The alternate cover is above; I'm not in the mood to put my new bosses on the FBI's radar (hey, it's only been a month since the sale!). But I will note that if you'd like to see just what is causing the firestorm, this seemingly illegal image is also on the U.S.-hosted servers of Amazon, where it retails for $89.99 used thanks to its import-only status. And that's hardly the only place where you can find it. I know that silly vendettas are the way of the right-wing nutters, but singling out a 32-year-old cover that's readily available on many other Internet sites—and even commercially available on a few? Are conservatives really that offended by the message of "Winds Of Change"?

Wikipedia is filled with hardcore porn! [Fleshbot]
FBI investigates 'Wikipedophilia' [WorldNetDaily via Blabbermouth]

1. Wikipedia doesn't use Flash. Or blinking backgrounds. Or huge images that take up 1,068 vertical pixels before you get to word one of any sort of useful information. Or other slideshows that jam up your computer and make it crash when you're in the middle of writing something and on deadline and AAGGGH.

2. Wikipedia may be crazily draconian in its efforts to police entries for "objectivity" (the Billboard story points out that artists and managers are missing out on using the user-generated encyclopedia as a "resource" for getting out their propaganda, but that would probably result in many "neutral point of view" wars that would ultimately be a waste of said artists/managers' time), but you sure aren't going to get the real lowdown on, say, the differences between the two versions of LA Guns if you go to either of the current bands' landing pages. And what is "objectivity," anyway? Wait, that's a question for my media studies night-school class. Sorry!

3. MySpace does have one advantage over Wiki: The access it gives you to artist photos is much, much better. However, to get to those photos, you have to log in, which means you have to have an account, which means you have to open yourself to the possibility that your identity might be stolen to hawk Macy's gift cards and Fergie porn.

4. Seriously, you guys. The Flash. It can't be just me, right? My computer isn't that old.

Music fans prefer Wikipedia to MySpace [Reuters]

But if there's one thing we know, it's that some musicians'—and music-biz types'—egos are wayyyyy too big for that to be an isolated occurrence. Anyone want to give Wikipedia Scanner a whirl with, say, Warner Music Group's IP block? Or, if you happen to know his ISP offhand, Eddie Van Halen's, for that matter?

Roger Hallmark [Wikipedia, via ThreatLevel]

^* Not that we're above shilling for ourselves—too bad some Wikinerd-beloved band has already bitten our page title.

UPDATE: MOKB posted a note this evening: "It appears I am facing expulsion from Blog U. I've lost my scholarship for sure and am likely to end up down the street at the local Junior Blog college. I apologize to all parties involved for the heinous plagerization of Wikipedia on my Term Blog Post Paper."

No worries, MOKB. As we noted in the intro, you're one of our favorites. MOKB also notes that Gerard vs. Bear had this "story" hours before we did, but frankly, we were too busy making Clay Aiken jokes to notice. Now that we mention it, can we all just get back to making Clay Aiken jokes? It's what we're best at.

Click through to find three examples of suspiciously close "Creep" critiques.

EXAMPLE 1
From Wikipedia's "Creep" entry, last modified Sept. 22, 2006:

"Creep" was the first single (not counting the Drill EP) from the English rock band Radiohead, and a track on their 1993 debut album Pablo Honey. When it was first given limited release in September 1992, Radio 1 found it too depressing, and so after being aired only twice, it was taken off the station's playlist, but it subsequently became the band's biggest hit.

From today's MOKB post on "Creep":

Creep is widely considered the song that launched Radiohead into the world music spotlight. It was their first single from their 1993 album Pablo Honey. When it was first given limited release in September 1992, Radio 1 found it too depressing, and so after being aired only twice, it was taken off the station's playlist.

EXAMPLE 2

From Wiki:

The single is generally credited with catapulting the band to world-wide renown. In late March 1993 they flew to Israel for their first taste of fame following its success there as a result of heavy airplay on Galei Tzahal, and late in May they flew to the USA for more success— a San Francisco radio station had picked it up, and little by little "Creep" had permeated the nation's airwaves.

From MOKB:

In late March 1993 they flew to Israel for their first taste of fame following its success there as a result of heavy airplay on Galei Tzahal, and late in May they flew to the USA as a San Francisco radio station had picked it up, and little by little "Creep permeated the nation's airwaves. It did not become a in the UK until September of that year almost a year after it's official release.

EXAMPLE 3

From Wiki:

Thom Yorke explains the song saying that he wrote it while studying at Exeter University. It tells the tale of an inebriated man who tries to get the attention of a woman he is attracted to, by following her around. In the end, he lacks the self-confidence to pull it off. Although he usually referred to the drunken student in the third person, with no little contempt, sometimes outright denying it was him, he sometimes admitted it was.

From MOKB:

Thom Yorke explains the song saying that he wrote it while studying at Exeter University. It tells the tale of an inebriated man who tries to get the attention of a woman he is attracted to, by following her around. In the end, he lacks the self-confidence to pull it off. Although he usually referred to the drunken student in the third person, with no little contempt, sometimes outright denying it was him, he sometimes admitted it was.

There's not enough bold-faced fonts in the world for that last paragraph.

Creep (song) [Wikipedia]
MOKB Covers Project Redux: Creep [My Old Kentucky Blog]