Rice-Oxley rides to Gore's defence

The Live Earth concerts are coming in for a bit of a knocking, what with the idea of jetting a bunch of popstars to play to half-empty venues on the other side of the planet being a weak way of projecting an idea that we need to reduce, reuse, recycle. But the efforts are now being swung behind the idea that the environmental damage is incidental providing that the message gets across - cynics amongst you might note that a squad of people pushing that very line seem to be popping up across realistic blogs pushing that very line in comments boxes around the world.

Never mind that it's akin to suggesting that the best way to have promoted the idea of the blackout during the second world war would have been to build a massive electric light to flash on and off on the top of the Greenwich Observatory (because it doesn't matter that it contradicts the message, so long as the message is shared, right?)

Now, Tim Rice-Oxley has - appropriately - stood up to be counted for the misguided-but-well-intentioned:

"Live Earth is getting a lot of flak like all good events like this tend to," Tim told NME. "But you go to the middle of America and people are talking about it and hearing about it so it seems to be really doing the job that Al Gore wanted. We're really excited to be part of it as it's a really big show."

You'll notice that by the end of his own quote he'd even forgotten what it was that he was meant to be part of - not "as it's a vital chance to save the world" or "as it's an opportunity to add our voice against global warming", but "we're excited because it's a big show."