Romney can't put together a playlist but he wants to run the country.
This time it's the band Silversun Pickups that's got their music abused by a GOPer.
Romney should do what Gingrich did after he got hit with cease-and-desist letters (for using "Eye of the Tiger" and "How You Like Me Now?" at campaign events), just play patriotic marching tunes by John Philip Sousa.
I guess the Romney campaign got tired of playing Kid Rock's "Born Free" on endless replay. So, recently they broadened their musical tastes and added "Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups to their playlist.
@GarrettNBCNews 12 Aug
I dig the alternative playlist this morning in NC, but "Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups may not be the message Romney camp wants to send
Apparently Team Romney neglected to either review the lyrics or bother to check with the band members whether they're Romney fans. One would think that the title alone ("Panic Switch") would tip off Romney's event planners.
The band sent Romney a cease-and-desist letter and issued the following statement:
Seems as if the GOP is once again whimsically ignoring our great nation's laws to do whatever it wants to do, and shooting itself in the foot in the process. Without any regard for copyright or intellectual property laws, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has, without permission, begun to use Silversun Pickups' 2009 smash "Panic Switch" at campaign stops across the country. Neither the band nor its representatives were contacted to gain permission for the use of the song and the band has no intention of endorsing the Romney campaign. The band's attorney issued a cease and desist today.
"We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign. We're nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony was too good. While he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign, we doubt that 'Panic Switch' really sends the message he intends."
[emphasis added]
The LA Times quotes Romney spokesperson Andrea ("move to Massachusetts or die") Saul as explaining:
Silversun Pickups ask Romney campaign to stop using 'Panic Switch'
By Randy Lewis
August 15, 2012, 3:57 p.m
...As anyone who attends Gov. Romney’s events knows, this is not a song we would have played intentionally. That said, it was covered under the campaign’s regular blanket license...
In other words, we're not doing our homework and chose an inappropriate song, and didn't ask the band if they're Romney supporters, but we did pay them a license fee so it doesn't matter that they don't want anything to do with Romney.
Here's my Compleat Playlist of GOP ScofflawsTM. Please let me know if I've missed any.
As of 16-Aug-2012:
- Mitt Romney (2012) vs
K'Naan Warsame ("Wavin' Flag")
Al Green ("Let's Stay Together")
Silversun Pickups ("Panic Switch")
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
http://www.mtv.com/...
http://www.thestar.com/...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://www.politico.com/...
http://www.latimes.com/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
- The Rush Limbaugh Show (2012) vs
Rush ("The Spirit of Radio" and the rest of their catalog)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://www.tmz.com/...
- Newt Gingrich (2012) vs
Frank Sullivan ("Eye of the Tiger")
Heavy ("How You Like Me Now?")
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
http://www.globalmontreal.com/...
http://www.theatlantic.com/...
- Michele Bachmann (2011) vs
Tom Petty ("American Girl")
Katrina and the Waves ("Walking on Sunshine")
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/...
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
- Rand Paul (2010) vs
Rush ("The Spirit of Radio", “Tom Sawyer”)
http://blogs.wsj.com/...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/...
http://content.usatoday.com/...
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
- Charlie Crist (2010) vs
David Byrne ("Road to Nowhere")
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
http://journal.davidbyrne.com/...
Crist's official YouTube video apology to David Byrne
- Joe Walsh (2010) vs
Joe Walsh ("Walk Away")
http://www.citmedialaw.org/...
- Marco Rubio (2010) vs
Steve Miller Band ("Take the Money and Run")
http://www.theatlantic.com/...
http://jacksonville.com/...
- Chuck DeVore (2009) vs
Don Henley ("All She Wants to Do is Dance", "The Boys of Summer")
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/...
DeVore's official apology to Don Henley (plus $$$)
- Chris Christie (2009) vs
Monty Python ("It's The Mind" skit)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
- McCain-Palin (2008) vs
Heart (“Barracuda")
Foo Fighters (“My Hero”)
Van Halen (“Right Now”)
Orleans (“Still The One”)
John Mellencamp (“Our Country”, “Pink Houses”)
Jackson Browne (“Running On Empty”)
Gretchen Peters (“Independence Day”)
ABBA ("Take a Chance on Me")
Bill Conti ("Theme from Rocky")
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
http://web.archive.org/...
http://www.eyesonobama.com/...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/...
http://www.reuters.com/...
McCain's official apology to Jackson Browne (plus $$$)
- Eric Cantor (2008) vs
Aerosmith ("Back in the Saddle")
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
- Mike Huckabee (2008) vs
Boston (“More Than a Feeling”)
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/...
- Bush-Cheney (2004) vs
Orleans (“Still The One”)
http://www.rollingstone.com/...
- Bush (2000) vs
Tom Petty (“I Won’t Back Down”)
Sting ("Brand New Day")
John Mellencamp ("R.O.C.K. in the USA")
http://www.pophistorydig.com/...
http://www.salon.com/...
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/...
- Bob Dole (1996) vs
Isaac Hayes ("Soul Man")
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...
- Bush (1988) vs
Bobby McFerrin ("Don't Worry Be Happy")
http://www.nationalpost.com/...
- Reagan-Bush (1984) vs
Bruce Springsteen ("Born in the U.S.A.")
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
- Goldwater-Miller(1964) vs
David Merrick ("Hello Dolly")
http://books.google.com/...
http://www.time.com/...