Dave Grohl on Nevermind Baby Lawsuit: “He’s Got a Nevermind Tattoo. I Don’t.”
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The post Dave Grohl on Nevermind Baby Lawsuit: “He’s Got a Nevermind Tattoo. I Don’t.” appeared first on Consequence.
Dave Grohl hasn’t “spent too much time thinking about” the child exploitation lawsuit filed by Spencer Elden, who was famously photographed as a baby for Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album cover. However, Grohl would like to point out that he’s not the one with the Nevermind tattoo.
The former Nirvana drummer was asked about the lawsuit in a new interview with Craig Jenkins of New York. Seemingly heeding the advice of his attorneys, Grohl sidestepped the question as best he could, saying, “I don’t know that I can speak on it because I haven’t spent too much time thinking about it. I feel the same way most people do in that I have to disagree. That’s all I’ll say.”
When Jenkins pointed out that Elden has re-created the photo several times as an adult, Grohl responded, “Listen, he’s got a Nevermind tattoo. I don’t.”
Grohl previously addressed the lawsuit in an interview with The Sunday Times earlier this month. In that interview, he seemed to suggest a willingness to alter the artwork: “I have many ideas of how we should alter that cover but we’ll see what happens. We’ll let you know. I’m sure we’ll come up with something good.” However, Grohl said he was letting his lawyers deal with the lawsuit: “I think that there’s much more to look forward to and much more to life than getting bogged down in those kinds of things. And, fortunately, I don’t have to do the paperwork.”
Elden is suing multiple defendants — including Grohl, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, the estate of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Universal Music Group, and more — alleging 30 years later that the naked underwater image of him as a 4-month-old baby was child pornography and that using it as the album cover was child sexual exploitation. In addition to seeking monetary compensation, Elden is requesting that the cover artwork be changed for all future releases of Nevermind, including the recently announced deluxe 30th anniversary reissue set for a November 12th release.
Some legal experts have called the lawsuit “frivolous,” with one lawyer saying it undermines other child exploitation lawsuits. “It really is offensive to what we have all been doing in trying to protect children from the harm they are alleging here,” said lawyer Jamie White, who has represented clients victimized by priests, Boy Scout leaders, and former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
Elsewhere in his interview with New York, Grohl touched on Novoselic’s June 2020 comments in which he seemed to praise Donald Trump for threatening to deploy the US military on Black Lives Matter protestors. After saying Trump “knocked it out of the park” with his speech, Novoselic clarified that he was an “avowed independent” and didn’t “endorse a major party or candidate.” Novoselic has since deactivated his social media.
Asked to respond, Grohl said, “I can definitely tell you that Krist is not pro-fascist. Krist is one of the most compassionate, loving, and smart people that I know. I can assure you that Novoselic is not a Trump lover.”
Grohl also shared his desire to cut his hair (“My kids are like, ‘Dad, don’t. You’re too ugly'”), and cited Mitski as an exciting young artist “making fucking cool music.” He also discussed what lessons he learned from Nirvana that he applied to Foo Fighters.
“Publishing is a good example,” Grohl said. “We have a Bernie Sanders–style formula for publishing on every song. You don’t have to play on or write the song and you’ll still get publishing on it. It removes the conversation so you don’t wind up in any sort of inner conflict. The history of rock and roll is filled with that same old story over and over again. To me, the best idea was to nip it in the bud and have this formula for everything.”
You can read the full interview here. With Foo Fighters on an ever-so-brief respite from touring, Grohl is out promoting his new memoir, The Storyteller, and recently held an intimate book release show in New York City.
Dave Grohl on Nevermind Baby Lawsuit: “He’s Got a Nevermind Tattoo. I Don’t.”
Alex Young
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