Politicians vs. Rock Stars, Chapter XIV

More

There is a long, tortured history of politicians using famous and even not-so-famous rock songs, sans permission, in campaign commercials, rallies, etc., and then getting called on it by the artist and having to stop. Usually, it's only mildly embarrassing for the politician. Sometimes, as in the case of Rand Paul and Rush, it is a heartbreaking rejection made worse by the callous sneering of dumb journalists. But I'm not aware of an embarrassment as great as that just suffered--on videotape--by former Florida governor Charlie Crist, who misappropriated the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere" and then, to settle the subsequent lawsuit, had to tape and post this humiliating apology-cum-hostage-statement to YouTube. Politicians, let this be a lesson:


Jump to comments

Joshua Green is a former writer and editor at The Atlantic.

Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Writers

Up
Down

More in Politics

In Focus

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

Just In