Nirvana Nevermind cover baby suing for exploitation

(Can't link yet).

Crikey. Lionel Hutz style law practice or does he have a point?

Child sexual exploitation - does context not matter? Or is any child nudity sexual? I wouldn't like a child's bits being on display in any context - but wouldn't that be the parents' responsibility?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058205738/nirvana-nevermind-cover-baby-suing-for-exploitation

Its absolute bollocks. The lawyer is saying that the money which was superimposed onto the image makes his client look like a sex worker.

It's the most blatant cash grab ever and a slap into the face to people who have been genuinely sexually exploited.

archfi

He wants 150k from each of them and the estate of Cobain, must be a bit short of the old shekels.

I mean, I searched his name and all i got was him posing quite willingly for photos as an adult as the 'baby off the cover'.

Surely no one would have known it was him if he hadn't come forward for the various mag shots and publicity. The only possible bad thing is if his parents didn't give permission.

DarkJager21

Pure nonsense lawsuit.

1) Parents responsibility for allowing the photo, he should sue them instead.

2) Nobody would even know it is him if he didn't keep "recreating" the photo.

3) "Spencer Elden, now 30, is suing the band's surviving members as well as Kurt Cobain's estate, claiming that he could not consent to being pictured on the 1991 album cover" - A 4 month old can't consent to anything, new wave woke nonsense retroactively being applied to historical events. Much like asking a 4 month old for permission to change their nappy like was suggested by an Australian group recently. See point 1 above, until you are 18 your consent is given by your parents. Sue them instead.

pjohnson

I'm surprised this hadnt happened before. Theres never much motivation required for an American to start suing.

85603

Haha. It really is just a game these days. Everyones having a shot. Sure why not.

Im pretty sure a teacher fecked some chalk at me in 2nd class.

Gib monies.

Mysterypunter

His parents were paid $200 for the original picture, so that means they were exploiting him, so they are the ones he should be suing, it is a blatant and sad attempt to make a few quid, so i hope it doesn’t work, but I think he has taken advantage of the current state of the world, and the way it’s gone, anything is possible, but to sum it up I think nirvana were subsequently successful and this chap wasn’t, so that is the most simplistic explanation and possibly the one nearest the mark.

Sy Kick

All this greed with people - it would drain you.

Kimbot

Didnt the same guy get "Nevermind" tattoo'd on himself?

Tork

The requests for him to recreate the album cover must have dried up. If this succeeds, it'll open the floodgates. Every adult who appeared in films, TV shows, advertisements etc as a baby will be suing.

seamus

This guy has been milking this as his claim to fame all his life. The ironic thing is that the cover is a very obvious statement about capitalism, and it turns out that the baby in the photo has spent his whole life chasing money.

I'd say some lawyer knocked on his door and said, "I think we can make some money here with a paedophilia angle" and the guy jumped at the chance.

French Toast

Hoping for a handy pay-day. Or else trying to make a minor celebrity of himself.

Either way, move along.

Rothko

He won't get a cent, and rightfully so.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802312#Comment_117802312

Barmy. Remember seeing a thing from some loolaa one about breastfeeding being sexual abuse. These folk themselves are the ones sexualising everything. It's a niche outlook obviously, but that it's even an outlook at all...

DarkJager21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802456#Comment_117802456

Absolutely, there's something mentally wrong with people who think like they do. They can go and **** their own kids up with their stupid ideas anyway, the rest of us will continue parenting as normal.

Trigger Happy

Man who has courted publicity for all his adult life sues because said publicity is allegedly ruining his life.

Montage of Feck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802338#Comment_117802338

Was he a kerry footballer by any chance?

AllGunsBlazing

The album is about to mark its 30th anniversary so the timing is certainly suspect.

Mind you, it's no skin off Kurt's nose, and considering he exited this world pretty much hating everything about what Nirvana had become he might actually find all of this hilarious.

Ray Palmer

the reality of whether he enjoyed the attention before he may not now. There was meant to be a sticker covering his private parts which the record label didn't follow through with. They are also going to release the 30th anniversary album making a fortune for all those he is suing while he has his image plastered all over the place again. There was talk about it being inappropriate at the time which some people may be unaware of.

Still a mediocre album given way more praise than it deserved

ArnoldJRimmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802352#Comment_117802352

It would put you off trying to breed

buried

Fantastic record company PR, just as AllGuns said up there, very handy as the record is about to mark its 30th anniversary.

But sure why the f**k not, A Highly entertaining and enjoyable pop rock yoke is 'Nevermind'.

Riddle101

I don't necessarily agree with the lawsuit but I can see why it would be easy to sue over something like this. A picture of a naked baby on an album cover could be considered an indecent image. It wouldn't take much for a lawyer to make a case out of it I think.

Seems like the photographer of the image has said that he thinks Spencer Elden should get something, so I reckon he probably has a chance of making something from it.

My main issue on it is the topic of consent. The parents were the legal guardians at the time and if they gave consent for them to use it, then it's really on them, but of course, Spencer was too young to understand so you could argue he has a case. He didn't make any money off of it either so in a way, was kind've exploited. I'd say the surviving band members will settle it and give him what he asks for since they're rich and can probably take the hit. Hell, they'll probably sympathize with him.

A cash grab, I know, but it's the world we live in now.

Anesthetize

Looks like he's just fishing for a quick buck.

0ph0rce0

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117802867#Comment_117802867

**** off.

Itssoeasy

I saw this earlier and just rolled my eyes. As others have mentioned the fact the album turning thirty has nothing to do with it I’m sure. And also yes he has the album name never mind tattooed on his chest and has recreated the album cover as an adult so this is recent realisation it seems. Also, I love that a drummer who wasn’t on the album was included which just says, it was a Wikipedia job by the lawyer on the band. It seems he tried to get the surviving band members to come an art show of his and they didn’t respond to him. And yes as was mentioned if he has an issue take it up with his parents.

Wossack

I’d say the lads in the advertising dept of Pampers are sh1tting themselves

PsychoPete

Every year he comes out with some nonsense like this

I wonder what the case will revolve around. Will they be trying to get people to take the stand to say that they are turned on by picture?

Hangdogroad

Next up, the guy who was on the cover of U2s Boy sues 40 years later for being made to pose topless.

FatherTed

He was fine with it a few years ago....

Spencer Elden, 25, wanted to go au naturel when he made a splash to honor the legendary grunge band, he told The Post.

“I said to the photographer, ‘Let’s do it naked.’ But he thought that would be weird, so I wore my swim shorts,” said Elden, an artist from LA.

The album, released 25 years ago Saturday, includes songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come as You Are” and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

“The anniversary means something to me. It’s strange that I did this for five minutes when I was 4 months old and it became this really iconic image,” he said.

“It’s cool but weird to be part of something so important that I don’t even remember,” said Elden, who prefers the punk band The Clash over Nirvana.

Earlier this month, photographer John Chapple paid him $200 to do it again, he told The Post.

Elden hopped in a lap pool at The Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena to recreate the album cover image.

Elden did the same thing 10 years ago, in honor of the album’s 15th anniversary.

https://nypost.com/2016/09/23/nirvana-baby-recreates-iconic-album-cover-25-years-later/

O'Neill

https://newsthump.com/2021/08/26/banana-to-sue-the-velvet-underground-over-exploitative-album-cover/

Tis a domino effect.