The Tragic Real-Life Story Of The Doobie Brothers

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Bill Murray is known for snagging people's French fries, being mean to people's coats, crashing parties he's not invited to, and now, not paying the Doobie Brothers for using their song, "Listen to the Music," in his golf apparel commercials. According to USA Today, in September 2020, the Doobie Brothers' lawyers sent a well-deserved warning to Murray's company, William Murray Golf, saying, "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.'"

The Doobies' lawyer, Peter Paterno, didn't pull any punches, saying, "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. But you already earned that with those Garfield movies. And you already know you can't use music in ads without paying for it."

Of course, Murray's lawyers had to respond, saying, "First, I would like to compliment you on finding levity in the law at a time when the world and this country certainly could use a laugh," wrote lawyer Alexander Yoffe. "We would also like to confirm that both our firm, and the good folks at William Murray Golf, are indeed fans of the Doobie Brothers' music, which is why we appreciate your firm's choice of 'Takin' It to the Streets,' rather than to the courts, which are already overburdened 'Minute by Minute' with real problems." We can only hope that Bill Murray and the Doobie Brothers actually cross paths at their 50th anniversary tour in 2021 make amends.

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