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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.music,net.legal
Subject: Re: Song rights
Message-ID: <90@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 15:48:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.90
Posted: Mon Jul 22 15:48:59 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Jul-85 07:13:09 EDT
References: <1196@sjuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: wmartin@brl-bmd.UUCP
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Xref: linus net.music:7295 net.legal:1481

In article <1196@sjuvax.UUCP> lyle@sjuvax.UUCP (lyle) writes:
>    I have just finished listening to a few songs by Weird Al Yankovick (sp??).
>One was 'I want a new duck' and the other was 'Like a surgeon'. Now I know
>that these songs resemble their popular counterparts in ever respect except
>the words. What are the legal barriors that entertainers/performers like
>these must overcome in order to use another performers song in a seemingly
>strange manner? 
>					Wayne Lyle

I saw an interview with Weird Al on one of those late-night
entertainment-"news" programs. They asked him about the legal steps that
were needed before coming out with a commercial parody, and he answered
vaguely that there were negotiations between his lawyers and the
writers'/performers' lawyers as to permissions and the like. As far as
"Like a Surgeon", he said that Madonna herself brought it up, asking
"When is Weird Al going to do "Like a Surgeon"?", so he went ahead and
wrote it...(Maybe she suggested that so it wouldn't come out as "Like a
Sturgeon" with a lot of caviar jokes... :-)

Will Martin

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