Singing Giants May Sue Crazy Eddie

New York Magazine, August 3, 1987

More trouble is brewing for Crazy Eddie. They Might Be Giants, a New York pop band, is threatening to sue the company, claiming the electronics chain illegally used two of its songs in a radio commercial. Crazy Eddie chairman Eddie Antar is also being sued by angry stockholders who charge that he traded company stock on inside information. The Giants' manager, Jamie Kitman, says that in April, Crazy Eddie's ad director offered the band $7,500 to come up with a jingle for an advertising campaign. The group refused the offer. Then, last month, Crazy Eddie began running a new commercial that the band claims uses parts of two of its songs, "Mister Me" and "Absolutely Bill's Mood." Says Kitman, "We've hired lawyer William Krasilovski, who specializes in copyright-infringement cases, to press this suit." But a Crazy Eddie spokesman, Harry Spero, says, "They're trying to get publicity. Their songs sound as much like our jingle as 'Old MacDonald' sounds like 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' "

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