How much does it cost to get a rock ‘n roll star to sell out? Oooh, those guys get their money for nothin’ and their chicks for free, so it must be really expensive.
Rock ‘n roll star Tom Petty, a good liberal, was pissed off when he found out that Michele Bachmann was using his song, American Girl, as part of her campaign.
The Guardian UK offers the details:
Tom Petty has told US presidential candidate Michele Bachmann to stop using one of his songs as part of her campaign, insisting he did not give the rightwing politician permission. Within 24 hours of the televised launch of Bachmann’s 2012 campaign, Petty’s lawyers reportedly pounced on the press-conference soundtrack, which used the song American Girl as exit music.
“Petty isn’t pleased,” reported NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, while Rolling Stone confirmed the singer’s lawyers had sent the Minnesota congresswoman a cease and desist order. It’s not even the first bump of Bachmann’s campaign: during her announcement speech, the Tea Party supporter confused the birthplace of actor John Wayne with that of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Petty’s problem appears to be with Bachmann’s politics. In 2008, the singer allowed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton to use American Girl for her unsuccessful presidential bid.
Uh-oh. Tom Petty is pissed off. Hell hath no fury like a liberal rock ‘n roll singer. He has all the money in the world, so this should be an ugly battle. Or maybe not.
Politico reveals the outcome of the dust up:
It looks like Michele Bachmann can remain an “American Girl” — she paid fees to two music licensing companies at the end of June, according to her latest campaign finance report. Bachmann shelled out a total of $900 to the American Society of Composers and Broadcast Music, Inc., in separate payments on June 28.
$900. 900 measly dollars? That’s all it takes to buy off a rich. liberal rock ‘n roll singer?
This is like the old joke about the guy who’s sitting next to the beautiful woman in a bar. They’re hitting it off and the conversation is going well when he says, “Let me ask you a question. Would you have sex with me for $10,000,000.”
“Well,” she says. “I guess I would. That’s a lot of money.”
“Great,” he says. “Would you have sex with me for ten dollars?”
Horrified, she says, “Absolutely not. What do you think I am, some kind of whore?”
“We’ve already determined that,” he says. “Now we’re just negotiating the price.”
Tom Petty. $900 whore.
Source: Guardian UK, Politico
This post was last modified on August 13, 2011
View Comments (48)
I still think Petty's song "Learning To Fly" is a great song. I saw a Mellencamp concert in the late 80s. I think he's a very talented songwriter but he started losing me with all his liberal talk. Ted Nugent is going to be at the Kentucky State Fair this week. I guess his songs can be a bit risque. Believe it or not, I've heard that Britney Spears is sympathetic to the Republican Party as a person from Louisiana. But when I come across her salacious videos, I kinda wonder.
"Believe it or not, I’ve heard that Britney Spears is sympathetic to the Republican Party as a person from Louisiana. But when I come across her salacious videos, I kinda wonder."
Same here...
Likely her desire to keep more of her millions sways her politics than anything else. I have known many less than modest people that still qualify as conservative in their politicals. Spears knows she's a commodity and sells it while she can. I kinda doubt she's very politically savvy in any case, but her handlers - is her father still her conservator as he was a while back as ordered by the courts when she was going nuts? - may have a clue to the potential for the tap to run dry.
I don't follow her nor her music, so I don't know where she is at mentally and if her Father is still in control or not, but it worked the last time I heard something a long while back. On the odd chance I see something of hers on TV, it is tired and unnecessarily lewd. However, you may be correct that although socially speaking they may be liberal, on fiscal/economic matter they may hold to conservatives points of views.
Here's a list of celebs who are Republicans. Can't vouch for accuracy, but still worth a look.
http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/11770/Politics/Celebrity+Republicans.aspx
Thanks for the list.
Adam Sandler?! Uhm... I don't know about that! Sounds wrong for some reason. Anderson Cooper?! Britney Spears... ha ha.... Wow some of them I got to say that I would be SHOCKED if they were. A lot of celebs came out last time around as republicans and I thought they were really brave. So sad that I actually had that thought :-/
Looks like Michele learned a good lesson from Reagan. Remember when he was using "Born In The USA"? Springsteen had a hissy fit!
If he had gone to ASCAP and purchased the rights first, he would have been able to tell Bruce to go pound salt, and Bruce's head would have exploded!
I thought it was "Pink Houses" by John Melloncamp.
You're right. Reagan made a reference to Bruce in a campaign speech, not even mentioning the song, but it caused a controversy.
Pink houses, on the other hand:
In 1984, Ronald Reagan sought permission from Mellencamp to use the song for one of his campaign ads, having apparently missed the cynical, critical tone of the verses and heard only the cheerful chorus. Mellencamp, however, would not grant Reagan permission.
In 2004, the song was played at events for John Edwards’ presidential campaign.The song was also used at events for Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign.
“Pink Houses” along with “Our Country” was played by John McCain at political events for his 2008 presidential campaign. Mellencamp contacted the McCain campaign to request that they cease playing his music.
http://www.rocklopedia.com/2008/07/03/pink-houses/
had Reagan an McCain merely gone to ASCAP and purchased the rights to use the songs, there might have been a controversy, but there is nothinf that the artists could have done about it.
Interesting how Mellencamp had no problem with Edwards using it, but when McCain did it, he gets a cease request!
Are there ANY Republican/Conservative singers? :-/
Are there ANY Republican/Conservative singers?
Yes, most Country singers, Lee Greenwood, Toby Keith, and Tim McGraw to name a couple.
Now, RHG mentioned my favorite one, Ted Nugent! He has Ted Nugent for President bumper stickers!
http://www.tednugent.com/Store/Product.aspx?id=CA000191
That is true. I am not a country music person though. However a lot of them are good looking.
My man Ted Nugent. He's awesome.
Here's the problem with Ted's songs, what they tend to be about. At least his hits, "Cat Scratch Fever", "Wango Tango", & "Free For All" ain't really the types of songs you want to use in a political campagn. Look into what those tunes are about, & it will be very clear. Ted kicks ass, but his songs don't work out like that.
Okay, okay we have that ONE... anyone else LOL and maybe one that is H-O-T? LOL
Okay, okay we have that ONE… anyone else LOL and maybe one that is H-O-T? LOL
Well, from the link Beanhead posted, here are the ones I think are hot, but I admit I don't know all the names on the list.
Amy Grant
Angie Harmon
Destiny's Child
Heather Locklear
Heather Whitestone, former Miss America
Hunter Tylo
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jaclyn Smith
Janine Turner
Kathy Ireland
Lee Ann Womack
Martina McBride
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (satisfys my twins fantasy!)
Reba McEntire
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Uhm.... I am a woman :-/ I guess considering the world that we live in, I should add that I am a heterosexual woman... I really was thinking more about the male side of things LOL.
Yes Kimmy, I know. You didn't really think I was going to give you a list of guys that I thought were hot, did you? I don't swing that way!
You could help a (single) sister out! LOL
Yes he is and among the only ones unafraid to admit it. After some of these entertainers begin to enjoy larger incomes they frequently turn from their 'tax the rich' philosophy, but due to the likelihood of being deemed a pariah, they keep it quiet. That is not to suggest that most aren't proglibcomms, cuz they are.
@ beanhead... Even the wack jobs that gave Moore the Oscar have kids, and want to drive their convertibles in peace. When the whole country goes the way of the Wisconsin State Fair with beatings and looting, they will be ginto reassess their donations and love. Brother Barry is now only raising money from the super rich, gone are the lower, middle, and basic rich. Things are changing- for all of Petty's whining, why did he let the rights go so cheap? Hell, the lawyers earned more than that drafting the C&D letter! Old Tom is hedging his bets, you can count on it. He thinks Michele just might win!
Not really a matter of choice. ASCAP and other music licensing is very well formalized -- and TP has no more choice in the matter than if they wanted to use that song for a tampon or douche bag commercial. Now, a non-BMI/ASCAP artist can charge what they want, and tell people to not play their songs in places they don't want.
Serves him right -- those are some right trollish outfits.
Bachmann IS a tampon/douche bag commercial; nice call! Isn't there a Wing Nut out there that can generate a tune for the loon? Guess not. So douche bag Bachmann ponies up for the tune of a rocker who wouldn't vote for Bachman if his life depended on it. Perfect!
That comment served no purpose other than to you show your lack of class. Well done.
Mitch Hoops:"Bachmann is a tampon/douche bag commercial"
Do you have to be so crude, Mitch?
Just bury him, like the turd he is.
He might have a case if he had called the song "Liberal Democrat Girl".
M.B. should start writing $900 checks to a few more Hollywood whores like Petty. This might show the liberal entertainers their futures rest in the hands of those who make the money. Their bud Barrack has destroyed the ability of the welfare class to be an economic player in the eyes of Media type executives. Those who take our money are on thinner ice than that photo shopped Polar Bear...
Good point Jim! When the gooberment has taken so much from us working folks that we cannot afford to go to a concert or movie where do the Hollyweird elite think they are going to get a paycheck from? From Obama?
He'll just have them over for an endless party at the White House.
Jim: "Those who take our money are on thinner ice than that photo shopped Polar Bear…"
Don't kid yourself, Jim. These are the same people who gave Michael Moore an Oscar for a documentary which was photoshopped to death. The facts were all right there, and they chose to ignore them.
Facts don't mean a whole lot to people who make their living pretending to be important people in important situations, and then give each other great awards for doing so. They'll continue to live in, and defend, that pretend world right up until the day after the cocaine runs out.
As they say, without his money Tom Petty couldn't get laid if he crawled up a chicken's ass and waited...
Oh sure, maybe Debbie Wassermann, but who'd want to?
Petty and Wassermann could be siblings!
Petty's damn ugly and still makes a prettier woman than Wasserman Schultz.
...& both are from Florida.
That is true he is ugly...
For the sake of full disclosure, I'm as ugly as they come.
What this article tells me is that TP is ugly on the inside as well. Liberals are always hawking the "share, share, share" mantra day in and day out, but, if you don't believe exactly as they do, they're as selfish as they come.
Wotta' jerk.
That is true he is ugly on the inside and that is the most important thing.
Hehe, reminds me of an old Dennis Miller joke (pretty sure it was him). He was commenting on the fact that Traveling Wilburys were such an ugly group that Petty was their official chick magnet!
The joke was" the guys in that band are so ugly the roadies were getting laid first."
Ouch!
"the guys in that band are so ugly the roadies were getting laid first.”
HEY!! I used to be a roadie! We did pretty good back in the '70s.
I got this to say about who might be catching strange first from the band; who forgot about the former Beatle in the group? The chicks seemed to think he wasn't all that hard on the eyes, at least once he got his teeth fixed but he wasn't looking back being the honest gentleman he was, not to mention the 250 million dollars in his wallet. I'm not a real good judge for this task but witnessing reactions by the girls it seem Jeff Lynne also had no apparent problem attracting women. Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Petty? Petty reduced their average age significantly but still wore that sunbaked white raisin on the front of his head.
That's funny right there....
Ha, ha! The song is worth 900 bucks! That is funny! I wonder if Hillary even paid...
She probably "stiffed" him.
If her husband didn't care to "stiff" her what makes you think Tom Petty would want to? He may be a flaming liberal but even Tom has to have some sense of self respect.
The fool probably felt it was his patriotic duty to give her (Clinton) the song for free, and on the rear end she would tax his behind even more. All of them are fools.