Take a Piece of Casey Kasem, Seconds of a U2 Song and a Group

Home , Don Joyce (musician), Negativland, Seeland Records

Take a piece of Casey Kasem, 35 battle with Island. objects, artists "have always and depravity - not a complete list!) - seconds of a U2 song and a group of Negativland's arguments about fair perceived the environment around the determinate element - lynch and self confessed media addicts and use have been directed toward the them as both inspiration to act and Frost ran the list through a name what have you got? If you're Island distinction between pirating and the as raw material to mould and generating algorithm. The names Records, it seems you've got a legitimate use of privately owned remould:' But I'd like to extend this generated were then run through an reasonable case to sue for breach of public domain material. Audio argument even further and argue that anagram generating program, the copyright. But if you're interested in collage takes existing sounds from every instance or utterance in anagrams generated forming the the sustenance and maintenance of the mediasphere and reworks them language is an act of appropriation. skeleton for the Twin Peaks plot. The genuine invention and creativity in into something other. Sometimes it's And to do this I need to take a anagrams form the aleatory element. contemporary culture, then you've commentary, sometimes it's playing situationist style detournement via a Rickman uses the example of got reason to feel concerned. with mirrors, turning the media's little town called Twin Peaks. Windom Earle - an eleven letter The case of Negativland, a small gaze back onto itself in a surreal, Very little hasn't been said about name which produces following collective of audio collage artists informative and caustically funny way. the show which was, rather hastily, based in California, versus music predicted to change the industry heavyweight, Island Records face of American and rock supergroup, U2, is already television forever. And well documented. Negativland there's beer} reqrnS released a single called U2 which written a&9'Ut the featured on the cover, a U2 spy-plane and Negativland's name in small print. The recording contained 35 seconds of a U2 song and American Top 40 icon, Casey Kasem making disparaging remarks about the band ("These guys are from England and who gives a shit") as well as other CB radio conversation and commentary from the The Weatherman, one of the group's members. Island Records sued the band for breach of copyright over the use of the song fragment and for the It's not parody but appropriation. But use of the U2 on the cover art. to use the word appropriation is to Needless to say, Island won. participate in the discourse that's too. Hence it was somewhat Both parties (or rather, all three condemned what Negativland does. informative and certainly fascinating parties, as U2 has sought to distance The question needs to be raised to find out just how this visionary itself from its label's actions, notably about the possibility of creation and deified figure came up with the Anti logos. through a Mondo 2000 interview outside of language when language, plots and characters which made up But what relevance does this have with The Edge) have sought publicity in late twentieth century culture, has the Twin Peaks universe, as described for culture jammers like Negativland? to validate their claims. Negativland become more than the word and by Gregg Rickman in the Twin Peaks Consider the following from Don recently issued a CD and book when the sounds and images of the famine "Wrapped in Plastic". Delillo's novel Ratner's Star. package called "Fair Use: The story of ever present media barrage have Working with a computer, lynch the letter U and the Number 2" become our vocabulary. and co-creator, Mark Frost, decided to "Don't look down your nose at which seeks to challenge the existing In an article published on the Web create a simulated dream world by esoterica," Ratner said. "If you know copyright legislation which saw the titled "Comment on the Fair Use combining aleatory elements with the right combination of letters, you single withdrawn from sale and Doctrine"(wwvv.Negativland.com/fairu determinate elements (a 1,:\ can make anything. This is the secret ordered to be destroyed. As se.html), Negativland quite rightly surrealism). Starting with a word list power of the alphabet. Meaningless Negativland member, Don Joyce, draw a map of the ways in which generated perhaps by free sounds, abstract symbols, they have points out "It's an in your face dare" artists have both knowingly and association and directed by lynch's the power of creation. This is why from a small collective who could be unknowingly appropriated material predominant obsessions mystical writings are not in proper forgiven for feeling less than in your throughout history. From 'being (prostitution, drug addiction, rape, order. Knowing the order, you could face after losing a three year court influenced' through to Dada's found incest, murder, mutilation, violence make your own world from just Take a piece of Casey Kasem, 35 battle with Island. objects, artists "have always and depravity - not a complete list!) - seconds of a U2 song and a group of Negativland's arguments about fair perceived the environment around the determinate element - lynch and self confessed media addicts and use have been directed toward the them as both inspiration to act and Frost ran the list through a name what have you got? If you're Island distinction between pirating and the as raw material to mould and generating algorithm. The names Records, it seems you've got a legitimate use of privately owned remould:' But I'd like to extend this generated were then run through an reasonable case to sue for breach of public domain material. Audio argument even further and argue that anagram generating program, the copyright. But if you're interested in collage takes existing sounds from every instance or utterance in anagrams generated forming the the sustenance and maintenance of the mediasphere and reworks them language is an act of appropriation. skeleton for the Twin Peaks plot. The genuine invention and creativity in into something other. Sometimes it's And to do this I need to take a anagrams form the aleatory element. contemporary culture, then you've commentary, sometimes it's playing situationist style detournement via a Rickman uses the example of got reason to feel concerned. with mirrors, turning the media's little town called Twin Peaks. Windom Earle - an eleven letter The case of Negativland, a small gaze back onto itself in a surreal, Very little hasn't been said about name which produces following collective of audio collage artists informative and caustically funny way. the show which was, rather hastily, based in California, versus music predicted to change the industry heavyweight, Island Records face of American and rock supergroup, U2, is already television forever. And well documented. Negativland there's beer} reqrnS released a single called U2 which written a&9'Ut the featured on the cover, a U2 spy-plane and Negativland's name in small print. The recording contained 35 seconds of a U2 song and American Top 40 icon, Casey Kasem making disparaging remarks about the band ("These guys are from England and who gives a shit") as well as other CB radio conversation and commentary from the The Weatherman, one of the group's members. Island Records sued the band for breach of copyright over the use of the song fragment and for the It's not parody but appropriation. But use of the U2 on the cover art. to use the word appropriation is to Needless to say, Island won. participate in the discourse that's too. Hence it was somewhat Both parties (or rather, all three condemned what Negativland does. informative and certainly fascinating parties, as U2 has sought to distance The question needs to be raised to find out just how this visionary itself from its label's actions, notably about the possibility of creation and deified figure came up with the Anti logos. through a Mondo 2000 interview outside of language when language, plots and characters which made up But what relevance does this have with The Edge) have sought publicity in late twentieth century culture, has the Twin Peaks universe, as described for culture jammers like Negativland? to validate their claims. Negativland become more than the word and by Gregg Rickman in the Twin Peaks Consider the following from Don recently issued a CD and book when the sounds and images of the famine "Wrapped in Plastic". Delillo's novel Ratner's Star. package called "Fair Use: The story of ever present media barrage have Working with a computer, lynch the letter U and the Number 2" become our vocabulary. and co-creator, Mark Frost, decided to "Don't look down your nose at which seeks to challenge the existing In an article published on the Web create a simulated dream world by esoterica," Ratner said. "If you know copyright legislation which saw the titled "Comment on the Fair Use combining aleatory elements with the right combination of letters, you single withdrawn from sale and Doctrine"(wwvv.Negativland.com/fairu determinate elements (a 1,:\ can make anything. This is the secret ordered to be destroyed. As se.html), Negativland quite rightly surrealism). Starting with a word list power of the alphabet. Meaningless Negativland member, Don Joyce, draw a map of the ways in which generated perhaps by free sounds, abstract symbols, they have points out "It's an in your face dare" artists have both knowingly and association and directed by lynch's the power of creation. This is why from a small collective who could be unknowingly appropriated material predominant obsessions mystical writings are not in proper forgiven for feeling less than in your throughout history. From 'being (prostitution, drug addiction, rape, order. Knowing the order, you could face after losing a three year court influenced' through to Dada's found incest, murder, mutilation, violence make your own world from just jurisdiction does prosecution occur? may want us to believe, the death of The band have continued their As evidence of the complexity of copyright does not spell the death of fight against restrictive copyright laws these issues he points to the case of I artistic incentive. The desire to create and are currently distributing through China. "It's only very recently that is not conditional upon the guarantee their own label, Seeland Records, a China has started to recognise that of financial remuneration. Very few compilation CD titled "Deconstructing copyright is an issue for it because, in artists make a lot of money from Beck". It consists of 13 tracks by the communist environment, there is their art, anyway. The removal of various artists made from reading the writings. Everything is combinations, our shared language. not the same kind of emphasis on copyright may even give the artist a electronically manipulated, built from the twenty two letter On these terms, the defenders of the individual as the creator of an broader palette from which to work. unauthorised samples of Beck elements. The alphabet is itself both cultural property don't have a leg to idea or of an expression. It's Perhaps it would be more important Hansen's music. While Beck's record male and female. Creation depends stand on. As Negativland point out, communitarian, of course, so they to argue more stridently for waged company have passed on challenging "The fact that the owners of culture have traditionally not protected cultural work than for the / upon an anagram:' the artists involved with copyright (Don Delillo, Ratner's Star, Vintage and its material distribution claim this copyright:' preservation of copyright. This is a litigation, Beck's pulishers have not. Press 1991) isn't true is a tribute to their ability to Even if you can overcome matter that certainly must continue And so the fight continues. But Anagrams are merely the restructure common sense for jurisdictional issues, how do you then to be publicly discussed though it's importantly, as Milo Miles points out recombination of letters in a word or maximum profit:' Not to mention enforce the legislation in a digital beyond the scope of this article. in a recent article in SALON magazine a phrase which in some way their ability to structure the law in environment? Those with the most To return to the Negativland case, (www.salonmagazine.com/21st/revie comment on the original such a way that it reflects this to lose in this new media landscape, the judgement has been handed ws/1998/04/02review.html), "the combination of letters. For example, 'common sense', down. And the defenders of artistic desirable target of recombinant Ronald Wilson Reagan becomes The law, however, is presently incentive have handed a $70,000 bill music is not to pry away the grip of Insane Anglo Warlord. George struggling to come to terms with to the band and asked them to pay copyright as an end in itself, but to Herbert Walker Bush becomes Huge issues relating to cultural property up. This is surely a powerful allow any schlub in his basement Berserk Rebel Warthog. Lynch and and copyright. Digital technologies disincentive to create for Negativland with the proper equipment to "Cllt, Frost knowingly used the word as a increase the ease of access to and but then that's what you get for found object to generate a dream distribution of cultural materials. not being legitimate enough. In an sounds he needs into his

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I Hosler went to see one of your interpretation/"iVhether:oi-'not Hollywood's takes on the net, Johnny you can legally afford Pneumonic. Starring Keanu Reeves them:' and Ice T, the film shows a scene the present owners of copyright, are reminiscent of the Negativland anagrams. If we look at the audio originals which are exact copies. calling for tougher legislation. But inspired Craig Baldwin documentary, collage practices of Negativland as Moreover, it doesn't cost a fortune to again, as Hunter argues, this has Sonic Outlaws. Ice T plays an ON COPYRIGHT? COPY! writing and at the fragments that they do this. Dan Hunter, a Melbourne been tried and has failed. ''The underground audio collage artist RIGHT ON! use as the letters of an alphabet, academic who has recently taken up music industry fought this battle who, at one point in the film, goes then they are also writing with a Research Fellowship in Intellectual when the introduction of cassette on a rant about the need to fight anagrams. In fact, taken to its Property at Cambridge University, tapes and home recording back against the media barrage by _.extreme, all of culture can be seen to argues that digitisation marks the equipment allowed for easy and taking it, mixing it and spewing it be generated anagramatically. death of copyright. In a talk on cheap (though lesser quality) right back, Hosler says he sat and But what we need to see is that copyright issues at Swinburne reproductions of recorded material to watched his own words from late twentieth century capitalism University in 1996, Hunter pointed be made in the home. Accepting it Baldwin's documentary thrown back speaks in a language other than the out that the two key problems for could not stop the copying and at him via Hollywood feeling a printed word. The audio-visual copyright, relate to jurisdiction and dissemination of its copyright mixture of rage and despondency. To media barrage is no more or less enforcement. Digitisation makes material, it settled for the blank be incorporated into the mainstream than an alphabet made up of cultural materials extremely portable levy as a mechanism to recoup its so efficiently and quickly is somewhat symbols and sounds which constitute and thus able to be accessed and losses:' Technologically and mind-boggling. Negativland, the letters of that alphabet. To appropriated all over the world. How materially, there are simply no however, won't be suing the makers reverse the argument then all writing do you find out about, let alone mechanisms available which can of Johnny Pneumonic because as we is an act of appropriation - prevent, the use of copyrighted enforce the protection of copyright in all know you can't copyright an idea appropriation of the letters which material in other countries and, if you a digital environment. or an attitude. But who knows, the constitute, in a variety of do discover it, within whose Despite what the copyright owners moral victory may still be theirs. jurisdiction does prosecution occur? may want us to believe, the death of The band have continued their As evidence of the complexity of copyright does not spell the death of fight against restrictive copyright laws these issues he points to the case of I artistic incentive. The desire to create and are currently distributing through China. "It's only very recently that is not conditional upon the guarantee their own label, Seeland Records, a China has started to recognise that of financial remuneration. Very few compilation CD titled "Deconstructing copyright is an issue for it because, in artists make a lot of money from Beck". It consists of 13 tracks by the communist environment, there is their art, anyway. The removal of various artists made from reading the writings. Everything is combinations, our shared language. not the same kind of emphasis on copyright may even give the artist a electronically manipulated, built from the twenty two letter On these terms, the defenders of the individual as the creator of an broader palette from which to work. unauthorised samples of Beck elements. The alphabet is itself both cultural property don't have a leg to idea or of an expression. It's Perhaps it would be more important Hansen's music. While Beck's record male and female. Creation depends stand on. As Negativland point out, communitarian, of course, so they to argue more stridently for waged company have passed on challenging "The fact that the owners of culture have traditionally not protected cultural work than for the / upon an anagram:' the artists involved with copyright (Don Delillo, Ratner's Star, Vintage and its material distribution claim this copyright:' preservation of copyright. This is a litigation, Beck's pulishers have not. Press 1991) isn't true is a tribute to their ability to Even if you can overcome matter that certainly must continue And so the fight continues. But Anagrams are merely the restructure common sense for jurisdictional issues, how do you then to be publicly discussed though it's importantly, as Milo Miles points out recombination of letters in a word or maximum profit:' Not to mention enforce the legislation in a digital beyond the scope of this article. in a recent article in SALON magazine a phrase which in some way their ability to structure the law in environment? Those with the most To return to the Negativland case, (www.salonmagazine.com/21st/revie comment on the original such a way that it reflects this to lose in this new media landscape, the judgement has been handed ws/1998/04/02review.html), "the combination of letters. For example, 'common sense', down. And the defenders of artistic desirable target of recombinant Ronald Wilson Reagan becomes The law, however, is presently incentive have handed a $70,000 bill music is not to pry away the grip of Insane Anglo Warlord. George struggling to come to terms with to the band and asked them to pay copyright as an end in itself, but to Herbert Walker Bush becomes Huge issues relating to cultural property up. This is surely a powerful allow any schlub in his basement Berserk Rebel Warthog. Lynch and and copyright. Digital technologies disincentive to create for Negativland with the proper equipment to "Cllt, Frost knowingly used the word as a increase the ease of access to and but then that's what you get for found object to generate a dream distribution of cultural materials. not being legitimate enough. In an sounds he needs into his