Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Dead Kennedys Lawsuit Dropped

From cnn.com:

Former Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra has dropped his remaining lawsuit against members of his band.... [A judge decided that] the band's creative output, including songs "Holiday in Cambodia" and "Kill the Poor," belongs to a partnership formed among the four band members.... "Personally and professionally, I just want to put this entire chapter behind us and concentrate on making music again," bassist Klaus Flouride said. The San Francisco-based punk band performed together from 1978 to 1986. The band re-formed without Biafra and has been playing as the Dead Kennedys, according to its publicist, Josh Mills.

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I've always been a fan of Jello Biafra's lawsuit because I find it really advanced for someone like him to sue his fellow bandmates over royalties, among other things. And I also approve of the band's touring without him but still calling themselves Dead Kennedys. Kudos to them all.

A little background from a fan site:

The Dead Kennedys formed in San Francisco in 1978 and quickly developed a reputation for shocking and satiric lyrics. The band separated in 1986. Their legal problems arose in 1998, when three former band members sued lead singer Jello Biafra, whose real name is Eric Reed Boucher. The three band members claimed that Biafra didn't properly promote the group's albums and wrongfully exploited their collective intellectual property through his own record label. Biafra answered that he had exclusive rights to the catalog. He also cross-complained, seeking the dissolution of Decay Music, a general partnership the four band members formed in 1981 to publish records, retain rights to the music and collect income from royalties.

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I can almost guarantee a reunion tour within five years.

1 comment:

James Jesus said...

"I can almost guarantee a reunion tour within five years." Oh yeah??? 2010 now