Quote of the day: On Celebrity, by Peaches Geldof

Okay so the quote isn’t actually from today; it comes from a 2009 Guardian profile of Peaches Geldof, a so-called British ‘celebutante’ who I stumbled upon in my Twitter feed (not because I follow her, because I follow horror film director/ Bear-Jew Eli Roth, and apparently, according to someone somewhere, they’re dating—or they used to date, but that’s not the point). In addition to being young, a sometime model, a British fashion icon and an aspiring media mogul, Peaches (real name, according to The Guardian: Peaches Honeyblossom Michelle Charlotte Angel Vanessa Geldof—- though rumor has it this is “made up”, though of course I thought, ‘Who does she think she is changing her name like that? A Jew?) is also the daughter of musician Bob Geldof, the lead singer of the group The Boomtown Rats (he also starred as Pink in Pink Floyd’s 1982 film The Wall).

The Guardian journalist Rachel Cooke rightly points out that Geldof is a bit “lippy”, but on the topic of the media’s obsession with redundant celebrity journalism—Geldof launched her own mag, Disappear Here in 2008—she said something rather astute, especially in light of recent harping on celebrity scandal (NOT that DMK or the Sperminator don’t deserve every bit):

“Joe Bloggs who only earns 20 grand and really has to struggle doesn’t want to see Brad and Angelina strolling round in their million-dollar mansions. He wants to see them falling apart because that will make him feel better about himself. Our need to knock celebrities is…Twisted: it’s deep in the mid-brain below the survival instinct. That lust to see a downfall. It’s animalistic.”