Glee Controversy

As many who have gmail and have seen my status recently, I cannot seem to get "Glee" out of my mind. I sing the songs, think about the storylines, obsessively watch old episodes, etc. So when I saw this article about "The Business of Glee" I read it right away. Here is a link to this article in the Hollywood Reporter: Inside the Hot Business of Glee. It's a pretty good article about what making the show is like and gives insight into who does what and how it gets on-air each week. Basic summary: Ryan Murphy does everything! But, all kidding aside, there was a statement that I read which caught me off guard. In the Hollywood Reporter article, Murphy mentions Kings of Leon and how they wouldn't allow for Glee to use their songs to cover. Ryan said, 

" F--- you, Kings of Leon,” he says, raising the volume of his monotonal interview voice ever so lightly. “They’re self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music.”

What got my attention was how harsh he was towards the band and on such a public level too. Little did I know that it would spark a controversy as it has. I read the article and then it was all over the news! I guess the article was right in it's title "Big Business" of Glee. Here's my thinking: I understand that some people don't like the show. It's perfectly normal considering people's taste in things can vary. Sometimes those people are normal folks like you and me, and sometimes those people are major recording artists who don't want to associate their music with the show. It should have ended there.

But now we have twitter responses and reactions to comments that I would bet money each party would want to take back.

Here is the article I read with the comments made by both parties: Kings of Leon vs. Glee

This shouldn't have been a big deal, but once the "wear a bra" comment was made, it was all over. Especially if we think about how much Glee has showcased bullying and gay students struggling against comments and attacks. How could Ryan Murphy not comment?  Nathan from Kings of Leon, came across as the exact type of person Glee fights against and stands up to, a bully. It made me gasp when I read what he said to Mr. Murphy. It's just a sad situation that shouldn't have ever happened.