This just in: Lou Reed has a sense of humor! (And, we’re guessing, a friend who knows how to use Photoshop.) The Velvet Underground founder shared a photo of a sliced up banana via Facebook on Tuesday with the caption “Sectioned.” The image mimics the iconic cover of the band’s 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground and Nico, which is currently caught up in a lawsuit over its art. And we thought David Bowie was the only icon who recently developed a desire to yuk it up.
Last week a federal judge threw out the claim initiated by Lou Reed and John Cale that the Velvets, instead of the Andy Warhol Foundation, should own the copyright to the famous illustrated banana. The debate over trademark continues, but the whole thing is a little exasperating: a war over merchandising — the lawsuit outlines it as such — taking place on the 45th anniversary of the group’s seminal debut.
Universal has a whopping six-disc reissue planned for October 1. Meanwhile, the line of banana-sporting iPad and iPhone accessories that kicked off the lawsuit back in January are easily found, like, all over the internet. “The banana design is a significant element of Velvet Underground’s ongoing licensed merchandising activity,” the suit claims. Can’t we just make this banana a split?
