John McCain is suing the pants off of Jackson Browne. For suing the pants off of McCain. The failed presidential candidate says Browne just sued him to drum up some publicity for his upcoming album. According to McCain it had nothing to do with him using Browne’s song without his permission. Way to make sure you never take the blame for anything dude.
John McCain is returning Jackson Browne’s August lawsuit complaining about McCain using his song “Running on Empty” during his campaign by claiming Browne is just trying drum up publicity for his own album, reports TMZ.
McCain’s lawyers filed a response, saying Jackson complained so he could get press to promote his new album, which came out a month later.
J-Mac also makes the argument he could use the tune whenever and where he wants because he was running for Prez, not trying to make a buck off it. If the court buys this “political speech as public interest” claim, it pretty much means curtains for a bunch of other musicians who were PO’d about their songs being used by the GOP.
The list of other acts mad at McCain for playing their songs includes Van Halen, Heart, Foo Fighters and more.
[From the Huffington Post]
You know, suing a guy is not the cheapest thing. I’m sure if Browne were trying to drum up publicity he could have found more cost-effective ways to do it. I think that he – like so many other musicians – was just mortified and offended to be associated with the GOP in any way. And he was angrier about it than a lot of others who just sent McCain’s camp cease and desist letters.
The Foo Fighters pointed out how un-American it was for McCain to use artists’ music without their permission, since it showed a total disregard for their intellectual property rights. Hopefully McCain’s lawsuit will be tossed, Browne will win his suit, and the senator can apologize for being suck a jerk. He’s well known for apologizing.
Here’s Jackson Browne performing “Running on Empty” with Bruce Springsteen, another Democratic supporter, in East Rutherford, NJ in 2004.
What an embarrassment to have a petty lawsuit like this in your personal record. The campaign seems to have had a lasting effect in bringing out the worst in this man. It’s sad to see.
Generally I like this website, it is very easy to get celebrity gossip tidbits even if you don’t have time to read the entire article. I have found, however, that your coverage of the election is totally biased. Calling McCain a jerk is very wrong of you. He is an American hero and just because you don’t believe in his political views doesn’t mean you have to resort to name calling. I am not trying to hold you to the standards of a “journalist” (don’t even get me started on their bias) but you have never questioned or critiqued Obama.
@Kim: Being an ‘American hero’ has nothing to do with misappropriating someone else’s property – which songs are. He’s a jerk for just walking off with somebody’s song in the first place and for bringing this pathetically frivolous law suit. His politics aren’t the issue here.
To my knowledge, Obama’s never borrowed anyone’s music without permission.
In short, you’re beating a dead horse. The Republicans lost and it’s too bad more of them aren’t doing so gracefully.
@Baho I totally agree. How many artists were pissed off that he was using their songs without permission?
His hair scares me
I was just thinking how rad is it that our future president probably has a copy of Original Musiquarium in his record collection.
Agree and well said Baho.
Sounds like big John does not have enough to keep him busy…Or perhaps he is just wanting to keep his name/brand out with the young folks…
I have to agree with Kim. I come here to get away from political drama, not to jump right back into it. The election is OVER. Calling McCain a loser or a jerk and such is a little tasteless. I think he bowed out gracefully. His problem is NOT with Obama but with an artist who obviously just wants to stir up drama. If Obama had used this song without Jackson’s permission, I bet NOTHING would’ve been said or done about it.
And Obama didn’t have to ask to use people’s music. They just threw it at him along with theirselves. Artists of all ilk backed him. It was a completely celebrity endorsed campaign.
But you don’t have to be so mean to people who might be Republicans. There is NOTHING wrong with being a Republican just as there’s nothing wrong with being a Democrat.
But since I’ve lived in Ireland I honestly don’t give a shite for either party. I think it’s just tearing the USA farther apart and nothing’s going to be resolved until the hatred subsides.
Danielle and Kim: I supported Obama, but I would be just as upset with him (if not more so) if he had misappropriated someone’s song to use in a campaign ad, and then countersued like this.
You know, just go ask the artist’s permission before you use a song in an ad. Not only does obtaining permission make use of the song all legal, but it’s just good manners. Failure to do so (and then dis the artist in a countersuit later!) makes the person a jerk, in my opinion. And the excuse that nobody liked him enough to let him use their songs doesn’t make the stealing any better. Their songs/their choice.
If Obama had done that, it would have impacted my thoughts on his character and I would have seriously reconsidered voting for him.
“And Obama didn’t have to ask to use people’s music. They just threw it at him along with theirselves. Artists of all ilk backed him. It was a completely celebrity endorsed campaign.”
So?
And (us)not saying anything about Obama if he was using music without permission is a non-issue because he wouldn’t have done so in the first place. Let’s get real.
Just to make things perfectly clear, this story and commentary had nothing to do about Republican vs. Democrat politics or opinion. It has to do with a numbskull lawsuit filed by what I’m sure is a decent person edging his way into sit-down-you-old-fool territory.
I’m tired of the American hero spiel. This guy spilled his guts to the enemy. I’m not saying I would not have cracked too, but then I’m not living off my “hero” status for the next 40 years.
McCain behaved like a jerk throughout the election process, gaining in hatefulness as the days passed. His rallies embraced racism such as we haven’t seen since 1950. He lost. Thank God.
John may have faced the enemy in the battlefield and known the horrors of war, but he has not seen true terror until he’s faced down the lawyers working for the RIAA. Those folks are vicious!
I’m going to chalk this up as a McCain victory, because unlike John, Mr. Browne doesn’t have endless amounts of cash and I doubt the RIAA gives a damn about his music. 🙁
@ vdantev 😆 😆
Probably some truth to McCain’s theory; after all, Browne has not done anything important career-wise in decades. The publicity will probably help him tremendously.
Antony and Lauri are talking out their sphincters; the RIAA slugged it out over the Beach Boys musical rights and they haven’t cut an album in 20 years.
Jackson Browne has always been politically involved. He’s also a passionate musician and songwriter, so it’s no surprise that he was peeved at John McCain’s blatant ripoff of something so important to him.
I don’t think he’s doing it for the publicity. He’s been in the business a very long time and I’ve never thought of him as a publicity hound.
All you McCain haters need to get a life almost as much as Jackson Browne does.
He requested that his song stop being used.
It was not used again.
That should have been the end of it and it would have been if Browne hadn’t decided to be a little drama ho about it.
Good for John for fighting back against people like Browne and his leftist followers who aren’t worthy enough to hold his jockstrap.
By the way, your hero Jackson beat the crap out of his ex girlfriend Daryl Hannah.
Did you all know that? He is hardly a saint.
Who’s he kidding Jackson Browne are far more famous than Mc’Cain will ever be! Or is McCain is oblivious like the rest of the cronies in there to assume that he’s above any law including copyright law.
Jackson Browne rightly sued because McPain and ‘his people’ used/stole his music (copyright AND recordings) without permission. This is also known as THEFT. EOS. Notwithstanding corruption, politicians must pay like anyone else (and this should be borne out in the appeal process, if any). Where are the gung-ho RIAA lawyers – huh? As opposed to P2P ‘file sharing’ the actual damages exceed $20 and unauthorized use is, in fact, felony theft – no matter who McPAIN thinks he is.
‘Song bird’ McPAIN (connect the dots)
1. Sore loser and War Criminal.
2. Thief / pirate (FOR a PAY RAISE if he won means for personal enrichment, not entirely dissimilar to ‘free’ P2P music file sharing – regardless of the RIAA frauds-on-the-courts).
3. Communist and/or Fascist (thinking everything he sees or hears is his.)
4. Psychopath (self-obsessed with neither inhibitions nor empathy).
5. War hero or feckless fraud (Spent most of the Vietnam ‘action’ / not-really-war out of harm’s way as an ‘admirals son’ / trophy PoW: pampered, wined and dined.)?
The world is a much safer place w/o duplicitous John (“100-years war”) McPAIN in the WH.