Another day, another Joker controversy: on the heels of a monster opening weekend in which the villain origin story raked in $96 million — the biggest October debut for a movie in history — the Todd Phillips flick is catching heat for its inclusion of a song by convicted pedophile Gary Glitter.
Glitter’s 1972 track “Rock and Roll, Part 2,” which became a popular sports anthem before his crimes came to light, was used prominently in a key scene in the movie, playing while Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck character dons his Joker makeup and dances eerily while descending a long staircase.
The British glam rock singer was jailed in 1999 for possessing thousands of images of child pornography, and in 2015 he began a 16-year prison sentence for attempted rape, indecent assault and having sex with a girl under the age of 13 years old. According to CNBC journalist Sam Meredith, “Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, is reportedly expected to receive a lump sum for allowing the recording to be used in Joker. He is also thought to be in line for music royalties depending on the success of movie theater ticket sales, DVD sales and film soundtrack sales.”
Exactly how much money Glitter stands to make from the movie is questionable. Some outlets estimate that he will get “hundreds of thousands” from the song’s inclusion, while others expect his profits to be significantly lower than that. But regardless of how much it is, Glitter will be no doubt be getting a check, sparking debate about whether or not it’s acceptable to help artists convicted of heinous crimes continue to profit from their work. (Producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector’s hits like the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” continues to be featured in movies and TV shows, for example.)
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