
The internet has really opened up the whole rock feud world. Previously, it took a member of the British press plus at least two relatively well-known rock stars who hate each other to get anything good and feud-like going. Now all it takes is one motivated fan. Consider this a handy guide to the latest – and most amusing – recent feuds.
Win Butler Vs. Dude Whose Basketball Butler Allegedly Stole
BACK STORY: Last Saturday, June 2nd, Arcade Fire leadman Win Butler was playing basketball in a University of California gym in Berkeley. According to Chris H, the man behind the blog arcadefirestolemybasketball, the courts were super full and though Butler was alone, he refused to allow others to join him. When asked if he would then get off the court so that it could be used for a full-court game he said: “I paid too much damn money to get in here and I’m playing on this court.” (It costs $10 to get into the gym.) Security was eventually called and forty-five minutes later the players decided to “play over” Butler. After Chris H. finished his game, he noticed his basketball was missing. When he asked up front if anyone had seen it he was told that Win had taken the ball home with him.
THE LATEST: Acting on a sense of filial duty, Arcade Fire’s Will Butler has come to his big brother’s defense by starting the blog arcadefiredidntstealdudesbasketball, in which he starts a self-described “all out Internet libel war” with Chris H. by relaying the following (non) facts about the guy: Chris was drunk when he asked at the gym’s front desk about the missing basketball, links to video of “Chris H kicking a baby in the head at the UC Berkeley gym,” accuses Chris of starting his blog as a publicity stunt because he’s trying to raise money to travel to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and claims Chris has a tattoo of Puff the Magic Dragon on his penis.
The whole exchange has – in two and half days – inspired a handful of offshoot blogs including arcadefirestolemybasketballplayer, arcadefirestolemylincolnlogs, and brighteyesstolemykickball.
Wilco Vs. Uptight Fans
BACK STORY: Wilco licensed six songs from their most recent album Sky Blue Sky to Volkswagen for use in a series of commercials, which upset some fans who saw the band as a poster child for the fight against The Man after Wilco’s famous and epic struggle with their record label to release their landmark 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
THE LATEST: Now Volkswagen is streaming six of Wilco’s newest tunes on the company website, and fans are pissed. The band responded to the outrage by posting a message on their official website in which they give the usual excuse about wanting as many people as possible to hear their music. They also have a fondness for VW. “We feel okay about VWs,” the statement reads. “Several of us even drive them.”
[via Pitchfork]
Eminem Vs. Cellphone Thief
BACK STORY: Kyle Spratt, an aspiring rapper from Windsor, Ontario, stole Kim Mathers’ cell phone while at the bingo hall where Spratt worked and Kim and her mom frequently play. Spratt called Eminem up to pitch the star his demos. “I just got fired for taking that phone, I’d take any risk for my music,” the wanna-be star boasted. Eminem’s response was to pretend he was not Eminem. Then he called the cops. “Bro I’m not fucking dumb,” Spratt spat when Em claimed he had the wrong number. “I grew up listening to you, you don’t think I know what you sound like doing a fake voice?”
THE LATEST: Spratt turned his recording of the conversation into a hysterical rant/rap “Slim Sellout,” which was available on Spratt’s MySpace page until he was forced to take it down, then popped up here.

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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.