Journey bandmates battle over Donald Trump and ‘Don’t Stop Believin” – National | 24CA News
Some songs turn out to be political anthems over time, however a Journey band member has made it clear he doesn’t need Don’t Stop Believin’ to turn out to be one.
Journey guitarist Neal Schon served keyboardist Jonathan Cain a cease-and-desist order over a efficiency of the band’s hit tune Don’t Stop Believin‘ played by Cain at Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago resort.
In November, Cain, 71, sang the song while playing the keyboard on stage at the America First Policy Institute’s Experience and Gala. A refrain of a number of Republicans wearing formal apparel sang alongside, together with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake.
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The cease-and-desist letter insisted Cain “has no right to use Journey for politics.”
Cain’s spouse, Paula White, is an American televangelist and “spiritual advisor” to Trump.
Schon, Cain and the band’s former lead singer Steve Perry are the unique writers of the 1981 tune Don’t Stop Believin‘.
“Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarizes the band’s fans and outreach,” Schon, 68, argued within the letter. “Journey is not, and should not be, political.”
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Schon claimed Cain’s use of the tune at Republican social gathering occasions is “harmful” to Journey’s model.
“His politics should be his own personal business. He should not be capitalizing on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band,” the letter continued.
The relationship between Cain and Schon was already strained; a spokesperson for Cain mentioned that “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies.”
Earlier this yr, Schon filed a lawsuit in opposition to Cain that claimed he was denied entry to an American Express bank card utilized by Journey. Cain then accused Schon of charging greater than US$1 million in “improper personal expenses” to the band’s card. The pair continues to argue the difficulty each publicly and in courtroom.
In the cease-and-desist, Schon and his attorneys argued Cain’s use of Don’t Stop Believin‘ at a Republican event “has the band’s followers up in arms.”
The sentiment is obvious on social media. One Twitter consumer wrote that “Journey’s been dead to me since Cain’s support of Trump came out.” Another fan mentioned, “using Journey’s music for a Trump event is an insult.”
Schon claimed Cain’s use of the tune will impression the “earning potential” of Journey, “especially in light of the forthcoming tour.”
Journey’s newest tour, which is able to see each Cain and Schon on stage, is about to start on Jan. 27, 2023.
On Thursday, Schon tweeted that Journey had way back determined to not be political.
“You just don’t go there as you will lose fans,” he wrote. “To me music is for the whole world.”
He additionally claimed Schon’s assertion about “losing in court” is fake.
“His statement is a lie,” Schon wrote Monday. He mentioned the difficulty might be heard in courtroom in February 2023.
Journey shouldn’t be the one band to complain about their music getting used for Trump’s political campaigns. In 2020, The Rolling Stones threatened authorized motion in opposition to Trump for using their music at his rallies.
Don’t Stop Believin‘ is likely one of the most beloved basic rock songs of all time. The tune resurged in recognition a number of many years after its launch when it was featured within the ultimate episode of The Sopranos in 2007. And in 2009 the tune took on new life when it was included within the first episode of the favored TV present Glee.
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