If you happened to have been in Paris last week, you may have noticed a smattering of posters that flooded metro stations, promoting the latest Gorillaz album, 'Plastic Beach.' Any French political junkie could've told you, though, that the design of the poster wasn't unintentional. As Slate reports, the virtual British group, led by Damon Albarn, designed their poster as a clear rip-off of the campaign posters that current French President Nicolas Sarkozy plastered all over France during his 2007 presidential campaign. The advertisement features Murdoc, the cartoon bassist of the group, pictured alongside a slogan that reads, "Votez Murdoc. Ensemble, glander plus pour gagner plus." (Vote Murdoc. Together, screw around more to gain more). Sarkozy's campaign slogan, as you may recall, read, "Ensemble, tout devient possible" (Together, everything becomes possible).
The spot was clearly aimed at capitalizing on the momentum of last week's regional elections held in France, but the group and their label, EMI France, could face legal trouble because of it. Since the posters were not approved by French electoral officials, Gorillaz could be fined for a maximum fine of 450 euros. As of yet, though, there hasn't been any word on whether or not French authorities will pursue punitive action against the group.
