LILIPUT BIGGER THAN HUMMER

Having seen a week in which The Leveller pledged to build only as many penthouse flats as strictly neccesary, it's nice to be able to report that some people still have some principles.

Hummer - the people who make the vehicles which destroy the environment so badly you can hear the planet cry every time someone starts one of their engines - wants some music to use in their adverts. People keep saying no.

"We thought about it for about 15 seconds, maybe," lead singer of The Themals Hutch Harris said.

They said no.

Washington D.C.'s Trans Am were offered $180,000 by Hummer for the song "Total Information Awareness."

"We figured it was almost like giving music to the Army, or Exxon," guitarist Philip Manley said.

They said no.

The post-punk band LiLiPUT, who broke up more than 20 years ago, could have pocketed $50,000 for "Heidi's Head" after making close to nothing during their five-year existence. But they, too, said no.

"At least I can sleep without nightmares," Marlene Marder reasoned.

What's hilarious is the reaction of the people charged with trying to advertise Hummer seem genuinely surprised that people don't want to take their money. Lyle Hunsen of Bank Robber Music is trying to find the songs to go on the advert, and he's keen to stress that when the Hummer people aren't trying to burn through the remaining oil of the world up, they really love music:

"I will say about the Hummer guys, they are some of the most intense music listening guys out there," Hysen said. "They are on my A-list. They find music on their own, go to shows, they aren't waiting for a major label to call them."

"My standard line is you guys will play a hundred million gigs before you see this amount of money," Hysen said. "Usually they come back with, 'We'll do anything BUT Hummer.'"

Perhaps they should call Chumbawamba - after all, they've been comfortable taking money from Hummer's General Motors parent in the past.

Failing that, it'll probably be worth trying Moby or Sting.

[Thanks to Nigel R for the link]

music hummer liliput adverts trans am