Who knew?
Pop star Sombr aka Shane Boose — who was the musical guest on “SNL” this weekend — had a famous grandfather.
The obit for R. Andrew (Andy) Boose is in today’s New York Times. He died at 87 on October 30th and was a famous New York lawyer specializing in arts and culture.
Boose was the attorney for esteemed celebrities like the writer JD Salinger, playwright John Guare, and violinist Itzhak Perlman.
According to the obit, Boose “led a team of attorneys in successfully opposing the unauthorized publication of the author’s unpublished letters – that 1987 case, Salinger v. Random House, spurred legislative amendments to the U.S. Copyright Act and remains an important precedent in determining the appropriate scope of “fair use” of an author’s copyrighted work.”
This case was a big deal, I remember it well. Biographer Ian Hamilton had gotten hold of some of Salinger’s letters and published them in a biography without permission. Boose sued on behalf of the famed writer, who was still alive at the time. He won, the book was withdrawn and published without the letters. The case set a precedent in book publishing. I hope the notoriously private Salinger puts out a welcome mat for Mr. Boose in heaven.
Presumably Mr. Boose (his son, Andy Jr, has a big events company that does shows for Elton John’s AIDs charity and amFAR) got to hear Sombr’s hit singles before he passed.
Condolences to the family.
