Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have never been the type to bite their tongue, but their latest clash is something out of a political fever dream.
After discovering that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had used their cover of ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ without permission in a recruitment style promo, the band fired off a public cease and desist, and what came back, according to Robert Levon Been, was stranger than the offence itself.
Speaking with NME, Been said the band initially just wanted to shine a light on the misuse, adding: “We just wanted to let people know what was happening, because you shouldn’t let [the government] constantly get away with whatever the fuck they want… It’s illegal.”
But the response they received wasn’t the stiff legal rebuttal you’d expect from a major government body. Instead, Been says, “the administration sent this reply that sounded like an ex-girlfriend… 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 situation escalated publicly after Black Rebel Motorcycle Club shared the cease and desist online. Ironically, platforms like Instagram and Facebook handled the situation with more professionalism than the government agency itself, removing the video once the copyright breach was flagged. “[They] acted more professionally than the actual government itself, which is bizarre,” Been added.
For him, the whole saga highlighted the importance of artists standing up for themselves, particularly when powerful institutions misuse creative work.
“If bands get fucked with or anything like this happens… you shouldn’t [stay silent]. Take them to the mat all the way.”
The original Homeland Security clip featured helicopters, surveillance footage, and a bible verse before dropping Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s recording, a track originally cut for the Netflix series A Man in Full.
The band’s blunt cease and desist pulled no punches, ending with: “Oh, and go f… yourselves, —BRMC.”
While the bureaucratic storm rages on, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are currently in Europe wrapping up their 20th anniversary tour for Howl.
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