Boston Guitarist Wants to Pull the Plug on Huckabee for Using Hit Song

FOXNews.com

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Boston guitarist Tom Scholz has more than a feeling about Mike Huckabee's use of his band's moniker and hit song on the campaign trail. He's flat out insulted.

The production wizard, composer and mastermind behind the hit '70s stadium rock band penned a letter to Huckabee Thursday asking him to help "undo the damage" he apparently caused by the "misleading" use of his band.

While on the campaign trail late last year, Huckabee played bass on covers of the Boston song, "More Than a Feeling," and even invited former band guitarist Barry Goudreau to play with him.

Though the GOP presidential candidate more commonly jams to covers of "Mustang Sally" and "Sweet Home Alabama," Scholz said in the letter he's "shocked" Huckabee would use his band's music without his consent. He complained the gigs would live on forever on the Internet.

"Boston has never endorsed a political candidate and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for. In fact, although I'm impressed you learned my bass guitar part on 'More Than a Feeling,' I am an Obama supporter," Scholz wrote.

"By using my song, and my band's name Boston, you have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed. In other words, I think I've been ripped off, dude!"

He's not the only rocker to object after hearing his song on the campaign trail.

John McCain's campaign recently agreed to stop using John Mellencamp's songs -- like "Our Country" -- at campaign events, after Mellencamp questioned why the Republican candidate was using music from a self-described populist who supported Democrat John Edwards before he dropped out of the race.

Click here to read Scholz' letter to Huckabee on the Rolling Stone Web site.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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