Why Isn’t J.K. Rowling Suing These Guys?

Meet Paul and Joe DeGeorge, who have been performing as Harry and the Potters for the last six years, singing songs like “Save Ginny Weasley” and “This Book Is So Awesome” in a sort of stripped-down Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers vein. (Listen to the tracks on their MySpace page or watch the concert performance of “The Human Hosepipe” and you’ll see what I mean.) They’re coming to the New York Public Library to play a free concert on May 10, with tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis the day before.

Are they a sanctioned tribute band? Heck no; as the duo told MTV News in late 2005, “What kind of punk rocker would ask permission?” And, you know, this is just my personal feeling on the matter, and I Am Not A Laywer and all, but if these guys can flourish—and even Pitchfork says “the Decemberists wish they could lit-rock like this“—what’s the big deal about a lexicon or two?

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