When he was only 4 months old, Spencer Elden unbeknownst to him, he became famous for appearing on the cover of the groundbreaking album of nirvana ‘Do not care‘. Now, thirty years later, the former boy pictured naked underwater chasing a dollar bill hanging from a fish hook is suing the band for child pornography. Elden brought legal proceedings against the inheritance of Kurt Cobain and the surviving members of the group who said they violated federal child pornography rules. He also claims that his parents never signed a release authorizing the use of his image on the album cover. And for that, according to the American media, he asked for compensation of 150,000 dollars.
No matter, the kid on the cover is suing Nirvana
Elden’s family was paid just $200 for the 15-second dip in the pool because Elden’s father was friends with the photographer, NPR reported in 2008.
In the lawsuit, the boy claims he “has suffered and will continue to suffer lifelong harm, including emotional distress and interference with normal educational development.” The band, photographer and record labels “intentionally marketed Spencer’s child pornography,” the documents say. Which also explains that Elden was forced to perform “commercial sex acts” and the band reneged on an alleged promise to hide his genitalia on the cover of the album, which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide world
25 years ago today @NirvanaThe Nevermind album has been released. Check out my photos in today’s @nypost pic.twitter.com/0XjLp8Yyty
— John Chapple (@johnchapple) September 24, 2016
what does it claim
Non-sexual photos of newborns are not generally considered child pornography under US law, but Elden’s lawyer, Robert Y. Lewis, argues that the image of the dollar bill (which was superimposed after the photograph) looks like the minor “like a prostitute”. . In fact, Elden recreated the cover photo (swimsuit) several times as a teenager and adult to celebrate the 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries of the album released in 1991. In 2016, however, the 25-year-old. he told Time magazine that he was “a little angry” about his notoriety when he got older. In other interviews, however, he seemed decidedly more optimistic: “It’s always been a positive thing and it’s opened several doors for me – he revealed to The Guardian six years ago – I’m 23 years old and I’m an artist, that’s what history has given me the opportunity to work with Shepard Fairey for five years, a fantastic experience.”
Source : IL Messaggero
