Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg has slammed the former members of his band Vandenberg for attempting to take over the rights to his surname a second time.
He split the four-piece in 1986 in order to join David Coverdale’s outfit, and insists he was fully in charge of its creative output during their three-album career.
And he’s branded the new action “ridiculous,” “far-fetched” and “cheesy”.
Vandenberg says: “Before joining my close friend David Coverdale in Whitesnake, I had my own band under my own name, which I founded, wrote all the music and lyrics for, made the album covers, designed the logo etc etc.
“Here comes the surreal part: a year ago I got summoned by a lawyer representing the three guys I invited to play in my band, trying to claim my own name and trying to prohibit me from using my own name through a lawsuit. Now how bizarre is that?
“Singer Bert Heerink, bassist Dick Kemper and drummer Jos Zoomer, each of them not having achieved anything worth mentioning in 27 years, are now trying to piggyback on the name and reputation I was fortunate enough to build through years of working my ass off.
“A sad situation indeed – since I always thought these guys were friends.”
Vandenberg says Heerink’s position in the case was “even more pathetic” since he’d been fired from the band in 1985, and points out they lost their lawsuit when it came to court.
But he reveals they’re trying again, this time through a trademark dispute.
“It’s basically like when you invite a couple of people for a ride on the back seat of your new car, then these passengers claim your car is now theirs,” says the guitarist. “Some people have no shame.”
He’s promised to keep fans updated about what he calls “this surrealistic but actually sad soap.”
-Classic Rock Magazine
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