Retro Rewind - with DAVE HARRIS

News Date: 2.06.10

The next time Colin Hay of Men At Work hears a knock on the door, he won't be asking "who can it be now?". It's probably someone coming to collect nearly 30 years worth of royalties! This week a federal court decided the flute riff heard in band's hit single "Down Under" plagiarizes an old Australian folk tune. There's a hearing later this month to determine just how much Hay, along with his record label, will have to pay out. Colin says "it's no mistake", this is all about the money.

That's part of what helped pop duo Milli Vanilli reach superstardom in the late 80's. You may recall, they were the controversial group who used session singers to provide their vocals. Surviving member Fab Morvan says today's chart toppers are just as fake and "blames it" on lip-syncing and studio technology. Even though Milli Vanilli won a Grammy, they "knew it wasn't true" and became the first group in history to hand it back.

At least the guys in Milli Vanilli didn't have to look like the real singers. Unlike one man who recently tried to pass himself off as singer/songwriter Paul Simon. I guess "you can call him Rafael", the guy who walked into a Manhattan bank with Simon's forged credit card, driver's license and actual Social Security number attempting to withdraw over $4000. So what was it that sent his disguise "slip slidin' away"? The teller was tipped off by his towering 6 foot 1 height, while Simon is a mere 5'3.

You know, now that Colin Hay needs to come up with some cash for back royalties, maybe he should consider robbing a bank. Then again, that would just be "overkill".

That's it for Retro News I'm Jenni Waylon for Retro Rewind.

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