Jun 25, 2008 8:26 pm US/Central
Kid Rock To Fans: 'Steal Everything'
Musician's Joke Advice Encourages Wide Range Of Thefts
DETROIT (CBS) ―
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Kid Rock (File)
Monica Morgan/Getty Images
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Musician Kid Rock jokes about being rich enough and encourages young people to "steal everything" in a video posted on YouTube.
CBS
Kid Rock wants fans to know it's OK to illegally download his music.
And while they're at it, they should steal cars, designer clothes and iPods, too.
Well, maybe not.
The 37-year-old Detroit musician posted a "special announcement" on YouTube last week urging fans to "steal everything."
Kid Rock -- real name Robert James Ritchie -- says in the video that he's so rich, he can't complain if fans steal a song or two off the Internet without paying him.
In fact, he says, people should "level the playing field" by stealing anything they need from wealthy corporations.
He mentions laptops, iPods, Toyota vehicles ("It's a foreign car company, so who cares?"), gasoline and Tommy Hilfiger clothing as potential targets for the five-finger discount.
But the rap-rocker, who has resisted selling his music on iTunes and other online stores, tells The Associated Press he was just kidding.
"I was just trying to have some fun with it," Kid Rock said before playing in Wednesday's Buick Open Pro-Am, with friend and pro golfer John Daly, at Warwick Hills near Flint.
The video had more than 100,000 views as of Wednesday afternoon.
In March, Kid Rock pleaded not guilty to a charge of battery from a fight at a Waffle House in Atlanta.
Officials say a fight broke out after another customer recognized a woman in Kid Rock's party and exchanged words with her, prompting the star to exchange words, too.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)