Got to litigation, got to litigation

[Gentle Giant]

I guess the revolution's over.


Founding Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick and former JA manager, Bill Thompson, filed a lawsuit in U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco on Mar. 20 alleging that founding JA member Paul Kanter has been performing under the names "Jefferson" or "Airplane" without the consent of Slick in violation of an $80,000 legal settlement he signed in 1985. Under the agreement, Kanter promised never to perform as Jefferson Starship or use the names "Jefferson" or "Airplane" without consent from Slick, majority shareholder in Jefferson Starship Inc. Thompson said Kanter started touring in 1991 as Paul Kanter's Starship and that "playing small fairs didn't irritate us so much," but now Slick and Thompson say they're drawing the line after the 66-year-old guitarist made a deal with Microsoft Corp. to use the Starship name to promote a new computer operating system. Thompson also says a photograph of Slick was used in publicity for concerts associated with the promotion. The suit is seeking $750,000 in revenue from using a name that is not rightfully his and a halt to performing under the name Jefferson Starship. Kantner claims he hadn't sold the Starship name, but let Microsoft use it in promotions for four free concerts, for which the band was paid $100,000. Slick would not comment on the lawsuit. - AP.

And look what became of her:


BTW, AP, it's Kantner. Duh.

[groover]

From that article, it appears that the agreement did not cover "Starship" used without "Jefferson". And if he only got $100,000 for it, how is she justified in asking for $750,000?

[Gentle Giant]

Where have all the good times gone?

[Dr Dave]

Where have all the good times gone?

Where have all the good times gone? They're all for sale, that's what.

[Brian Olewnick]

Say it plainly
The human name
Doesn't mean shit to a tree

[Gary Sisco]

She looks pretty good, I'd say, for a rocker and doper her age. Rock's becoming big business is its own demise.

[Gentle Giant]

Yeah, she has that 12-step glow about her. (no offense to anyone in recovery on this board.)

I just hate the hypocracy. As recent as 1978, she was writing and singing about AT&T and Standard Oil ("Show Yourself" from J. Starship's Earth), and now she's the majority shareholder of Jefferson Starship Inc., suing her ex-colleague, ex-collaborator, ex-lover, ex-husband just for going out and trying to get an audience so he can be a professional musician. I'm sure the royalty checks from Somebody to Love are keeping her in Depends and assorted luxuries, so why the hard-ass corporate stance?

[Gary Sisco]

'78 is 29 years ago, GG. It's not exactly recent. And musicians of that generation are far from alone in having sold their asses for pay. Very far from alone.

[Root Doctor]

Why isn't Slick rotting in jail for foisting "We Built This City" on us?

[Scott Dolan]

Hahahaha..........


Rootz, you're dependable man. Real fucking dependable.

[Gary Sisco]

For the same reason countless pop music people aren't in jail, Roots.

[Scott Dolan]

When you guys hang out do you sometimes bonk the other on the head with your scepter when they have their back to you and then act like nothing happened when they turn around?

[Gary Sisco]

You'll never find out, Scottie because you'll never be hanging in the same place with the two of us.

[Scott Dolan]

I'd say that's a big, fat yes!

[Gary Sisco]

You can say but you can't know.

There are circles and then there are circles.

[Gentle Giant]

'78 is 29 years ago, GG. It's not exactly recent.

Don't remind me. I was 15 and it was the summer I first got high. I listened to the radio a lot that summer and the big new releases were Earth (I still give Craig Chaquico props for the Larry Carlton-lite solo he plays on "Runaway"), Boston's Don't Look Back, and Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Suppose I could add Styx's Pieces Of Eight to the list. I guess it was already Big Business back then, but I still feel that for someone who was once a proud, vocal radical, Slick has sold out big time.

[Gary Sisco]

I was 24 and going out of my way to avoid the popular music of the time. In my circles we played music more often, then, than we listened to it. Most didn't have any records, even. We traveled too much and didn't have any money for them, anyway, with very rare exceptions.

[Root Doctor]

When you guys hang out do you sometimes bonk the other on the head with your scepter when they have their back to you and then act like nothing happened when they turn around?

My axe:

[Gary Sisco]

Cool.

[Scott Dolan]

Henceforth this decree shall be law.

[Surfer]

I like Grace Slick. First female rock star, and boy, she was pretty hot too back in the day. I listened to "Somebody to Love" the other day off Surrealistic Pillow, and its still a better single than Satisfaction, packs more of a wallop, especially Jorma (???)'s guitar solo. She had a great strong voice.

So she doesnt want Paul Kantner to make a deal with Microsoft in Jefferson Airplane's name, so what? I think that's pretty understandable.

Oh and that tune Brian quotes "Eskimo Blue Day" fuckin rocks too.

But go ahead, make fun of the aging hippies, they're such easy targets.

[BFrank]

Somehow I don't think that Grace, being "the majority shareholder of Jefferson Starship Inc." really means a whole hell of a lot. It's probably just a legal/tax entity, so it's not like she's pulling in Bill Gates $$ to run some multi-national corporation. On top of that, she lost most of her belongings and historical artifacts in a fire several years ago.

She now lives in Malibu and paints ... not a bad life.

[Surfer]

The Grateful Dead, now THAT is, or at least was, "corporation" in a true sense. At least it was run as such.

[BFrank]

All the Airplane albums, through "Volunteers", are among my all-time favorite records. Great, creative & unique music.

The recent re-masters are worth picking up, too.

[Surfer]

Word.

Volunteers is great. Listened to that while driving the ENTIRE length of Skyline Blvd last month, from Los Gatos to SF.

[BFrank]

Whoa! I hope you weren't tripping your brains out!

[Surfer]

No, I live on Skyline Blvd. in the SC Mountains above Los Gatos, so its always been a plan to drive its entire length one day. I definitely recommend it. Takes a while though.

[lazarus]

I´m a fan.
Have all their albums from "Takes Off" up to "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland".
I like them all but my favorite is "After Bathing At Baxters".

[Scott Dolan]

The Grateful Dead, now THAT is, or at least was, "corporation" in a true sense. At least it was run as such.

Yeah, but wasn't that somewhat offset by the open arms they gave to the taper community?

[Surfer]

Wasnt meant as a criticism in any sense. I thought they ran their business intelligently and fairly. I dont see why people get on musicians for being good business people or for wanting to control the way their music and image are being used.