Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have told NME they received a “really weird message” from US Homeland Security after their direct complaint.
In July, the band issued a cease-and-desist letter to the federal department after a social media recruitment video was posted that included a clip of the band’s version of the traditional folk song ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’.
At the time, they reacted angrily to the use of the song, writing: “It’s obvious that you don’t respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the US Constitution. For the record, we hereby order @dhsgov to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video.“
“Oh, and go f… yourselves,” they added.
In a new interview with NME, they expanded on the incident, explaining that they felt they needed to speak out “because you shouldn’t let [the government] constantly get away with whatever the fuck they want”.
Singer and guitarist Robert Levon Been added: “It’s illegal. They are breaking the law constantly and using a lot of different artists’ property that shouldn’t be exploited. We were just acknowledging that it was crossing the line and it’s wrong.”
“I actually wanted to have a follow-up post about what they wrote to us from their supposed-legal side, because the administration sent this reply that sounded like an ex-girlfriend,” he added. “It didn’t sound like a legal [reply] or anything official. It was this really weird message like, ‘Don’t bother us with your complaints. You got attention and media from just being associated with us, and so you should be grateful.’ And this is from the homeland legal department!
“The next response would’ve been to say, ‘We’ll see you in court then’, but platforms like Instagram and Facebook actually removed [the post containing the unauthorised song] promptly and acted more professionally than the actual government itself, which is bizarre.”
Expanding on the strange experience, Levon Been added: “What I wanted was for more bands and organisations to know that like if you actually get through to the final boss stage, it’s just a complete joke. It’s just all smoke and mirrors. I knew that in theory, but actually seeing it from the horse’s mouth, it was bonkers. It brings it down to size. It’s not as intimidating as what they want you to believe. That’s all I would like people to know. If bands get fucked with or anything that like this happens to and they feel too scared to say anything, you shouldn’t. Take them, take them to the mat all the way.”
Elsewhere, BRMC’s reissue of 2005 album ‘Howl’ arrives on January 20 via PIAS and you can pre-order/pre-save it here.
It will be made up of a 3LP white vinyl set, including session tracks, previously unheard demos and alternate mixes. There will also be a photobook of over 100 previously unseen photos from the ‘Howl’ era and original handwritten lyrics, as well as a poster featuring photos from the period. There is also a 2LP set on black vinyl and a CD version.
In the original review of the record, NME noted: “Back to basics is obviously an ongoing theme; if The White Stripes’ ‘Elephant’ seemed minimal for not employing a single piece of equipment invented after the ’60s, then BRMC have gone one further, rarely here using an idea thought up after 1959. Steeped in country, folk and gospel, ‘Howl’ is a primitive cry from the heart of a distant Americana. Where once The Jesus And Mary Chain’s surf-noise and early ’90s art-wave made up BRMC’s signature sound, it’s Johnny Cash and early Bob Dylan that now reign supreme.”
The band have not released an album since 2018’s ‘Wrong Creatures’, their eighth studio record in total. NME’s three-star review said: “It needs a little more ‘bite’, a few more musical highs and some lyrical depth to feel essential, but BRMC still have the songs to pull off a record that matters. They’re still doing it, and doing it well – there’s your rock’n’roll.”
