There Goes My Maverick

While John McCain and Sarah Palin are currently warming hearts and wooing Joe Sixpacks a mere five minutes away from Stark HQ at Stabler Arena, Dave Grohl and the actively-resting Foo Fighters are FURIOUS, son. The presidential candidate is using the band's 1998 hit "My Hero" in his campaign without permission. They're denouncing the presidential candidate's use of the band's 1998 hit "My Hero" in his campaign, and they've issued a statement warning the mverick to stop using it and to obey copyright laws.

This isn't the first time the McCain campaign has used a song without making any attempt to get approval or permission from the artist. It's frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that 'My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain
campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song--and start asking artists'
permission in general!

The Foos have been through this thing before. In 2003, their single "Times Like These" was used in the same situation by George W. Bush for his 2004 re-election campaign without the band's knowledge. When Grohl found out about it, it prompted him and the rest of the band to get more politically active, and they helped John Kerry's campaign as a result.

There's one obvious, glaring solution to this whole mess: Dave Grohl needs to debate John McCain. It would sure as hell beat last night's snoozefest.

Press Release via Nasty Little Man.