Rush Vs. Rush Limbaugh: Band Tells Host to Stop Playing Their Music

spinner.com ^ | 3/7/2012 | Kenneth Partridge

[SoFloFreeper]

Canadian prog rockers Rush share their name with a certain right-wing American radio personality,but that doesn't mean they share his values.

After learning that Rush Limbaugh had used its song 'The Spirit of the Radio' during his recent rant against Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke -- a woman he called a "slut" and "prostitute" for supporting mandated coverage of contraceptives -- the band filed a cease and desist letter, asking the DJ to lay off their music, TMZ reports.

"The public performance of Rush's music is not licensed for political purposes and any such use is in breach of public performance licenses and constitutes copyright infringement," reads the statement.

"Accordingly, we hereby demand that you immediately stop all use of Rush's music and confirm that you will do so," the letter continues.

[onedoug]

Rush shouldn’t have caved.

[presently no screen name]

You bring up a good point. Didn’t notice where the comments came from. Probably I believed it because it’s unbelievable :) - like the whole thing that start this fluke’n mess!

[Buckeye McFrog]

What’s more, the SCOTUS (in that infamous Jerry Falwell in the Outhouse case involving Larry Flynt) has granted absolute protection to parody.

So if Rush won’t let Rush play their song, he is perfectly free to hand it over to Paul Shanklin to produce a snot-ripping parody of it.

[Cyber Liberty]

And lawyers would know this is futile.

Lawyers do futile things every day, if their clients are willing to pay. It's called "bluffing."

[sten]

“a woman he called a “slut” and “prostitute” for supporting mandated coverage of contraceptives”

actually, the ‘slut’ remark was due to the sheer number of times per day she expected US tax payers to pay for her contraceptives.

how much? $1000 / yr

how many condoms is that? you can buy condons in bulk for $0.10 ea. this means she would have 10,000 condoms for the year.

this means she is having sex 27 times per day... every day... including holidays

can she even walk??

and she says many other women @ georgetown have the same issue.

[AlexisHeavyMetal1981]

Maybe to mock this request to stop playing Rush(band) music, Rush(L) should play the “Gershon Delicatessen” polka version of “Spirit of Radio” (from Rush(band) Time Machine Tour Cleveland concert).

[Tolkien]

I wonder if they all are in agreement or if just one has a bee in his bonnet.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are pretty laid back. Neil Peart on the other hand has some issues.

I think he needs to read his own lyrics and shut the hell up.

[sam_paine]

Lawyers do futile things every day, if their clients are willing to pay. It's called "bluffing."

Yes. And if TMZ posted a blurb that "Jim Robinson has sent a cease and desist letter to Ed Schultz" what would be the first thing you'd do?

Look for a post or direct quote from jimrob on FR or Daily Caller or anywhere....direct confirmation, more juicy tidbits, etc.

Here? Nothing.

[massgopguy]

The blind item ends with a challenge to Rush to have good luck finding misogynistic artists. Really, how about every Rapper?

[massgopguy]

Neil lost his wife and daughter within six months of each other. He is also the lyricist who writes what some critics have called “an overblown obsession with individualism”.

[massgopguy]

Geddy can be regularly seen sitting to the left of home plate at Toronto Blue Jays’ games.

[jayrunner]

AMEN!

[sasquatch]

Cannot verify the accuracy of this but:

http://www.bobcesca.com/images/Rush-Notice%20of%20Copyright%20Infringement-Limbaugh-2012-03-06.pdf

[Chainsawj]

I’ve yet to hear an artist tell a Republican; “Please, don’t buy our albums.”

You just did, if they won’t let Rush play a snippet then they don’t want his listeners listening either. I haven’t listened to them in 25 years, so They don’t matter.

[dfwgator]

I’ve yet to hear an artist tell a Republican; “Please, don’t buy our albums.”

Even Michael Jordan said, "Republicans buy shoes too."

[sam_paine]

http://www.bobcesca.com/images/Rush-Notice%20of%20Copyright%20Infringement-Limbaugh-2012-03-06.pdf

Thanks for the link sasq!

This is what I expected. "Rush" didn't do squat afaict. The band was "cc'd" on a letter by a record company legal manager (is he even a lawyer?), with extremely weak threats or basis.

It's not clear that the band members have any say in what this yahoo does or doesn't do.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Ya, that song is the main theme song for Rush. Did he pay to use it, never knew how that works.

As an aside, was once in a car going somewhere with people, and they had music radio on. “My City Was Gone” came on, and I wondered if this FM station had Rush Limbaugh on as a rerun or what was going on. They were just playing the song.

[RansomOttawa]

So Anthem Records can afford a headquarters in Cabbagetown (expensive old real estate near downtown Toronto), but their legal department can be reached at FarmerMail@cogeco.ca instead of, say, legal@sro-anthem.com?

Colour me skeptical.

[lefty-lie-spy]

I’m a huge Rush (the band) fan since before being a huge Rush (El Rushbo) fan. This is typical and doesn’t bother me much. They are Canadian afterall. I sat “shut up and play” and stop being political outside of your music. I look up to and respect Geddy, Alex, and Neil, but lost a bit respect today. They’ve said overtly political things in their music and interviews but I usually let it slide due to “well, they are famous musicians afterall”.

[jaydubya2]

On New Year’s Eve 2003, Lifeson, his son, and his daughter-in-law were arrested at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, Florida. Lifeson, after intervening in an altercation between his son and police, was accused of assaulting a sheriff’s deputy in what was described as a drunken brawl. In addition to suffering a broken nose at the hands of the officers, Lifeson was tased six times. His son was also tased repeatedly.