DEAD, DEAD MICHAEL BROWN

Parody of Jim Croce’s Bad, Bad Leroy Brown sparks outrage

Some of you may remember the Jim Croce song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. Now Gary Fishell, a singer, has written a parody – Dead, Dead Michael Brown – which he performed at the Elks lodge in Glendale, California before 30 retired and active cops during a private party thrown by retired LAPD officer Joe Myers.

Here are Fishell’s lyrics of Dead, Dead Michael Brown:

Michael Brown learned a lesson about a messin'
With a badass policeman
And he's bad, bad Michael Brown
Baddest thug in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog
Two men took to fightin'
And Michael punched in through the door
And Michael looked like some old Swiss cheese
His brain was splattered on the floor
And he's dead, dead Michael Brown
Deadest man in the whole damn town
His whole life's long gone
Deader than a roadkill dog

One of the attendees became outraged that the other cops were laughing during the singing of the parody. He videotaped the performance and sent a copy to TMZ. Now that party has sparked a shitstorm of outrage and the Elks lodge is promising to punish Fishell and any of the cops who are members of the lodge.

I agree with those who say the song is in bad taste. But I disagree that the lyrics are racist, as many of those who are outraged now say. And who can blame the cops for laughing after they have been tarred and feathered over the death of an angelized thug (Brown) and the death of Eric Garner. As to why they laughed when the song is filled with gory descriptions … well that’s just part of the tombstone humor common among cops.

Look for a spooked LAPD to try and take some kind of disciplinary action against the active cops who attended that party.

UPDATE (12-24-14): Just as I predicted, Chief Charlie Beck has directed LAPD's Professional Standards Bureau to identify any active officers that attended the party. Beck said, "Like many of you, I find it offensive & absurd. It does not reflect the values of the LAPD."

And now the witch hunt begins. But, I'll bet that most street cops would admit that, although the song may have been tasteless, they found it to be very funny.