Last May, now-former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist got legally entangled with now-former Talking Head David Byrne over using the hit "Road to Nowhere" in a campaign ad without permission. On Monday, that rift was settled, and Crist publicly apologized in a rather strange YouTube video embedded below. "The use of David Byrne's song and his voice in my campaign advertisement without his permission was wrong and should not have occurred," the pol says in the video. Apparently, Byrne's voice deserves a special shoutout in these proceedings. Jim Morrison did not receive one, though.
Anyhow, the terms of the settlement remain private, and Crist was happy with the mediation that occurred. "As I told him, I was sorry it ever happened at all," he said. "He couldn't have been more of a gentleman about it."
As for Byrne, this case wouldn't be complete without another sparkling statement:
"It turns out I am one of the few artists who has the bucks and (guts)Here is Crist's less-than-manly video apology to Byrne:to challenge such usage. I'm feeling very manly after my trip to Tampa! Other artists may actually have the anger but
not want to take the time and risk the legal bills. I am lucky that I
can do that. Anyway, my hope is that by standing up to this practice
maybe it can be made to be a less common option, or better yet an option
that is never taken in the future."
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