After the network played “Losing My Religion” during its coverage of the Democratic National Convention, R.E.M. is railing against Fox News on its website. In a statement, Michael Stipe says the group has “little to no respect for” the network’s “puff adder brand of reportage,” adding that Fox News is not authorized to use the song which—let's face it—is a pretty lazy way to jab at Democrats’ perceived godlessness anyway. The band and its lawyers have issued a cease-and-desist against the network demanding they refrain from playing its music again.
This is far from the first musical kerfuffle of the election: Silversun Pickups recently sent a cease-and-desist to the Romney campaign after one of its songs was played during a campaign event, while Dee Snider has similarly requested that Paul Ryan not use Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” during his campaign stops.