Man photographed as naked baby on Nirvana album cover sues for 'sexual exploitation'
Record ID:
1634176
Man photographed as naked baby on Nirvana album cover sues for 'sexual exploitation'
- Title: Man photographed as naked baby on Nirvana album cover sues for 'sexual exploitation'
- Date: 25th August 2021
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FORMER NIRVANA DRUMMER AND LEAD SINGER AND GUITARIST FOR THE FOO FIGHTERS, DAVE GROHL AND WIFE JORDYN BLUM AT 2015 GRAMMY AWARDS
- Embargoed: 8th September 2021 15:29
- Keywords: Courtney Love Dave Grohl Krist Novoselic Kurt Cobain Nevermind Nirvana lawsuit
- Location: OXFORD, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL / PARK CITY, UTAH, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: OXFORD, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM / RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL / PARK CITY, UTAH, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Music,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001ERS430T
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A man who appeared as a naked baby on the cover of Nirvana's 1991 "Nevermind" album has filed a lawsuit against the surviving members of the influential band, alleging the image was child sexual exploitation.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in California, Spencer Elden alleged he has suffered lifelong damages from the image used on the album's cover, which depicted him swimming naked toward a dollar bill pierced with a fish hook.
"Nevermind" is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
"Defendants intentionally commercially marketed Spencer’s child pornography and leveraged the shocking nature of his image to promote themselves and their music at his expense," he alleged in the lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday (August 24).
Elden, now 30, is asking for $150,000 in compensation from each of several defendants, including Universal Music Group, photographer Kirk Weddle, rock legend Dave Grohl, and Courtney Love, the widow of Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain, who died in 1994.
Universal Music Group, Weddle, and a publicist for Love did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Elden's parents never received any compensation for the image shot by Weddle, who was a friend of Elden's father.
The lawsuit alleged Cobain initially agreed to have a sticker censor Elden's genitals on the album cover, but no stickers were used.
Elden recreated the image as an adult in 2016 and has "Nevermind" tattooed on his chest.
Weddle told the Guardian in 2019 that he was still in contact with Elden.
Weddle told the publication: "I used to think, 'Man, when that kid is 16 he’s gonna hate my guts!' He doesn’t, but he's conflicted about the picture. He feels that everybody made money off it and he didn't. I think he deserves something. But it's always the record labels that make the money."
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