Here's a story that could only come from the land of heavy metal, or at least the type of metal where "not gay, I swear" dudes wear loincloths and get lubed up and sing about how they're all brothers. Yup, only in metal could a band's management lure a photographer's agent to a seedy German hotel and demand tons of money from them for posting said band's pictures on a website. And, of course, that band are cheese metal trailblazers Manowar.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio is facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit after a photographer was allegedly menaced and threatened by one of his bodyguards.
Here's what apparently went down: Yasha Young, who represents photographer Annie Bertram, was allegedly contacted by Manowar's Magic Circle management company and told they would like to meet her in Germany to discuss doing work together. Young agreed to meet the band and their management, but things went bad for Young upon her arrival in Germany, .
She was met by DeMaio's "bodyguard," who ushered her into a taxi that drove her to a "seedy, out-of-the-way hotel," according to the lawsuit filed at New York Supreme Court. A second "bodyguard" brought Young into a room while the original stood watch in the hallway. She was then told she owed the company $25,000 and was ordered to write a cheque on the spot or else things would get "super bad" for her.
If she didn't write the cheque, she was allegedly told that DeMaio would make sure she would "never be happy again." Young managed to escape by running out of the hotel room. She is now suing Magic Circle for $5 million for false imprisonment and attempted extortion.
And why exactly are the band so pissed off? The photos had ended up on the site of a make-up artist. Oh, man, the jokes we could make. But we'll just say this on behalf of longhairs the world over: Manowar, can you please stop doing stupid things?
Check out some official court documents here.
Manowar's most recent album was 2007's Gods of War.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio is facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit after a photographer was allegedly menaced and threatened by one of his bodyguards.
Here's what apparently went down: Yasha Young, who represents photographer Annie Bertram, was allegedly contacted by Manowar's Magic Circle management company and told they would like to meet her in Germany to discuss doing work together. Young agreed to meet the band and their management, but things went bad for Young upon her arrival in Germany, .
She was met by DeMaio's "bodyguard," who ushered her into a taxi that drove her to a "seedy, out-of-the-way hotel," according to the lawsuit filed at New York Supreme Court. A second "bodyguard" brought Young into a room while the original stood watch in the hallway. She was then told she owed the company $25,000 and was ordered to write a cheque on the spot or else things would get "super bad" for her.
If she didn't write the cheque, she was allegedly told that DeMaio would make sure she would "never be happy again." Young managed to escape by running out of the hotel room. She is now suing Magic Circle for $5 million for false imprisonment and attempted extortion.
And why exactly are the band so pissed off? The photos had ended up on the site of a make-up artist. Oh, man, the jokes we could make. But we'll just say this on behalf of longhairs the world over: Manowar, can you please stop doing stupid things?
Check out some official court documents here.
Manowar's most recent album was 2007's Gods of War.
