In news that could only possibly be related to the ever delightful Bill Murray, it seems the Doobie Brothers have an axe to grind, having written the infamously chaotic actor a rather hilarious letter for using their music without permission.
The band says the 70-year-old actor did not ask to use their song “Listen To The Music” in an ad for his “ Zero Hucks Given ” golf polo, and make their feelings clear – in a way Murray will likely very much appreciate.
In the tongue-in-cheek letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, band lawyer Peter Paterno writes ….
“Dear Mr. Murray, We’re writing on behalf of our clients, the Doobie Brothers. The Doobie Brothers performed and recorded the song ‘Listen To The Music’, which Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers wrote. It’s a fine song. I know you agree because you keep using it in ads for your ‘Zero Hucks Given’ golf shirts. However, given that you haven’t paid to use it, maybe you should change the company name to ‘Zero Bucks Given.’
“It seems like the only person who uses our clients’ music without permission more than you is Donald Trump.”
Ouch.
“This is the part where I’m supposed to cite the United States Copyright Act, excoriate you for not complying with some subparagraph that I’m too lazy to look up and threaten you with eternal damnation for doing so,” Paterno writes. “But you already earned that with those Garfield movies. And you already know you can’t use music in ads without paying for it. We’d almost be OK with it if the shirts weren’t so damn ugly. But it is what it is.”
Again: ouch.
Referencing Murray’s 1980 film Caddyshack, the letter closes, “So in the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, ‘Au revoir Golfer. Et payer!’”
In a word: perfect.
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