What’s a guy to do when he discovers that song he wrote is being used in a porno without his knowledge? Write a song about it, of course.
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Mike Hamel had just started a new job in May when a flurry of texts from straight friends alerted him to the fact that the title track to his 2012 EP Where the Change Is was being used as the intro song to The Ultimate Creampie, a porno. After consulting his boyfriend of seven years, Geoff Wertime, the two collaborated on a song and video called Hell No (You Can’t Use My Song In A Porno). Check out our interview and then the hilarious video below:
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Savas Abadsidis talked to Mike Hamel right after the video was released.
How and when did you find out the song was in the porno?
It was in the first week of May, while I was still training for a new job. I started getting a flurry of text messages from 4 or 5 different friends, most of which simply asked, “Dude, why is your song in a porno?” They also had the idea to attach the link to the video that was using my track, but since I couldn’t pull that up at work, I had to wait until I got home to investigate further. After digging a little deeper, the company that made the video told me they had licensed my song through Soundcloud/Getty Images. I was not notified of the use and am still awaiting a statement or payment regarding the whole situation.
What’s the name of the song and album?
The song that was used was the title track of my 2012 EP “Where the Change Is.” I worked really hard and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to get the album put together. Little did I know that this would be the fruits of my labor.
What’s the name of the porno?
You mentioned that your boyfriend was instrumental in doing this “Hell No” video?
Funny enough, we met on the internet. Through Yahoo Personals anyways. He was attending Vassar College and I was living in Poughkeepsie at the time. Without that site, we probably wouldn’t have crossed paths, but everyday I am elated that we did.
How long have you been together?
We’ve been together for a little over 7 years. It’s an amazing amount of time and we’ve been through a lot together. He definitely owns the biggest piece of my heart.
What genre of music does this fall into (one of my friends insists it’s country)?
I suppose that it’s country. Geoff and I co-wrote the lyrics and I put the music together. I figured that because we’re telling a story here, the music needed to be ballad-y and light-hearted. I immediately started playing this cliche country-style riff and it just stuck. I’d like to say that it’s alternative-country because once the chorus drops, the harmonies and structure definitely depart from the standard “country” format.
Where do you usually perform?
what a hoot! his voice most definitely does not match his looks – never expected that sound to come out. will check him out on iTunes. great piece Savas.