Someone Wanted To Sue Me Over A Song

In December, the Canadian Centre For Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) threatened to sue me for defamation. The CCBR is a Calgary-based anti-abortion group, and they're responsible for the "Fetusmobile", a truck that drives around Calgary with giant pictures of aborted fetuses on them. The photos are pretty grisly.

Earlier in the month, I had written and recorded a song called "Choice", which makes fun of the trucks.

Listen to "Choice" on SoundCloud

 I could not believe my luck

When they asked me to drive the truck

I could not refuse

How could I ever choose?

I'm sure to split the road in half

With my blown-up photographs

I'll release all your endorphins

With great big pictures of abortions

CHORUS:

I drive the truck with the great big fetus

So when Jesus comes to meet us

He'll say "Good for you - You all chose not to choose"

I drive the truck with the great big fetus 

So when Jesus comes to greet us

He'll say, with his voice, "You folks chose the right choice"

Driving down my local haunt

The street with all the restaurants

They hate me a bunch

Because I drive by during lunch

Those graphic pictures may have shocked her

But (flippity flappity floop) her doctor

You've got questions, we've got answers

Have the kid, or get breast cancer

(CHORUS)

Great big pictures of abortions

With a coin there for proportion

Great big pictures of abortions

With a coin there for proportion

(CHORUS)

Their lawyer, John V. Carpay, sent me an e-mail stating that the following lines amounted to defamation:

Those graphic pictures may have shocked her 
But wait until we shoot her doctor

The angle was that, by saying this in a song, I'm accusing them of murdering, or wanting to murder, abortionists. Of course, I don't actually believe that the CCBR has done this or intends to. I was being hyperbolic and silly (like they are).

He ordered me to take down the song by the following Monday, and I did. I suggested changing the line to "But at least we're not gonna shoot her doctor", but Carpay said that this would imply that killing doctors is still "on the table" (his words). The current version of the song replaces the line with a synthesized George W. Bush voice saying "flippity flappity floop".

I find it amusing that an organization (and lawyer) so concerned with free speech would try to censor me, or anybody else. Especially an organization that constantly accuses abortionists of being murderers, using misinterpreted facts.

The song is satire. I am joking. I'm not even really giving a real opinion on abortion, because I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to have one. I'm just making fun of the trucks.

Get a sense of humour, Carpay. You're a magnificent douche, and my only intention is to openly mock you and the organization you represent.

And to make a music video for the song (more on that later).

----

The Canadian Centre For Bio-Ethical Reform (GRAPHIC PICTURES MAY SHOCK YOU, BUT WAIT UNTIL MMMMPPPPPHHHH):
http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/

Calgary Pro-Choice Coalition:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-Pro-Choice-Coalition/123058731076259

John V. Carpay, Barrister and Solicitor:
http://thegauntlet.ca/author/John%20V.%20Carpay
www.johncarpay.ca

Change? Cha-a-a-a-nge?

A Message To My Loyal Readers (Both Of Them!)
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or commented on The Incredible Radiaition Poisoning Man thus far... because there aren't a lot of comments, I'm going to assume that it's perfect and that you're just in awe of my mastery.

[turns off ironic faux-arrogance]

Yesterday, I replaced the first story page (where they're sitting in the lecture hall) with a new version, where I re-drew most of the characters and replaced the text with a computer font (it was mostly to change the name of the professor to something that wasn't the actual name of a real person that I know).

Anyway, Something that has always been frustrating (especially since I started forcing myself to draw full IRPM pages and post them on here) is that I always like the pencil versions of the drawings, but when I trace over them in pen, I'm never really satisfied with it. Plus, it takes a long time and it hurts my hand and I have to fix a bunch of mistakes in Photoshop and wah wah wah wah wah. Hard work isn't a problem as long as I'm mostly satisfied with the end product, but in too many cases, I'm not.

This is the problem with doing any kind of art -- the things that are wrong with it are, ultimately, the things that drive the artist insane, even if they're incredibly insignificant. So, after doing some research and some experimentation, I've decided to make a change to the way I draw IRPM comics.

I'm going to try using a "non-photo blue" pencil (it's a shade of blue that doesn't show up well when scanned), and then tracing over them with a regular pencil. Then, using only an exposure adjustment in Photoshop, I eliminate the blue and darken the pencil. Here's what that looks like:

I'm considering (read: going to be) re-drawing most of the IRPM stuff I've already put up. That doesn't mean a complete overhaul. I made sure to scan all the pencil drawings before I inked them, and I'll basically just be printing those out in the same turquoise colour as my pencil, tracing over them, and replacing them. I'm not adjusting the drawing style or the story at all... it's just that the actual lines and figures will look tighter and neater. I'll keep the orignal pen versions up (in the Facebook page, as separate albums), in case you decide that you prefer the drawings I will come to loathe and resent.

I can't help but think this seems Geroge Lucas-y. I will rationalize this, however, by realizing that I am only a 17-year-old with a cheapo Blogspot account.

-Reid

Songs ga doko ni arimasu ka?

I had to take the videos of the songs down temporarily. I'll replace them with higher-quality versions soon (probably sometime between Xmas and New Year's).

with all yer Facey-Spaces and yer Twitty-Pages...

IRPM is now on Facebook, too.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Incredible-Radiation-Poisoning-Man/209649521393

Reid Do Good?