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Wavves' Nathan Williams Rails Against 'Nazi' Walt Disney at New York Show

Fat Possum

Nathan Williams has had beef with fans, bandmates and members of the Black Lips, but he's now sharing a slab with his most formidable adversary yet. Monday night at New York City's Bowery Ballroom, the Wavves founder and frontman announced he'd just been "mildly sued" by the Walt Disney Company, which was less than psyched about seeing a song called 'Mickey Mouse' listed on his band's latest album.

Williams said he'd agreed to modify future pressings of 'King of the Beach,' out today on CD and vinyl, and replace the offending track with an unreleased B-side. He then offered a succinct legal critique of the plaintiff's case.

"Walt Disney was a Nazi," Williams said. "You go [to Disney World], you feel Nazi vibes. It's disgusting!"

The outburst was one of many quotable moments of the concert, and throughout the evening, Williams and drummer Billy Hayes spent nearly as much time joking about booze and weed as they did playing actual songs. With the presence of soft-spoken metal-dude bassist Stephen Pope, Wavves was like a Kevin Smith movie come to life: two Jays and a Silent Bob.

The California trio is loosely affiliated with today's surf-pop revival movement, but as Monday's show made clear, the band owes more to the '90s than it does the '60s. On 'King of the Beach' 'To the Dregs' and 'Idiot,' the band turned Williams' melodic tunes into crunchy grunge-punk ragers. Had Beavis and Butt-head been there, they'd have played air guitar.

"This one's about a girl," Williams said at one point, and while he was introducing 'Green Eyes,' not a cover of 'About a Girl,' the song had a certain Nirvana-like spirit.

Things reached a neo-grunge apex during the closing 'No Hope Kids,' when at least a dozen stage divers took leaps of faith. Among them was Williams, who managed to simultaneously crowd-surf and flail away on his reverse-strung lefty Stratocaster. As fans grew rowdier and the pushing intensified, the singer was hurled back onstage, where he staggered around, emptied a beer on Pope and crashed into the drum kit, just like Kurt Cobain used to do.

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Alice Howe

Unfortunately for Disney, they seem to be hitting a few financial roadblocks. I'm sure it's really nothing major, but in case you'd like to know more, here's a good place to look: http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/showlink.aspx?bookmarkid=3VK618AMK6J6&preview=article&linkid=d338d04d-cd79-4a2d-aaae-a2ab09882b62&pdaffid=ZVFwBG5jk4Kvl9OaBJc5%2bg%3d%3d

August 04 2010 at 12:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply