Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Female Trouble

After Candye Kane recorded a version of the theme song to John Waters's 1974 trash-classic film Female Trouble, she sent the famed director an advance copy, hoping he might enjoy it. He didn't.

"When inquired about where to pay royalties," says an exasperated Kane, "I received instead a cease-and-desist letter notifying me that I was infringing on John Waters's rights and would be sued in ten days if I didn't destroy the masters!"

Sponsored
Sponsored

Though Kane has had no direct contact with Waters, she has sent her albums to his home address (acquired through a musician friend) since 1998. She had to confirm with his attorneys -- who are affiliated with the same law firm that represents Kane -- that the song had been pulled from her upcoming Guitar'd and Feathered album.

During the legal maneuvering, Kane discovered that the song is not solely a Waters composition; his lyrics were set to a preexisting tune -- "Black Velvet Soul," written by original Jefferson Airplane bassist Bob Harvey. Though Harvey endorsed the recording, she opted to scrap "Female Trouble" anyway.

"I didn't want to take the chance," Kane says. "Mr. Waters has way more money than this single mom." With Harvey, Kane has since co-written a song to replace "Female Trouble"; more collaborations are on the horizon.

Kane, a longtime Waters fan, is mystified by his rejection.

"I have always imagined, as have many of my fans, that he would wholeheartedly embrace me and my work. Since I often say I am a black drag queen trapped in a white woman's body, it would seem that I would be a perfect match for John Waters."

In a recent Baltimore Sun article, Waters addressed the issue with the following quote: "She never asked...permission, and you don't get permission by writing new lyrics and changing the whole thing."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

Summit Fellowship wants to be a home of belonging

Unitarian Universalism allows you to be exactly who you are in the moment

After Candye Kane recorded a version of the theme song to John Waters's 1974 trash-classic film Female Trouble, she sent the famed director an advance copy, hoping he might enjoy it. He didn't.

"When inquired about where to pay royalties," says an exasperated Kane, "I received instead a cease-and-desist letter notifying me that I was infringing on John Waters's rights and would be sued in ten days if I didn't destroy the masters!"

Sponsored
Sponsored

Though Kane has had no direct contact with Waters, she has sent her albums to his home address (acquired through a musician friend) since 1998. She had to confirm with his attorneys -- who are affiliated with the same law firm that represents Kane -- that the song had been pulled from her upcoming Guitar'd and Feathered album.

During the legal maneuvering, Kane discovered that the song is not solely a Waters composition; his lyrics were set to a preexisting tune -- "Black Velvet Soul," written by original Jefferson Airplane bassist Bob Harvey. Though Harvey endorsed the recording, she opted to scrap "Female Trouble" anyway.

"I didn't want to take the chance," Kane says. "Mr. Waters has way more money than this single mom." With Harvey, Kane has since co-written a song to replace "Female Trouble"; more collaborations are on the horizon.

Kane, a longtime Waters fan, is mystified by his rejection.

"I have always imagined, as have many of my fans, that he would wholeheartedly embrace me and my work. Since I often say I am a black drag queen trapped in a white woman's body, it would seem that I would be a perfect match for John Waters."

In a recent Baltimore Sun article, Waters addressed the issue with the following quote: "She never asked...permission, and you don't get permission by writing new lyrics and changing the whole thing."

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.