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No Tacos for Ted
Ted Leo's faux Fourthmeal
Years ago, I used to work for a guy who had a dog named Smedley. Our office received loads of junk mail, and my boss used to delight in signing Smedley up for every credit card, military recruitment center, and "free Caribbean cruise" solicitation that came through the mail slot. As time wore on, my co-workers and I marveled at how these companies were clamoring for Smedley's attention. By the time I left that place, his credit rating was through the roof. Had he not expired, I imagine that dog would be enjoying platinum status about now.
In the case of Smedley, this simple act of fraud worked out pretty well. In the case of Ted Leo, however, things aren't going quite so swimmingly.
Seems a zealous prankster signed the indie rock stalwart up for Taco Bell's Feed The Beat promotion, wherein touring bands in five national regions compete to win "$500 in free Fourthmeals — the late night meal between dinner and breakfast." When you ditch the Taco Bell speak, that means $500 worth of seemingly infinite menu items comprised of ground corn or flour meal, beans, meat, and processed cheese.
It kinda makes sense really; Taco Bell's cheap eats have kept broke touring musicians one step away from starvation (but not rickets) for 40 years now — however, Ted Leo isn't one of them. When Pitchfork ran an item claiming that Leo and his band, The Pharmacists, were among the big winners, Leo, a vegan and a PETA spokesman, was on the case.
"Hey Peeps," the singer/songwriter initially responded via email to Pitchfork, "for the record, I know nothing about this Taco Bell thing — I'll try to get to the bottom of why my name is being used here, but I'd appreciate a clarification."
It was soon discovered that Taco Bell (which awarded the band the honor thanks to a trumped-up Gmail address) was sending out press releases touting Leo and company as winners. They have since rescinded these. Pitchfork ran a formal apology last Friday and Leo's camp capped everything off with a cheeky missive on their website, which reads in part:
In the case of Smedley, this simple act of fraud worked out pretty well. In the case of Ted Leo, however, things aren't going quite so swimmingly.
Seems a zealous prankster signed the indie rock stalwart up for Taco Bell's Feed The Beat promotion, wherein touring bands in five national regions compete to win "$500 in free Fourthmeals — the late night meal between dinner and breakfast." When you ditch the Taco Bell speak, that means $500 worth of seemingly infinite menu items comprised of ground corn or flour meal, beans, meat, and processed cheese.
It kinda makes sense really; Taco Bell's cheap eats have kept broke touring musicians one step away from starvation (but not rickets) for 40 years now — however, Ted Leo isn't one of them. When Pitchfork ran an item claiming that Leo and his band, The Pharmacists, were among the big winners, Leo, a vegan and a PETA spokesman, was on the case.
"Hey Peeps," the singer/songwriter initially responded via email to Pitchfork, "for the record, I know nothing about this Taco Bell thing — I'll try to get to the bottom of why my name is being used here, but I'd appreciate a clarification."
It was soon discovered that Taco Bell (which awarded the band the honor thanks to a trumped-up Gmail address) was sending out press releases touting Leo and company as winners. They have since rescinded these. Pitchfork ran a formal apology last Friday and Leo's camp capped everything off with a cheeky missive on their website, which reads in part:
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