Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos Attacks Label Over McDonalds Ad

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos has lashed out at the band's U.S. distributor Epic Records after the label licensed one of the group's songs for a McDonald's ad campaign without getting permission from the band, Stereogum reports. "This: http://www.latenightmcdonalds.com/ is an example of how a band falls out with their US label. Did they think we'd approve this shit?" Kapranos wrote on his Twitter earlier this week, linking fans to a Website that has since been removed from public view. Kapranos, a noted foodie who compiled his eating adventures into a travelogue called Sound Bites, later tweeted, "Dirty bastards. Stupid arrogant motherfucking pig-brained arseholes. I'd rather eat a cow-pat on a bun than a bloody McDonald's." So, it's apparent he's not lovin' it.

Kapranos later backed off the purveyors of the Big Mac and focused his anger at Epic. Which track the label licensed is unclear as the McD's link requires an administrator's password. "I'm not really pissed off with McDonalds. They're just the same as any other psychopathic corporation — no more evil, no less," Kapranos tweeted. "The psychopathic corporation I am pissed off with is Sony who owns Epic who release our records in America. But not really surprised."

Kapranos later joked that Sony/Epic's McDonald's deal ruined a potential White Castle sponsorship for Franz Ferdinand, adding "I was going to get a lifetime supply of those cute (much tastier than McD) burgers."

Related Stories:
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• Franz Ferdinand Blast Through "Tonight" Tunes at Seattle Opener
• In the Mailbag: Alex Kapranos' Food Tour Diary, "Sound Bites"

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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