comments

1. Garrett on June 19th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

   Well we all know I’ll be stealing his spectacular ‘stache ASAP.

2. Garrett on June 19th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

   Also, my sympathy is inversely proportional to the amount of irony suggested by facial hair.

   In this case, none.

3. TJ McFisty on June 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

   Screw the ‘stache. I want that top. Bitch.

4. jkottke on June 19th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

   Awhile back, I got some email from someone with the same last name as me, suggesting that Coldplay had stolen the melody for one of their hits from him. Here’s most of the letter:

   As a member of the Kottke clan, I need some advice here. Basically, I’m working on a campaign to get [REDACTED] elected to the 36th Assembly District in Wisconsin. He’s an honorable man — wounded in Iraq, performed emergency surgery in Abu Ghraib, and was one of the leads in breaking the news story about the deplorable conditions there. And now he’s home.

   And, here’s where it get’s complicated! Some time ago, I had an experience that, until I thought I could find an honorable use for, was willing to commit to memory and relegate to past experience.

   In a nutshell, here’s what happened. I had been visiting some friends in Chetek, and they had coaxed me to go to the Mall of America with them. At first I resisted (it just seemed like it would be another overboard americana experience). Then, after sufficient prodding, they got me to go. We got to the mall in the late morning, and it was not too terribly busy, considering this was just before Christmas, and Camp Snoopy was all set up for the kids!

   I’m a bit of a hermit (largely intentional), and so rarely get a chance to shop. So, I like music, and headed upstairs to one of the music stores. While there, I asked the manager if he minded if I tested the keyboard they had set up in the front. It sounded good! So, I started to play a tune – something I had come up with many years ago in my youth, while practicing the piano at home. To my surprise, it sounded exceptionally fine on a quality electronic organ! I had many of the shoppers mesmerized for a brief few minutes, and I continued to experiment – set the organ for “record”, set it on reverb, and continued to hammer out this tune. When I got done playing, a fellow ran up to the store, and introduced himself as Bono. I was a little surprised, to say the least! I gave him my name, and that was all. I guess you could say I was in a mild state of shock, or extreme stage fright (they seem about the same to me!) – and I quickly rejoined my friends, not wanting all that much attention! Well, some time later, I began hearing that same melody being played on the radio, by U2 and Coldplay! I’m glad they did something with it – it became the melody in Clocks, and got pretty far up in the charts. I, in the meantime, hid. Fame looks a lot like grabbing a live wire to me. Something that excites at low levels; but shocks at it’s highest setting!

   I’m not after royalties, noteriety, or anything else. But, I would like it if I could get an endorsement for [REDACTED]. He’s a reform candidate, and god knows, our government could use some reform measures! Veterans are geting shafted in the nation of ours, and it would be good to see him get some positive press. So, my next step is trying to contact the Bands that have used this basic melody. This is where I’m told it gets tricky. They’re basically shielded by booking agents, if for no other reason, they don’t want any infringements on their intellectual property. What do you suggest I do? How do I approach them??

5. Amy Mabli on June 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

   Wow. I’m jealous that I never get any emails like that.

6. Kathy Hilen-Smith on June 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pm

   I never get email like that either. Sometimes other poop flingers, email me by accident, but that’s it.

7. Michael Smith on June 19th, 2008 at 4:26 pm

   Are you getting all my emails?

8. Kathy Hilen-Smith on June 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm

   Duh. We’re married, you asshole. Of course I get your emails. I want to be on record here: I’m not a poop flinger by blood. I’m a poop flinger by marriage.

9. Garrett on June 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

   I’m a poop finger by choice.

10. Michael Smith on June 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

    All this time I thought I was the other Michael Smith…thanks for sorting me out.

11. Michael Grant Smith on June 19th, 2008 at 5:09 pm

    I will grow one of those Freddie Mercury mustaches so that Kathy can know which Michael to yell at.

    Kathy, yell at the Michael with the clean, smooth upper lip.

12. Sheila Ryan on June 19th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

    My sweet Lord, indeed they [lots of pop songs] have sounded similar to others.

13. Cindy Scroggins on June 20th, 2008 at 8:24 am

    Poop flinger.
    Poop finger.
    Pope flinger.

14. jandek on June 20th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    All their songs sound the same, so maybe he’s just thinking it sounds like a different coldplay song he heard earlier.

15. Evan Payne on June 20th, 2008 at 11:49 am

    That’s lame. (responding to the post itself, not the current state of the conversation (though pope-flinger is a nice image)).
    If you write the melody lines out on a sheet of music (what’s that, a stave?), they are not STRIKINGLY similar, they’re not even all that close. I mean, the first four notes are the same, but they’re all the same note, and five and six are totally different.
    I paused the video to go check which coldplay song he was talking about (I didn’t get to the clip within the video), and its the only one I’d know right off the bat. Tells me something, that does…
    So, based on that, I think this guy is whining about nothing. That sounds snarky, but I’m not a coldplay fan anyhow, so just stating my opinion.

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