SF BAY GUARDIAN: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT : ARTBEAT
ArtBeat
Spin police
THOUGH THE PHILADELPHIA POLICE have been accused of many things
since the MOVE tragedy and the MUMIA ABU-JAMAL sentencing, you
couldn't accuse them of being too quick on the draw in one
instance: on Feb. 7 the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police
filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania's Court of Common Pleas about a
1992 CD cover made from a 1985 poster created for a Philly police
campaign. The album in question was a reissue by the CRUCIFUCKS,
a little-known Lansing, Mich., punk band that broke up about 10
years ago.
But while the police may have been slow in spotting the so-called
problem, they were way too ready to launch their political
campaign against it: When the FOP held its press conference on
the lawsuit -- a short three hours after it was filed with the
court -- legal papers were just en route to BORDERS BOOKS AND
MUSIC, which carried the album, and ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES, the
S.F.-based record company that released it. Alternative Tentacles
in particular was a little surprised when journalists started
calling about the lawsuit.
States JELLO BIAFRA, no stranger to legal wrangles, in his
written announcement for his record company: "We at Alternative
Tentacles Records are always suspicious of any legal action that
begins with a press conference before anyone is served any legal
papers. Having not seen any papers in regard to this lawsuit, we
have no idea what this is really about."
According to DALE WILCOX, press officer for the Philadelphia
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Article-ID: 05_1997&3916371
Score: 84
Subject: Re: Who 'owns' Sherlock Holmes?