MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Robin Thick’s ‘Blurred Lines’ controversy pulls musician Jack Ashford into the middle of it.
“They said alright, we will have to subpoena you, and I am talking about the two gun approach,” Ashford said.
WREG was the only station there as Ashford prepared to give a deposition on the making of Marvin Gaye’s song ‘Got to Give it Up,’ on which Ashford played percussion.
“I am not here to educate any attorneys about the rules and regulations of copyright infringement. I said it is not an exact science and I have been a music publisher for 40 years so I know a little about it,” said Ashford before going in to give a statement.
At question, is ‘Blurred Lines’ a rip-off of Gaye’s ‘Got to Give it Up,’ as Gaye’s family contends?
Here’s what Jack Ashford told WREG’S Alex Coleman in an exclusive interview last October.
“No, I don’t see it as a rip-off. I wouldn’t call it a rip-off,” Ashford said back then.
However, after listening to how ‘Blurred Lines’ came about, Ashford changed his mind, especially after he read what one of the songs creators, Pharrell Williams, said in an interview.
“He says they were listening to Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got to Give it Up’ and they were so impressed they said, oh wow, this is really something. I don’t want to paraphrase him wrong, but it alluded to, let’s get as close to this as we can get,” said Ashford.
He says this story is far from over.
“If you listen to Robin Thicke’s version and Marvin Gaye’s version, there is a line that can be crossed that could make them one,” said Ashford.
WREG was not allowed to sit in on Ashford’s deposition.
Ashford told us he could only give generics about the making of ‘Got to Give It Up,’ but there are some tough questions still to be answered.
There may be a lot to read between those blurred lines as the lawsuit continues.
