The Doobie Brothers Tell Bill Murray to Pay Up

Hollywood Reporter ^ | SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 | Eriq Gardner

[nickcarraway]

Sometimes, lawyers need a light touch. Like when a famously laid-back actor uses an unlicensed song to hawk an "ugly" golf shirt. Often, the legal threats come hot and heavy. But that's not what happens when Bill Murray uses without license the Doobie Brothers' "Listen to the Music" for an advertisement for his golf shirts, and the band must react. Here, the group's attorney Peter Paterno attempts to lightly scold Murray. He writes, "It seems like the only person who uses our clients' music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump … We'd almost be OK with it if the shirts weren't so damn ugly."

Ouch! Bill Murray's camp hasn't responded yet. Here's the rest of the letter …

[L.A.Justice]

I do like to listen to Michael McDonald sing...He is a member of Doobie Brothers...
He sang the song for the movie RUNNING SCARED...

[nickcarraway]

He joined the Doobie from 1976 to 1981, after he sang for Steely Dan.

[ZagFan]

Even the Doobie Brothers’s lawyers have Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Obviously these lawyers aren’t very smart. If they were they’d know Trump can play their crappy music if he has a license to do so. Trump should sue them for making false accusations.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Are they going to sue Cheech and Chong for their super-duper Doobie in the movie “Up in Smoke”?

[Bullish]

In my opinion Michael McDonald ruined the Doobie Brothers. They were doing just fine before he came in with his warbling.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Bill Murray vs. The Doobie Brothers. All of a sudden we’re back in the ‘70s.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

He joined the Doobie from 1976 to 1981, after he sang for Steely Dan.

I think McDonald continued as part of Fagen and Becker's crew of studio guys even after he joined the Doobie Brothers - pretty sure that's his background vocal on "Peg" from the "Aja" album in 1977 and I believe he also worked on 1980's "Gaucho" album.

[nickcarraway]

Their primary singer and songwriter was not available. What were they supposed to do?

[nickcarraway]

He is on Peg, and Time Out of Mind on Gaucho, but he did frequent background work. He sings on Kenny Loggins songs (And they wrote What a Fool Believes together, he sings on Christopher Cross songs, etc. And of course, he sings on songs by his wife, Amy Holland.

[nickcarraway]

The funniest part of Peg, was they had seven different top flight guitarists record the solo, before they went with Jay Graydon's. And they even made him work on it for at least six hours.

[wardaddy]

I agree....

[DoodleBob]

Dweezil Zappa and his band was touring and playing "Hot Rats" in its entirety at the beginning of the year. Here is a link to the gig right before the pandemic shut everything down (and killed this tour), in Tarrytown, NY on March 12. At the 1:36:44 mark, during a longer bit entitled "The Intergalactic Pandemic Task Force" Dweezil introduced "The Three Michaels" (two guys in the band and a crew member) who sing a medley just like Michael McDonald to try to kill the virus. It's a funny knock on Mr. M and they sound a lot like him.

[AbolishCSEU]

lot of MM haters on here LOL.
Yeah Doobie Brother’s attorney has TDS; why am I not surprised?

[PghBaldy]

They should have hired Chaka Khan.

[oldvirginian]

I preferred Tom Johnston as well but he quit the band due to ulcers that he had first started suffering from in high school.

In a documentary I watched half the band wanted to bail when Johnston quit because they were tired of not having a life due to constant recording and touring.
When McDonald was brought in to replace Johnston it reinvigorated the rest of the band.

When they did their first reunion show it was original members only. Since then they have toured with later members. They actually did one tour with everyone who had been in the band on stage at every show. Sure wish I had caught a show on that tour.

[oldvirginian]

“lot of MM haters on here LOL.”

The McDonald era was a huge departure from the Johnston era.
The Johnston era was a full on frontal musical assault on the audience.
If anyone had uttered the word ballad they would have been shot.
I know people who to this day refuse to listen to any DB from the McDonald years.
Crazy man.

[mad_as_he$$]

Pat was my neighbor for about 10 years. Interesting guy.

[gundog]

“If I hear Yah Mo Be There one more time....”

[oldvirginian]

Simmons stayed with the band the longest.
On the documentary he was the one who related how the band got it’s name. He was laughing about it.
I bet he would be a hoot to have a beer with.