Boston Dudes and 'Tudes

So I hear tell that Tom Scholtz of Boston (the band) is a bit upset with Mike Huckabee for his appropriation of Boston's song "More Than a Feeling"(visually performed by someone else here) for his campaign rallies. This is some of the gossip from this week's The Week Magazine

" The founder of the 1970s band Boston has asked Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to stop using his song “More Than a Feeling” at campaign rallies. 'By using my song, and my band’s name, Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed,'said Tom Scholz, who said he was supporting Democrat Barack Obama. 'In other words, I think I’ve been ripped off, dude!' Huckabee’s campaign said the candidate only played the song when he was joined onstage by former band member Barry Goudreau, who is a supporter."

I suppose that I'd be upset too if I heard someone bark like me. As it is, when the doorbell rings on the TV, I run to the front door and bark. Per his comments from The Week Magazine, he doesn't want to be associated with a candidate unless it's the candidate of his choice. Makes sense to me. Then again if someone puts a song on the radio, and you find yourself humming it later in the day, is that the same thing? (BTW, no one has ever caught me humming) If someone does something wonderful, and you copy it for yourself, they're due some sort of royalty or acknowledgment - this is true. This impacted my TV viewing just recently with the "writer's strike" and the royalties not being paid for internet downloads and DVDs of their work. Here's a YouTube video of Tim Kazurinsky telling us about that. Whew! Thanks to the creator that that's over! Now my Mom can go back to watching one of her favorite shows, Saving Grace. The pertinent question though is ... to what degree the acknowledgment? There's permission, footnotes, links, and for the Hollywood writers, royalties to be paid, etc.... But which method is acceptable to whom? We all want to be acknowledged in ways that we can accept. Me? I like to have my belly rubbed and my under-legs scratched. There. I've told you. Now the whole internet world knows.

sds