Video: The Boomtown Rats on The Merv Griffin Show, 1981

The Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats, led by vocalist and activist Bob Geldof, had a #1 hit on their hands in 1979 with the song “I Don’t Like Mondays”. Geldof wrote the song after hearing about a school shooting in California carried out by a 16 year old girl, a definite rarity at that time. The song was a global hit with the exception of the U.S. Although subsequent singles were released “I Don’t Like Mondays” remains the bands most well known song.

In 1981 The Boomtown Rats were invited to perform their hit song on one of the biggest talk shows of the Day - The Merv Griffith Show. This video captures that performance (and Geldof saying they are doing the song as a reaction against U.S. gun laws of the day) as well as Merv Griffith talking to Bob Geldof about the band’s road to success, it’s name and why the music press hates them among other topics.

You can listen to “I Don’t Like Mondays” and other songs from artists of the 1980's on Dusty Discs Radio.