Robin Thicke Ends His Legendary Silence On “Blurred Lines” Verdict
After laying low in the wake of the “Blurred Lines” copyright verdict, the dissolution of his marriage to Paula Patton and the desperate mea culpa attempt that was Paula, Robin Thicke has launched a modest comeback campaign. Earlier this week he dropped new single “Morning Sun,” and in a new interview with The New York Times, he offers up his first public comments on the copyright infringement ruling that stated he and Pharrell must pay the Marvin Gaye estate $7.3 million.
“I know the difference between inspiration and theft. I’m constantly inspired, but I would never steal,” Thicke said regarding the controversy. “And neither would Pharrell.”
The two artists are currently appealing the ruling, but to protect himself from future copyright issues, Thicke said he’s being very liberal with the co-writing credits on his new material (Barry White gets a credit on “Morning Sun”): “I know I have a target on my back, and my team wanted to be extra cautious given the past year. And until the court decides on inspiration and ‘feel’ in music, I wanted to make sure I would never be in a difficult situation with one of my idols ever again.”
Check out more highlights from his interview below.
On inspiration vs. biting: “It comes right down to knowing the difference between being inspired and stealing. Why would I want to, or have to, steal from anybody to make my music? Inspiration can be subliminal. As a songwriter, you’re obviously trying to create a brand-new feeling that comes from your heart. But you can’t help but be inspired by all of the greatness that came before you. In popular music, you know, there’s only so many chords being used. On the Internet, there’s this thing where this band plays the same four chords, and they do 75 hit songs with the same four chords in the exact same pattern. That just shows you some of the limitations in popular music.”
On the ruling’s domino effect (which we’re already seeing): “If the verdict holds up, I believe that it will have a ripple effect on the arts and the industry in general. I mean, if you made the first superhero movie, do you own the concept of the superhero?”
On the appeal: “I sure hope it comes out a different way for Pharrell and me, and also for the future of creativity. You know, there are friends of mine, other musicians, that have spoken out publicly about this, about the injustice of the decision. Adam Levine, John Legend, Stevie Wonder. Unfortunately, they’re not on the jury.”
Read the full interview over at the NYT.
[via Vulture]
