Smash the school!
Turkish punk band, Deli is facing up to 18 months in jail over a song which… complains about an exam (via).
The song is called ÖSYM - the name of the country’s examination board that decides which students go to university, based on a three-hour exam every June - and includes the line “ÖSYM, kiss my arse.”
An Ankara prosecutor decided that insulting state employees should be a crime and started legal proceedings against the five piece band May 2nd.
Few had heard of the Bursa-based punk band Deli until June 2007 when a teenage fan of the band, identified in media reports and on YouTube only by his first name, Hako, uploaded a video clip on the website YouTube.com where he lip-synchs his way through Deli’s song.
Deli’s 24-year-old lead singer and lyricist Cengiz Sari has called the court case “ridiculous.” Nevertheless, when band releases its début album this month, they have decided not to include the song ÖSYM in order to avoid further controversy.
Monday 16 Jul 2007 | Paul | Turkey