[Elsewhere] Written by Kafka

He sang. In his song, he told them all exactly what he planned to do under the boardwalk, and it mostly involved making love.
This is a quote from Neil Gaiman’s book Anansi Boys. The first thing you need to know about it is that me putting it up there, without intending to review it or criticise it, is illegal. The second thing you need to know is that it references – but does not quote – a popular song. The reason it doesn’t directly quote the song is that the music publisher demanded $800 for seven words. This is actually the only case I can think of where copyright shenanigans have enriched a creative work. The way Neil Gaiman circumvented the need for permission to quote the song makes for much better writing. (Phew, now that I’ve said something that might be construed as a review, we’re safely back on the right side of the law!)
Read more at ORGZine.

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