Holding Government to account.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has revealed the bizarre response they received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after filing a copyright complaint.
The band issued a fiery cease-and-desist this summer when DHS used their version of ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ in a recruitment video without permission, telling the agency to “go f**k yourselves.”
According to singer Robert Levon Been, the official reply was far from legalistic.
“It sounded like an ex-girlfriend,” he told NME, paraphrasing the message as, “You got attention from being associated with us… you should be grateful.”
Been called the experience “bonkers,” arguing the government’s “final boss stage” is “all smoke and mirrors.”
The band hopes their stand encourages other artists to challenge unauthorised use, noting that Instagram acted more professionally by removing the post.
BRMC will release a reissue of their 2005 album ‘Howl’ on January 20.
