Rush Limbaugh is at it again this week, stirring up the pot by suggesting that if Kanye West had sung the racist song featured in the Oklahoma University SAE fraternity's notorious video, it would have been a hit. He's probably right...but most people would realize some degree of irony if a black rapper sang such a song. More likely that not, people are just attacking Limbaugh for being Limbaugh. I'll be if someone from MSNBC blamed rappers for...oh wait. Mika Brzezinski totally took it out on Waka Flocka Flame.
Oh well. Regardless of white media figures dropping the ball over the place on this one, most people would agree that overall, no media figure is more polarizing than Limbaugh. And musicians are sure ones to take note. Here are five cases where the the GOP stalwart has been asked to cease and desist from using their music on his program.
Chrissie Hynde (1999)
The most used song in Limbaugh's history was The Pretenders' "My City Was Gone," which he used the opening bass riff from as his "bumper," or return from commercials since he began as a talk show host during 1984. The track is totally a liberal anthem, a fact not lost on Limbaugh. One way or another, the band and its publisher EMI didn't get around to pursuing licensing fees until 1997 when Rolling Stone exposed he had been using it for free for 13 years. Vocalist Chrissie Hynde was more open-minded than the rest of the performers going forward on this list, noting that her parents were huge Limbaugh fanatics and that she'd be willing to strike a deal with him. He cut her a check rumored to be worth $100,000, which she donated to PETA, an organization they both supported (Limbaugh had spoken out against the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to test chemicals on animals). He got to keep the song.
We should note that the majority of the examples in this list come from Limbaugh's notorious slandering of Georgetown student Sandra Fluke, who had spoken before the Congressional House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee about contraception availability during 2012. Limbaugh referred to her as a "slut" and "prostitute" in his tirade and lost about as many sponsors as he ever had. This also spurred many bands to seek the removal of their music from his show, despite his legally licensing it.
Peter Gabriel (2012)
The former Genesis vocalist was among the first to react negatively to the Limbaugh scandal, especially when he became aware that his hit "Sledgehammer" was one of several songs that were aired during the host's rant. "Peter was appalled to learn that his music was linked to Rush Limbaugh's extraordinary attack on Sandra Fluke...it is obvious from anyone that knows Peter's work that he would never approve such a use. He has asked his representatives to make sure his music is withdrawn and especially from these unfair aggressive and ignorant comments."
Rush (2012)
Those who write about Rush Limbaugh regularly and are also fans of progressive rock legends Rush have fought this battle for years: There's a tendency among the media to refer to the radio host by his first name instead of his last, a fact that makes fans of the band Rush terribly uncomfortable. It came to a head following the Fluke controversy when the band discovered Limbaugh had been using its classic hit "Spirit of The Radio" during his show. The band issued a cease and desist, claiming that the similarity between the two entities' names, however coincidental, led to an incorrect suggestion that the band supported the host when he played its music. Joe Walsh played a similar card when a Congressman from Illinois used music from his band the James Gang.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds (2012)
You may have noticed a trend in that all of the acts requesting Limbaugh stop using their music are rock acts, often of the "classic" variety. Hopefully you've realized logically that Limbaugh was unlikely to sample genres such as hip-hop that he so openly despises, so Ludacris will probably never be forced to issue a cease and desist to Limbaugh (or Bill O'Reilly for that matter). The rock trend continues with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, which pushed to pull its "Tuff Enuff" from the air. Vocalist Kim Wilson said "there is no amount of money this guy could pay me to be a part of his cruel rhetoric."
Rage Against The Machine (2012)
Okay, so we realize Limbaugh's choice in music isn't always the most logical by Republican reckoning (as we reported yesterday, Elton John performed at his wedding). But still, Rage Against The Machine? The host had used "Sleep Now In The Fire," a single from one of the most leftist bands of all time, on his show. A song that employed Michael Moore as the director for its music video. We're okay with Paul Ryan working out to Rage Against The Machine but this is craziness. Guitarist Tom Morello was less legalese in his call for Limbaugh to remove the song from his catalogue: "Hey Jackass, stop using our music on your racist, misogynist, right-wing clown show."
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