Music news - Desperately seeking a clue

I made my weekly trek through the music news, looking for something interesting enough to cover. Some weeks are easier than others and this week was a cake walk.

God hates fags and Radiohead,

The Westboro Baptist Church picketed Radiohead in Kansas City last weekend, decrying the band as "freak monkeys with mediocre tunes". I was shocked. Did they somehow mistake a Radiohead show for a military funeral or something? If they're going to get into music criticism, should I start ranting about my religious delusions ("God hates godly haters")? And why Radiohead? They could have waited for Friday to vent on Jane's Addiction.

But just as I was settling into a good anti-bigot rant, I had to put it on hold because we need to have a face off for most clueless of the week. I'm talking, of course, about Courtney Love and her assertion that the Muppets are raping Curt Cobain. Or at least his memory. That's right, including the song in The Muppets movie last year stepped over a line that Weird Al, Miley Cyrus, 2Cellos, and Paul Anka couldn't find.

Photo credit: Ross Hawkes

It's not nice to pick on the handicapped and Love's critical faculties put her into that category, albeit largely by her own doing. But I'm not sure I understand her rationale. Disney apparently negotiated in good faith with Primary Wave Music (Love sold them half her rights to Cobain's music, including full distribution rights). The other members of Nirvana apparently signed off as well.

Aside from the issue of rights, it's still not clear what's so egregious about the Muppets? I don't necessarily think Cobain would have been thrilled, but who knows? Maybe what Love's really trying to say is that she was effectively raped by the Muppets. Or more to the point, the Muppets hurt her feelings by not giving her enough attention. But there's never enough.

Which side wins the Clueless Olympics? I'll declare a draw.