Music History Events: Publicity Stunts
May 15, 2003 t.A.T.u.'s manager Ivan Shapovalov is arrested for disturbing the peace after staging a video shoot in Moscow's Red Square for the duo's song "Show Me Love." Playing up the act's image as teenage lesbian lovers, Shapovalov had arranged for about 200 young girls to dress like t.A.T.u. and kiss each other, which causes a disturbance. By the end of the year, t.A.T.u. will abandon the ruse and admit that they only acted like lovers for the sake of scandalous publicity.
July 19, 2000 Shel Talmy, who produced the first Who album, My Generation, puts the master tapes up for auction on eBay for $500,000. As intended, it gets the attention of the band, who buy them (for significantly less) and in 2002 release the My Generation: Deluxe Edition CD using the tapes.
April 14, 2000 At a show at The Garage in London, the all-girl punk rockers L7 raffle off a chance to "meet intimately" with their drummer, Dee Plakas, claiming they "want their fans to get more bang for their buck." Whether or not they go through with the stunt is unclear, but it drums up plenty of publicity for the show.
October 29, 1992 The British band Verve, dispatched to America to promote their debut album, perform their song "A Man Called Sun" for over two hours from a flatbed truck driving around New York City at night. America takes little notice of the band until their 1997 single "Bitter Sweet Symphony."
October 15, 1992 Madonna holds a "Sex" party at Industria Superstudio in Manhattan to promote her upcoming book Sex. She shows up dressed like Little Bo Peep, carrying a stuffed lamb.
November 6, 1979 Running on a platform that includes making businessmen wear clown suits, Jello Biafra of the punk band Dead Kennedys comes in fourth in his run for mayor of San Francisco. Dianne Feinstein is the winner.
September 17, 1978 Queen stage a bicycle race with 65 naked models at Wimbledon stadium in England to provide the video and cover art for their "Bicycle Race" single.
June 20, 1975 Screaming Lord Sutch, wearing a leotard and buffalo horns, rides through Romford, England on a white horse to promote an upcoming festival appearance.More
November 12, 1964 David Bowie (then known as David Jones) appears on the BBC program Tonight as leader of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long Haired Men.
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