There are so many hooks to this weird story its hard to know where to begin. The name alone is enough. Dallas Austin. The names so Texas hacky that even a pro wrestler would hesitate to take it on. Austin is a record producer and songwriter, responsible for much of the brightly colored candy R&B pop that clogged MTV in the late 80s and early 90s, including Boyz II Men, Another Bad Creation and Blu Cantrel.
But hed probably consider his finest creation to be his work with TLC. Not only did he produce their superbly annoying hit "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, he also produced a child with TLC member, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. They named that child Tron. Whether Dave Chappelle knew that when he gave his street hustling character on his show the same sobriquet is a mystery for the ages.
Austin was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on May 19th after a customs search revealed he had 1.26 grams of cocaine on him. He pleaded guilty to possession, and could have been sent to prison for a decade a stunningly long sentence considering the amount. It makes the Rockefeller drug laws look like the door policy at Studio 54.
Faced with a decade in a Dubai prison for an amount of drugs that would have barely been enough for an hour at a Williamsburg house party, Austins lawyers placed a call to an unlikely ally: crusty old Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. Hatch, a musician himself, was contacted by Greenberg Traurig, the law firm representing Austin. Former Hatch staff member Nancy Taylor is a shareholder in the firm.
Hatch, who earned almost $40,000 in music royalties in 2005 and is a outspoken opponent of file sharing computer technology, has been criticized for having a conflict of interest with his relationship with the record industry, and Utah residents are criticizing his intervention in Austins case.
In a statement, Hatch said he was "confident that this talented young man will learn from this experience." Taylor said Hatchs intervention is indicative of his character, as is "a very humanitarian person." What no one has said, to my knowledge, is how this incident has affected poor little Tron.
johnnyfu
Hartford, CT
March 2003
JUL 13, 2006 06:30 PM