Plus: Chris Brown Lawsuit Settled, Author Claims 'Fela!' Rip-Off

Photographer Settles Lawsuit Against Chris Brown
A photographer who sued Chris Brown and LA Fitness for assault and battery settled his case on October 28, according to court documents. In the lawsuit filed on May 27, 2009, Robert Rosen alleged that he was beaten by Brown's bodyguard after he took a photo of the singer playing basketball, and that LA Fitness did not make sufficient effort to protect him. The terms of the settlement have not been made public. [RadarOnline]

Author Wants Fela! Musical Shut Down
The author of a book about Fela Kuti sued the producers of the award-winning Broadway musical Fela! to stop performances Monday. Charles Moore claims that entire portions of his book, "Fela Fela: Cette Putain de Vie," were inserted into the musical's script. Lawyers for Moore demanded that all performances be shut down, including the Broadway show currently running, a production set to open next week in London and any future productions. Moore is also seeking at least $5 million in damages and a halt to all advertising, promotions and product sales resulting from the show. [Associated Press]

Black Lips' Mark Ronson-Produced LP Due in April
In a lengthy interview with the Black Lips' Jim Swilley? — which mostly addresses how Swilley's preacher father came out of the closet to his congregation recently? — it was confirmed that the group's next LP will be out in April and will be produced by Mark Ronson. Of his father, Swilley said, "It does take a lot of balls to come out in an environment like that, and I think I respect him a little more now. I thought it was pretty bad ass." [Creative Loafing]

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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