Band To GOP Gov. Scott Walker: ‘Please Stop Using Our Music…We Literally Hate You !!!’
The American band Dropkick Murphys tweeted their anger to Scott Walker after he walked onstage to their song, “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.”
Content creators, including musicians, have every right to control their creations – that’s what copyright is for. Yet conservatives continually “steal” music and other content from artists, photographers, writers, and others. NOM, for example, has been slammed by John Mellencamp and Peter, Paul, and Mary for unauthorized use of their music. Sarah Palin was threatened with a lawsuit for unauthorized use of an iconic photo on a 9/11 anniversary. And GOP probable presidential hopeful Ben Carson recently had to defend himself in a plagiarism scandal.
The latest to earn the ire of artists is Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
As he walked onstage Saturday at Rep. Steve King’s Iowa Freedom Summit, the song “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys played. The band was not happy, and later that day tweeted this:
@ScottWalker @GovWalker please stop using our music in any way…we literally hate you !!! Love, Dropkick Murphys
— Dropkick Murphys (@DropkickMurphys) January 25, 2015
The AV Club reports the Dropkick Murphys “are staunchly pro-workers’ rights,” adding their “beef goes all the way back to 2011, when Walker introduced a bill that was designed to straighten-out Wisconsin’s budget—and yes, it’s just as exciting as that makes it sound. In order to fix the budget, one of Walker’s ideas—among many others—was to drastically limit the collective bargaining capabilities of most public employees. Basically, he made their unions powerless. Some people were, in a word, pissed.”
Watch:
Â
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr
Hat tip: Talking Points Memo
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.