From: http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/metro-beijing/community/news/2010-...

Deal with the devil?

Jimmy Page sidestepped a question about whether he sold his soul to the devil at a Beijing press conference, casting new doubts over the provenance of the Show of Peace concert scheduled to be held in front of the Bird's Nest on April 17. This is Papa 8, (888 when I'm texting the young ladies,) the hard-driving investigative reporter and notable bon-vivant who makes Jimmy Page's heyday of sex, drugs, rock and roll and dabbling in the dark arts look like a Bono consciousness-raising tour through sub-Saharan Africa.
Today, I'm writing this gossip column, which, like many aspects of the Show of Peace, is a mixture of fact and fiction put together for sometimes unintentionally comic effect. But the reporting is all real. At a twice-delayed question and answer period finally held Thursday (the devil finds work for idle hands), Page was asked about the autobiography he is reportedly writing. When a reporter asked to hear the story about Page selling his soul to the devil, Page darkly said "Oh do you?" He then switched gears and ducked the question with a smile, saying: "Well if I had sold my soul to the devil you can imagine there would probably be an agent involved, and a manager involved and they would take a big percentage themselves, wouldn't they?" Although everyone present laughed, there are no shortages of agents and managers involved with the Show of Peace…or Page.
I'm just joking of course, but the folks at China Music Radar don't think Show of Peace promoter Rick Garson is funny at all. In a post called "Show of Lies," they claim, "We have seen written confirmation from the Lady Gaga and BEP's [Black Eyed Peas] teams that they will not be coming. Lady Gaga's people have never even heard of Rick Garson and the Show of Peace." Garson's people say they are looking into it and will respond soon. Garson has gathered a team of industry heavyweights around him, and it is quite possible that a deal has been made with these artists at the highest levels that have not been formalized. Also, things change. However, the Beijinger's Dan Edwards points out that Japan's HMV website has Lady Gaga playing in Yokohama on April 17, the day of the concert.
Perhaps a worse omen is the Global Peace Award that Page was presented with. Garson's organization announced in a press release that Page has received the award "from the United Nations' Pathways to Peace Organization, presented by United Nations Pathways to Peace representative Michael Johnson." But this appears to be misusing the UN name. Pathways to Peace has consultative status with the UN, like more than 3,000 other NGOs, which essentially means it is allowed to take part in UN meetings. Groups with consultative status not allowed to represent or act on behalf of the UN. In addition, the Show of Peace press materials describe Johnson as a United Nations NGO Representative for Pathways to Peace. Johnson represents Pathways to Peace to the UN. He is not a representative of the UN, as one could wrongly infer from this title.
During the press conference, promoters mixed personalized messages from the stars Joey Kramer and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, South Korea's Wondergirls and rapper Common about the April 17 concert with an apparently generic climate change message that made no mention of the concert from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon – an apparent effort to bolster the UN connection. Organizers also mixed in a generic UN climate change video.
A spokeswoman for Garson said Show of Peace has the support of the UN, as shown by the message from Ban, but no official strategic partnership. When it was pointed out that the message is generic, she backtracked and said, "I don't think he is supporting the concert. I think he wants to use our platform to deliver the message to the public to be concerned about the environment." She then promised to clarify and get back to us. She admitted that the organization does not yet have any official ties to the UN except through Pathways to Peace, which she acknowledged is also not part of the UN.
But if the Show of Peace organization has no official ties to the UN, why did they present Page with an award in the shape of the UN logo with two UN-like laurels engraved with the words: "United Nations Pathway for Peace Global Peace Award"?
Page said he is "still on a wave of euphoria about this incredible honor." I'm still dazed and confused by it. With this level of opacity and truthfulness, we're not sure if we are comfortable that all the profit raised from this event is going to a foundation started by Garson.