Don Henley Strikes Back
by Chuck DeVoreThe laughless legions of the left have struck again. Eagles band member Don Henley demanded the removal of my “Hope of November” parody song on YouTube. YouTube took the music video Obama parody down yesterday after it was approaching 1,000 views.
I was inspired to write the lyrics for “Hope of November” using Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” as a starting point after I saw a fading Obama bumper sticker while campaigning in the Bakersfield area.
Liberal warriors are notorious for their thin skins and Don Henley is no exception.
Perhaps I should mine some of Henley’s other songs for satirical gold. “The End of the Innocence” comes to mind. That 1989 song slammed Ronald Reagan, a man I worked for in the Defense Department, in the form of the line, “they’re beating plowshares into swords, for the tired old man that we elected king.” At this line in the song the music video shows several Reagan posters while at the line “armchair warriors lead us into war” a television displays scenes of LtCol Oliver North’s congressional testimony. Or perhaps the overbearing lyrics of “Little Tin God” will do. The line referring to Reagan, “The cowboy’s name was Jingo,” cries out for parodic reengineering.
YouTube rather blandly announced that my First Amendment right to parody was being infringed “…as a result of a third-party notification by Don Henley…” But I wonder if the behind the scenes muzzler was David Geffen. Geffen, who’s so far to the left that Hillary Clinton was too conservative for him, owns the label for the “The Boys of Summer.” Geffen has lawyers, lots of lawyers.
Perhaps Geffen’s lawyers are familiar with Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. a 1994 U.S. Supreme Court case that dealt with “fair use” in parody. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that 2 Live Crew’s parody remake of the late Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” constituted fair use in spite of the fact that the rap group had taken much of Orbison’s material whole cloth and used it for commercial purposes. My own parody using “The Boys of Summer” to lampoon President Obama uses original lyrics and clearly meets the Court’s four factor fair use test: “1) purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is commercially motivated or instead is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2) nature of the copyrighted work; 3) amount and substantiality of the portion used in the newly created work in relation to the copyrighted work; and 4) effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.”
Bottom line, we’ll be filing a counter notice today with YouTube today to reinstate our “Hope of November” music video rough cut, then work to make a better cut of the parody song available. If YouTube again bows to Geffen’s lawyers or Henley’s whine, we’ll take it to where we should have posted it at the start: PopModal, “The Conservative Alternative to YouTube.” (The now-banned “Hope of November” music video can still be seen at: http://www.chuck76.com/nov/.)
And, it goes without saying that I’ll now be looking for every opportunity to turn any Don Henley work I can into a parody of any left tilting politician who deserves it, (I keep thinking “All She Wants To Do Is Dance” would make a great transition into a Barbara Boxer parody).
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65 Comments
I would also suggest posting your video at Breitbart.tv, Eyeblast.tv and NMA TV.
Congradulations Chuck, you've made Henley's skin crawl. He's just gonna huff and puff and blow the man down. It's good to be armed with facts, as YouTube should capitulate shortly. Keep up the good fight one lib at a time.
Since when have liberals been concerned with what the law actually says?
I'm so torn, because I really like the old Eagles' music, but Don Henley is such a putz! Can I still listen to and enjoy the Eagles, without my head exploding?
Arlo Guthrie has redone an oldie "I'm changin' my name to Chrysler" to "I'm changin' my name to Fannie Mae". It's funny stuff, so I'm all in favor of you using Don's material to lampoon the left. After all Weird Al seemed to come off OK with his parodies.
The Eagles were my favorite band of all time. Probably still are. BUT, they should have stuck to their promise, sailed off into the sunset, and kept their word before they did the "Hell Freezes Over" concert.
yeah, you tell em. You are so smart. Have you put your views on a pamphlet that I can read?
You are a very dedicated troll.
"My own parody using “The Boys of Summer” to lampoon President Obama uses original lyrics and clearly meets the Court’s four factor fair use test: “1) purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is commercially motivated or instead is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2) nature of the copyrighted work; 3) amount and substantiality of the portion used in the newly created work in relation to the copyrighted work; and 4) effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.”
I'm sorry that it offends you, but parody is legal. Don Henley is in no way protecting his work; he is silencing free speech he doesn't like with an attorney.
Yeah, they should have retired years ago.
Isn't it funny that you now think the 1st amendment doesn't apply and that allmighty property rights and $$$ must be protected from leeches? And please don't call anything Eagles related "Art".
Untrue. Big Hollywood has Steven Crowder and Zo–those guys are originals.
You've never been to Austin.
"All She Wants to Do is Spend" starring Nancy Pelosi
"Sunset Bill" starring Harry Reid
"The End of the Resonance" staring Obama himself.
(I get a partial credit on the writing)
ROFLMAO, Loudly!
Gawd, ain't it the truth.
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY THE RIGHT WAY: CHP DOWN A TREE AND KILL A FEW WOODLAND CREATURES!
I'm a huge fan of the Eagles but when I hear Don Henley go off on his crazy tangents, I become less of a fan a little at a time. He is all about social reform (secret word for Marxism).
Don Henley needs to join the Earth First club, rape and pilage Earth first, then we do Mars.
I've had the same problem, but I'm discovering if I hear some lefty's songs with a political bent and simply apply the lyrics to "The Great Telepromptor," I can still enjoy the song. For example, "Land of Confusion" by Genesis is a great listen when you apply to Barry and his cromines. Try it!
It won't stop me. I'll continue to blast out their songs just as I always have. All of them pre-breakup.
How proud can David Geffen be about a song written about himself picking up boy prostitutes on Hollywood Blvd.??? …in the summer…Boys of Summer!!!
I was roommates with Nicky for a while after he and Dolly broke up. Total sweetheart, that guy. Died too soon.
How about a parody of "Dirty Laundry" all about Chris Dodd? Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!
WHY do all of my favorites go down in flames with their liberal whines! It's enough to make you wanna cry! Fantastic lyrics Chuck!
Seriously what is up with all of these singers. Bruce Springsteen is another one and so is Mellencamp. Bunch of whack jobs the lot of them. I still like their music though.
Yeah, Chuck, PopModal's all well and good, plus Eyeblast.TV also a great home for conservative content.
With the way they're taking our money, How 'bout "Take it Sleazy"?
Haven't you heard? Freedom of speech is only for those that tow the Left party-line.
Another fun trick that the Lefty trolls like wr1 like to use is to flag popular conservative YouTube videos as "inappropriate". Enough of them do it and the video is officially flagged as such. Then, to watch it, people have to log-in with a YouTube account. As most people don't have an account, they won't be able to watch it. Thus, the Lefty trolls are able to ensure that free speech is reserved to those that they think deserve it.
wr1, I am still waiting for you to tell me which line of the August 2001 White House security memo told you about the 9/11 attacks. You keep reposting that tired non-argument, but you never answer my question. I am starting to think you don't answer me because you know it is not in there.
Liberals been liberals since I don't know when
Full of spite and arrogance
[...] “Hope of November,” modeled after Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.” (Read about it here.) Well, seems YouTube subservially (Subserviantly? Subservantly? How about “boot-lickingly?) [...]
When I hear Henley's name mentioned, I think back to the good old days when he was giving cocaine and qualudes to 14 year old, nude girls. Maybe he's simply looking for that bygone era…y' know…when that kind of thing was cool. The sad reality is that he'll probably get his wish with the new sheriff in DC.
No kidding. What a beautiful tribute to personal responsibility. I liked Dirty Laundry too.
I never was a fan of the Eagles. It seemed to me that they and the Steve Miller Band were the same guys. So I hear them on the radio and wonder if it's the Steve Eagles Miller Band.
Don Henley-Heavy Metal. That's it. That's all I can stand. And that's sad. Sad for Heavy Metal.
Why am I not surprised. At either Youtube or Don Henley.
I think the legal issue is well established, even if you don't like the law.
And, you are still stuck on GWB. Hey, the guy is retired. We have a new man in charge and he is fair game too. Just like Don Henley.
Free speech is a b**ch, isn't it?
Liberals amaze me regarding no real sense of irony, much less humor. This empowers Rush Limbaugh and his "show" effective. This is why talk radio liberals crash and burn, because they cannot laugh at themselves.
No irony, satirical wit, etc…when you cross them (or even just question them) they want your books banned, burned, your film and speech surpressed, etc. Orwell had them pegged 70 years ago…Hate speech? Thought crimes? Re-education camps…etc.
Liberals do not brook dissent lightly…cross them at your mortal peril…laughing at them just kills them!
Some but this was after Nicky sobered up. He told me about learning from Jerry Lee's records, including the mistakes. Brilliant keyboards, though. He used to get triple scale, but Rod Stewart, stingy bastard, would only pay him scale.
You know Mr. Henley I used to like your music but your game is old. You are old. No real man, a Texan no less would behave like you do. You worry about the most absurd, irrelevant things. But hey isn't that what an arteest does? Why don't you just shut up and finally for the love of GOD retire. SICK. OF. YOU!
Remember that old Mojo Nixon song "Don Henley Must Die?"
Geffen is a punk and Don Henley is his bitch obviously.
Of course they have no sense of humor. They're Marxists. Any joke directed at them is an attack by the reactionary forces that must be met with crushing force. Think I'm exagerating? Overreacting? Take a look at what has happened to our country in just three short months.
And Don Henley can truck on over to Walden Pond, stare out at the auburn sky, and shut the f**k up.
love your enthusiasm, certainly didn't try to 'Curb' it- evenEmerson and his buddywould 'thoreau up' over this…
Whenever I hear The Eagles mentioned, I think about that scene in The Big Lebowski where Jeff Bridges is begging the guy to turn off the car radio playing their music.
I never said this parody was illegal, simply that once again a dedicated Rightie can only get attention by sponging off a successful artist. Of course, what makes this even more hilarious is that Devore is in the California assembly. He's got political power that he could actually use to help the state. (Or, since he's a Republican, help destroy it.) He wants to be a US Senator — and he spends his time leeching off the talents of the more successful. At least Sonny Bono wrote his own songs.
Exactly. I get so sick of people thinking Texas is just a bunch of conservative rednecks. It's a big state with diverse culture. So Lance, stfu!
Austin is about as overrated a town we have in America. Nice town for sure, but people talk about it as if it were Athens. It is still rather cow towny. It certainly aint as liberal as the neophyte Obama.
Too true
Here we go again. Look, how stupid do you have to be not to understand that "rock stars" (with so few exceptions that they don't require mention), particularly those from the 70s, are slobbering leftists? What exactly did you expect? So you use their songs, expecting them to go along with it, and when they don't, it's somehow news?
Again, what did you expect? And why are you complaining about the inevitable now?
"Maybe if some right-wingers actually created artworks that people liked and bought you all could stop whining about how more popular those mean liberals are and how they won't let you try to live off their success. "
Maybe if some leftt-wingers actually created radio shows that people liked and listened to you all could stop whining about how more popular those mean conservatives are and how they won't let you try to live off their success.
Get Over It, Don.
Any 13-year-old girls die at your house lately?
It's about respect. It' not respectful to steal someone else's music
That's almost as funny as the girls from "Heart" saying the Republicans couldn't use their song "Barracuda".
Public performance fee? What's that?
You mean just ANYBODY can play our 20-year-old song if they pay us?
Uh, I believe that by definition, parody, requires an original "serious" work to mock or satirize.
I agree. I find it funny that it is liberals that plays this annoying redstate/bluestate game. Most liberals in the media are on the coasts so excuse them if they've never set foot in your state to relieve themselves of their provincialism.
Wow. Don's lookin' a bit chubby, there. And I can criticize him 'cause I'M chubby, too! LOL
The Eagles were and are overrated. If you like country rock go back and listen to the Flying Burrito Brothers or Michael Nesmith or Gram Parsons' solo stuff.
Hell, or any number of acts that the Eagles ripped off.
And Don Henley is a hypocite.
He's such a lefty snob but he signs an exclusive deal with Walmart.
Bleaux me , Henley
You speak the truth. A while back I was offered a job guitar teching for The Eagles. The pay was stupid good. But I turned it down. I've been around a while. I know all about Henley and Frey.
We have to share stories , Skip.
'zactly. If Mike Campbell's not makin' a squeak about Chuck parodying "Boys of Summer," who should cares what Henley says?
Once again the lesson here is: There will be no tolerance of criticism- no matter how clever, and the Left has absolutely no sense of humor. When politics are your religion any diversion from the party line (whatever it is that day) will not be permitted. Oddly enough, these things usually backfire; certainly Mr DeVore's witty take now has a buzz that would otherwise not be there. He got under Henley's skin- and good for him…
Don, is that you?
As a drummer, Henley's a lightweight hack with the sticks. And from the Hell Freezes Over video, thinks of himself as a genius composer. He makes good music but let's leave it at that. He's no genius.
As a drummer, Henley's a lightweight hack on the skins. And from the Hell Freezes Over video, thinks of himself as a genius composer. He makes good music but let's leave it at that. He's no genius.
As a drummer, Henley's a lightweight hack on the skins. And from the Hell Freezes Over video, thinks of himself as a genius composer. He makes good music but let's leave it at that. He seems like a know it all.
The first time I heard Get Over It, I thought it was a conservative anthem. Then I found out Henley was a wussy liberal.
Awwww those dirty, nasty right wingers anyway. It's NOT like their like that talented Tina Fey making her career on the back of Sarah Palin Impersonations or anything like that. Right wr1? I mean THAT just wouldn't be fair at all. *sarcasm off*
copy to my profile video del video musical de los chicos del verano de don henley
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