Minding the Nevermind

I was gonna just do my ambling along to EL&P's version of Pictures at an Exhibition, but Spencer Elden has gone where I didn't think he wanted to go.

This is a very sensitive subject, and I'm known for being mildly insensitive to make a point. Not so this time. You can go read my analysis of the cover on my blog, and in my second book, they were 100% accurate interpretations at the time. We, however, now stand on the precipice of a bifurcating reality. The opinions will be many and range from coherent to ridiculously stupid. 

Here is the link to my analysis of the cover.

https://albumsforeternity.blogspot.com/2021/01/chapter-1.html

I deleted the cover because fair's fair. Now, here is my opinion.

Does Spencer deserve a shitload of money from that image? Yes, absolutely, an insane percentage of gross sales from Nevermind. Will that fix anything? Probably not. Is this child pornography as the lawsuit claims? No. It's not.   The lawsuit as defined will do more damage than good. 

My argument as written says this is a gray area, and it very much is. The situation is unique unto itself, and it must be treated as such. In my analytical opinion, there was never nor is there now any intention to exploit Spencer Elden, and this situation would eventually arise had any other child been chosen for the cover. 

Is Spencer wrong for changing his opinion of the situation over time? Absolutely not. Should they remove it at his request? Absolutely yes. Should police raid our houses and prosecute consumers for buying Nevermind? No, that's ludicrous.

Is some pervert somewhere sexually aroused by the album cover? Probably, some people are really fucked up. Sorry for the swear words, but as you surely know by now, I use them for their actual meaning that no euphemistic language can accurately convey.

At its heart, this is a case of an individual battling a corporation for their personal rights, and Spencer Elden deserves to have his rights honored on this issue in the manner of his choosing. The simplest solution is for Geffen to take the initiative and simply ask the plaintiff how he wishes to proceed. The worst possible way to go about it is to publicize the private proceedings in half speculated garbage media reports like it's a tabloid goldmine. That's definitely exploitation.

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