Actor Harry Shearer has really turned it up to eleven after he filed a $125 million lawsuit against the corporation Vivendi over profits he claimed he and his co-creators are owed for making the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.
The actor, best known for lending his considerable vocal talents to The Simpsons where he plays Mr Burns and Ned Flanders amongst others, claims that he earned only $81 in merchandising income and $98 for the soundtrack in the 32 years since the film's release.
Shearer, who played bassist Derek Smalls in Rob Reiner's classic film, revealed that he is pursuing a lawsuit against French company Vivendi and its subsidiary StudioCanal for withheld profits from the film, its music and merchandise.
Good Morning LA! Time to let @vivendi, @studiocanal & @canalplus know that #fairnessrocks. Pls RT this film to help creators get #fairpay pic.twitter.com/53bDastKXe
— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) October 18, 2016
In a two-minute video released on Twitter, he said: "Tap's a movie I'm very proud to have had a part in creating. A lot of people seem to love it. And it seems to have made a considerable amount of money from film and music distribution for some corporations but not for its creators.
"For example, I've learned that between 1984 and 2006, Canal - a French subsidiary of Vivendi - reports that our share of all merchandise income worldwide from This Is Spinal Tap was $81 - $81 for 22 years.
"Between 1989 and 2006, the corporations said that total income from music sales was $98. Wow. Ninety-eight dollars is about enough to buy one miniature Stonehenge."
Shearer went on to allege that Vivendi had told him that the movie "hasn't been profitable," despite multiple cinema releases, home-video releases and TV airings.
"Filing a claim like this one is neither fun nor easy," he said. "Going up against a major multinational is not nearly as enjoyable as playing too loud in Carnegie Hall.
"But people who are squashed by large corporations can't fight back unless they have significant resources of their own. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to fight back and I think it's important to challenge the status quo, not just for myself but I hope for all my fellow artists, musicians and creators.
"After all, they depend for their livelihoods on a fair return for their hard work."
A representative for Vivendi declined to comment on the lawsuit.
