Whitesnake Guitarist In Dispute Over His Own Name
Adrian Vandenberg's former bandmates file lawsuit for the band name Vandenberg
Classic Rock Magazine reports that Adrian Vandenberg's former bandmates have filed a ridiculous sounding lawsuit which is claiming the bandname Vandenberg for themselves - a move which the guitarist says is "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.”
Remarkably, this is the second time that the former bandmates have tried to take control of the name. The last time they tried it in court and lost. They are now trying to win it through a trademark disupute.
Vandenberg says "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. Some people have no shame.”