‘Blindsided’: Raygun reveals why her lawyers shut down musical tribute to Olympian’s story after media furore

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

‘Blindsided’: Raygun reveals why her lawyers shut down musical tribute to Olympian’s story after media furore

Aussie breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has broken her silence on why she and her lawyers shut down a comedian’s attempt to pay musical tribute to her now-legendary moves at the Paris Olympics.

In a video posted to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on Friday, Raygun revealed she had trademarked her name and “famous kangaroo silhouette pose” to block third parties from snatching her fame for their own commercial purposes.

“Yes, I’ve trademarked my name and my now famous kangaroo silhouette pose, which is being used in just about every piece of Raygun merch out there, which I’m not profiting from by the way,” she said.

“And the reason we did that is because we were notified there were applications from other parties trying to trademark my name and image for commercial purposes. I mean totally wild.”

Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge was scheduled to perform a tribute to Raygun in Sydney tomorrow, but Ms Gunn’s lawyers issued the venue with a letter threatening legal action.

Ms Broadbridge said Ms Gunn’s lawyers had said the show might damage their client’s “brand”.

On

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Ms Gunn said while she had trademarked her name and kangaroo pose, she had not laid claim to the kangaroo dance.

“It in no way mimics Aboriginal dance,” she said, adding the moves were inspired by Australia’s Olympic mascot BK, the boxing kangaroo.

“I wanted to represent and celebrate that spirit,” Ms Gunn said.

The breakdancer, who is also an academic, said she and her team were “blindsided” by Ms Broadbridge’s musical.

Camera IconRachael Gunn talked about Raygun: The Musical on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on Friday.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Credit: News Corp Australia

“The first we heard of it was last Friday, when it was a story in The Sydney Morning Herald and Channel 7,” she said.

“We were totally blindsided by this and unfortunately the blowback was quick.

“People assumed we had developed it, that we had approved it and it damaged many relationships, both personal and professional.

“So this is why my management and legal had to work so quickly to shut the musical down.

“It was really unfortunate that the show had to be cancelled so close to the launch.

“I know the artist would have put a lot of work into it and that really sucks.

“Had we known about it sooner, there could have been a different outcomes.

Camera IconStephanie Broadbridge was about to put on Raygun: The Musical before she was blocked by Ms Gunn’s lawyers. Credit: News Corp Australia

“I really do strive to support creativity and I’ve loved the ways my performance has sparked so many different artistic interpretations. And there were so many fantastic memes that were clever and funny and creative.

“So not being able to take a joke is not what the issue is here.”

Ms Gunn shot to fame during Paris with her remarkable breakdance performance, which sparked laughter and backlash in some quarters.

She said she had been offered “big money” to appear on reality TV shows, but she was “not about that”.

“Remember, also, there is a person behind all this, with a family, with friends, and who, until a few months ago, nobody had even heard off,” she said.

“I’m really just trying to do my best to navigate this new chapter of my life.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Blindsided #Raygun #reveals #lawyers #shut #musical #tribute #Olympians #story #media #furore

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up