Early Morning Open Thread: Music Hath Meanings
Ken Layne at Wonkette has a post explaining why “David Byrne Sues Charlie Crist For Musical Crimes”:
It was just last year that John WALNUTS! McCain had to pay a million Ameros to Jackson Browne for illegally using that “Running On Empty” song, and the Steve Miller Band only this year had to force Florida wingnut Marco Rubio to stop his campaign’s illegal use of the FM oldie “Take the Money and Run.” Did Republicans learn their lesson, at all? No, because they are all criminals. And now David Byrne has sued Charlie Crist for a million bucks because Crist’s campaign brazenly used the Talking Heads’ song “Road To Nowhere” without permission, licensing or payment…
The Spousal Unit came to read this over my shoulder because I was laughing, and started chuckling over the Repugs’ brilliant semi-subliminal statements of intent: “Running on empty? Take the money and run? Road to nowhere? Of course nobody listens to lyrics, but can’t they at least proof the titles? Or is this the revenge of their abused campaign staffers?”
Since Crist will be looking for a new theme song, maybe he can try this one. But only after proper royalty arrangements are made, of course.
“See I’m not walkin’ on it / Or tryin’ to run around it / This ain’t no acrobatics / You either follow or you lead, yeah / I’ll keep on blamin’ the machine, yeah… “
May 25, 2010 3:16 am
Posted in: Assholes, Clown Shoes, Music, Open Thread, Republican Stupidity
40 Comments
40 Responses
mclaren - May 25, 2010 | 3:24 am · Link
Word has it David Byrne wrote “Road To Nowhere” as the anthem of the Reagan years.
Mike Kay - May 25, 2010 | 3:35 am · Link
well, the all time best moment was when they played “Barracuda” as Palin was on stage at the RNC convention.
Also, too.
jadethews - May 25, 2010 | 3:43 am · Link
I am so hopelessly in love with Janelle Monae
fucen tarmal - May 25, 2010 | 3:46 am · Link
ha ha palin just tweeted a link to this announcement on facebook, i exerpt
go joe mcguinness! nice to see she is already setting up the peeping tom angle.
Lysana - May 25, 2010 | 3:53 am · Link
Perhaps they stopped asking permission because they took the wrong lesson from the “Born in the USA” foolishness in 1984?
invisible_hand - May 25, 2010 | 4:56 am · Link
a) what really pisses me off is that these musical theft cases are always with republicans, the ones who purportedly believe in private property rights the most of all. that means that the artists who created the songs have the right to refuse to allow these right wingers from using their songs. sorry.
b) monae is rocking my world.
Tattoosydney - May 25, 2010 | 5:09 am · Link
That’s a great song! Thanks, Anne Laurie.
Jrod, Slayer of Phoenix - May 25, 2010 | 6:26 am · Link
@fucen tarmal: Well now, if Palin’s government has declared his journalism twisted, it must be true!
Maybe Joe McGuinness hopes to learn about the Palin family the same way she learned about dealing with Putin: proximity.
SiubhanDuinne - May 25, 2010 | 6:44 am · Link
Big props to Wonkette for the excellent “Ameros” reference. Subtle yet pointed. Nicely done, sir!
Jrod, Slayer of Phoenix - May 25, 2010 | 7:01 am · Link
A little something incredible to start your day.
kommrade reproductive vigor - May 25, 2010 | 7:02 am · Link
Bu- but – Musicians are are liberal hippie commutards who don’t understand the concept of private property. Clearly Mr. Byrne has been put up to this by the Failed Obama Administration.
Ms. Monae is cuter than six baskets of kittens, also.
Cat Lady - May 25, 2010 | 7:25 am · Link
Republicans r clueless and unprincipled? OH NOES
I want a pair of those shoes. Also, too.
JCT - May 25, 2010 | 7:33 am · Link
She’s an endless piece of work—notice how she mentions Piper’s bedroom first? Oh yeah—“her little garden”, must be a nice brown tangle of weeds given that she is never there.
Yes, the irony of the song choice is quite delightful, right up there with Bush Srs professed love for “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. What would make me happy is hitting some of these guys over the head with a shovel at this point.
Oh, and if you all need a laugh—Wonkette was on fire yesterday, some of the best posters were obviously tuning up for Monday over the weekend.
mai naem - May 25, 2010 | 7:41 am · Link
For all the money the grifter’s made, she could have bought that house or offered to rent it for more. Sounds like she doesn’t get along with the neighbor.
Chris - May 25, 2010 | 8:05 am · Link
Of course it’s always Republicans and of course they never ask.
Bonus synergy points: having artists/musicians sue you just builds street cred for conservatives – it’s a way to show your base that (1) you don’t believe in asking permission, you just take what you want, (2) those dirty hippies are on the other side, (3) they have to resort to the courts to get what they want, (4) oh, come on, hippies don’t believe in private property, so why should we believe in their private property either? and (5) you’ve got enough money that you can just do whatever the fuck you want.
(Side note: about the way it’s disrespectful of private property – the worst “conservatives” are conservatives. Is that already a tag here? It certainly could be.)
clay - May 25, 2010 | 8:43 am · Link
“my” Department of Natural Resources? You mean the agency that you staffed, and was answerable to you, found fault with journalism that criticized your administration? That’s a rock-solid argument!
You know, for a half-term governor, she sure does have a lengthy enemies list.
matoko_chan - May 25, 2010 | 8:52 am · Link
nice catch Anne Laurie….does this remind you of the 2008 presidential season where Palin weepily refused to look at her press clippings in the morning to see which 80’s hairband had dissed her the night before?
Heart, Bon Jovi, Survivor, Foo Fighters, even Van Halen, the band she named her firstborn after…Track Van Palin.
that had to leave a mark.
Her campaign was reduced to country and western.
man, you just can’t get to cooltown on the conservative express.
it only goes to crazitown anymore.
clay - May 25, 2010 | 9:09 am · Link
Maybe they could use “Crazy Train.” Ozzy probably wouldn’t mind. Or if he did, who could tell?
gnomedad - May 25, 2010 | 9:18 am · Link
Tort reform!
Wag - May 25, 2010 | 9:29 am · Link
Next song to be appropriated by the GOP???
And he wore a hat
and he had a job
and he brought home the bacon….
Sounds like a song celebrating the working class, no?
Paul in KY - May 25, 2010 | 9:44 am · Link
@Jrod, Slayer of Phoenix: Thank’s for sharing that. Amazing how she uses all her fingers & just subtle little marks that end up as a great impressionistic work. She’s got some talent.
mattH - May 25, 2010 | 9:46 am · Link
Slightly off topic but my favorite commercial was the Wrangler ad that use “Fortunate Son” to patriotically push jeans by using just a few lines from the song.
SlyFox - May 25, 2010 | 9:54 am · Link
Damn Anne. I have been playin that song for weeks now.
williamc - May 25, 2010 | 10:07 am · Link
Thanks Anne Laurie, I LOVES some Janelle Monae.
She has one of the most energetic live shows I’ve ever been to. She was here in Atlanta recently on her short tour, on a work-night, and I had to go see her. Her EP was sensational, the the LP is even greater (it was released last week, buy it!). The songs are amazing and genre-defying, and even the art-deco album art itself is something to behold…
fucen tarmal - May 25, 2010 | 10:07 am · Link
the nfl took the song “every day is like sunday” by morrissey using only that line in a blanket of promos, ignoring the next line “every day is silent and gray” or the more trenchant (to the songs meaning)”in the seaside town they forgot to bomb, come come come nuclear bomb” it was speculated that use of the one line, with a different arrangement, and different singer was quiet payola to the PETA crowd over the vick thing.
fucen tarmal - May 25, 2010 | 10:17 am · Link
maybe palin will try “there she goes again” in 2012.
canuckistani - May 25, 2010 | 10:33 am · Link
@Wag:
FTW! I mean no! That’s terrible!
Bnut - May 25, 2010 | 11:06 am · Link
That song/video was amazing. Going to have to check Janelle Monae out.
protected static - May 25, 2010 | 11:27 am · Link
If there was any truth in advertising, they’d license NIN’s “Head Like a Hole.”
lexlurker - May 25, 2010 | 12:44 pm · Link
@mattH: Exactly why we don’t buy wrangler jeans anymore.
microtherion - May 25, 2010 | 1:00 pm · Link
And Rand Paul could borrow some Ben Harper:
Fledermaus - May 25, 2010 | 3:05 pm · Link
Just wait until they discover Dead Kennedys “Kill the Poor”
MCA - May 25, 2010 | 3:40 pm · Link
My god, does Janelle Monae just ooze charisma, or what? In a just world, she’s the next pop music superstar.
colleeniem - May 25, 2010 | 6:52 pm · Link
@MCA: I’m so freakin late to this party, but I had to say—don’t even think about my current obsession ms. monae and charlie crist in the same sentance.
If there is anyone checking this thread out (and I know it has already been posted) but you have to see her channel james brown during this live version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzZnao2fbRQ
Comrade Mary - May 25, 2010 | 8:42 pm · Link
She’ll be on Ellen tomorrow. Too bad the video preview doesn’t mention her at all. But at least I’ll be working at home tomorrow and can catch the show.
MaximusNYC - May 25, 2010 | 9:27 pm · Link
She was on Letterman last week. Truly sensational.
Comrade Mary - May 25, 2010 | 10:12 pm · Link
Oh, my. Singing live and dancing (in a tutu) in “big” with the Atlanta Ballet. Girl isn’t just funky, she’s a musical theatre geek.
(Another performance of Sincerely Jane here.)
Comrade Mary - May 25, 2010 | 10:17 pm · Link
Cold War (just the music—no video yet).
And I wasn’t kidding about the geekiness: here’s her collaboration Make the Bus with Of Montreal.
Mike G - May 26, 2010 | 12:45 am · Link
Just wait until they discover Dead Kennedys “Kill the Poor”
The most truly Republican rock song I can think of is Guns ‘n’ Roses “One in a Million”—
Immigrants and faggots
They make no sense to me
They come to our country
And think they’ll do as they please
Like start some mini Iran
Or spread some fucking disease
They talk so many goddamn ways
It’s all greek to me
MCA - May 26, 2010 | 12:26 pm · Link
@colleeniem and Comrade Mary- she’s James Brown, Andre 3000, Prince and David Bowie all wrapped up in one adorable package. Talent out the wazoo, combined with overflowing personality, a healthy dash of humility (from the interviews I’ve seen of her), and an artistic vision at the age of 24. I read one review of ArchAndroid where the reviewer noted it took Stevie Wonder about 15 albums to come up with “Songs in The Key of Life” while this is Monae’s first full-length. Not a completely apt comparison, but illuminating nonetheless. And her timing is perfect – Outkast came close, but Monae could be the first to truly bridge the gap between the hip hop and indie rock fan bases. She’s got as much film-geek nerd appeal as Ben Gibbard or Colin Malloy if she wants it, yet she’s out there performing with Big Boi and Diddy, too.