[idm] re: funny? ... how am I funny? ... like a clown? .. do I amuse you?
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Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 20:11:37 -0500
From: "Jimenez, Enrique" <EJimenez@Hasbro.com>
Subject: funny? ... how am I funny? ... like a clown? .. do I amuse you?
[...]
One of the problems Atom Heart had with Kraftwerk, upon the release of "El
Baile Aleman" in the US and EU was that Kraftwerk felt that the version of
"Radioactivity", which is included in the Japanese version, was TOO FUNNY.
This infuriated Atom Heart, because he felt that Kraftwerk took this
snobby attitude of judging latin american music as being funny. So how
can music from another culture, Atom felt, be considered as funny, when
the music is actually positive, exotic maybe, warm and definetly "alegre"
(happy), but never funny in the ha ha ha kind of way. Atom Heart thought
that it would be ridiculous to sue them on the grounds of this first world
super group denying permission for a latin band from the third world to
cover one of their songs because Ralf and Florian think that latin
american music is funny. Totally ridiculous. Of course Kraftwerk denied
permission to release this track to the rest of the world and poor Atom
had to agree to this, otherwise these fine album might have never been
released. Of course, it makes sense now, they are the robots!!!!.
<<<
I discussed this issue with him. A major difference is that it was not a
band from Venezuala who recorded the song, but a German artiist who
resides in Chile. The motivation came from a different source. The
marketing, distribution, and publicity have come through entirely
different methods and channels, versus if the album had been recorded by a
Latin band. It would have been more difficult to locate a Latin band, if
the record were even known in Germany, and it would have been more
difficult to take meaningful action against them.
His version is parody in the strictest sense of the word. Apparently the
track "Radioactivity" is a bit controversial on its own -- perhaps the
sensitivity from Kraftwerk is due to the old controversy.
--Mark
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