Oh no - not another charity record

AC/DC Lead singer Brian Johnson on Charity concerts

"I don't tell everybody they should give money - they can't afford it," said Johnson, whose band won the first Grammy of its 27-year career last weekend for best hard rock performance for its song War Machine.

"When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa."

This is not to say that Mr Johnson is indifferent to the sufferings of others.

Johnson said his band preferred to carry out work for charity in private and spend some of their own money.

"Do a charity gig, fair enough, but not on worldwide television," he said.

And there's the point.

Anyway the Haiti earthquake has seen a reprise of "We are the World" thing with a whole lot of faded jaded stars gathering together to remake the archetypal charity song. Those in good with the organizers will get to solo half a verse, those lower down the pecking order will duet or trio their bit with the bottom tier celebrities confined to the chorus I expect.

Call me cynical if you wish but I can't help thinking that this exercise is more about the "stars" than it is about Haiti.