Chromeo’s Dave One has issued a remark:
“This is kind of funny… Our photographer Matt Barnes got his hands on a Delorean, suggested we pose with it and we ran with the idea, not knowing that Neon Neon had done the same thing before (sorry fellas)! We’re obviously not going to use this shot…it’ll probably just stay in the myspace archives, and will promptly be replaced by a new press photo of me wearing no socks.”
Well this was bound to happen eventually. What with their only being about a million ’80s cultural signifiers for various retro-ists musicians to use in their press pics. We knew it was gonna go sour when we got the flier for an LA party featuring Chromeo. The image features the beloved duo of Dave 1 and P-Thugg seated on the hood of a vintage Delorean. A completely logical bit of art direction given Chromeo’s obvious stylistic debt to the me decade. There’s only one problem. Neon Neon, the collaboration between Bryan ‘Boom Bip’ Hollon and Gruff “Super Furry Animals’ Rhys, released an ’80s-tinged album earlier this year. A concept recrd about auto-maker John Delorean. And the press photos featured…wait for it…the duo seated on the hood of a Delorean. Neon Neon took it even further, parking four vintage Deloreans in front of their record release party at Hollywood’s Viper Room this past Mar. In other words, they pretty much own the delorean steez as much as anyone since Michael J. Fox.
Now here’s where things go from beef goading to real reporting. Our source at Lex Records is reporting that Chromeo’s manager called someone in the Neon Neon camp to complain about their use of the Delorean imagery give them some shit.
So now what? Rubic-cube competition for ’80s dominance? Keytars to the death?
yeh… funny to blame it all on the photographer matt barnes… both groups are beyond silly… what else could one expect from hyped up retro copycats…