McCarthy Links Curb to Songs With Gay Slant

Democratic Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy intensified his attack on Republican challenger Mike Curb on Saturday, releasing lyrics of songs he said the GOP candidate produced or helped write in the 1960s that used a gay slant to spoof other well-known songs.

McCarthy called the contents of the lyrics “absolutely disgusting” and said, “I think that would be the reaction of most of the people in the state.”

The songs were contained in an album produced by Curb titled, “These Are the Hits, You Silly Savage!,” a McCarthy spokesman noted.

One, parodying a popular song of the ‘60s era, is called, “These Boots Are Made for Walking” and is sung by singers identified as Darrell and Teddy and apparently directed at a homosexual audience.

Croons Darrell: “ . . . one of these days these boots are going to walk all over you,” which gets the response from Teddy, “Walk all over me.”

Another has Teddy singing, “Say there, how would you like to be Miss Adorable Nellie Scott in the Malibu muscle boy lot? It’s nice, just think twice,” to which Darrell croons, “Say there, how would you like to swish down the Walk of Fame?”

McCarthy, in releasing the lyrics, said: “Mr. Curb says his business background qualifies him to hold the second highest office in California. I would doubt that most Californians would be at home making a living producing a product with the central themes of rape, drugs and violence.”

Curb, who has held only one news conference since the beginning of the year and speaks to reporters on an infrequent basis, was not available for comment.

‘Dredge Things Up’

His campaign manager, Fred Karger, accused McCarthy of “trying to dredge things up from 20 years ago instead of trying to talk about issues of today.”

“I think he has gone over the cliff in hitting an all-time new low in vicious, personal attacks,” Karger said, adding that he was “dumbfounded.”

Asked specifically about Curb’s role in producing the record, Karger did not deny the former lieutenant governor’s involvement, but said, “I don’t even want to comment on that because I think it’s in such poor taste,” referring to McCarthy’s use of the record in the campaign.

In Curb’s campaign biography, there is no mention of the music considered objectionable by McCarthy. Curb said his companies produced more than 40 gold records, and represented entertainers such as Sammy Davis Jr., The Osmond Family, The Judds and Hank Williams Jr. Curb, in speeches, often refers to his role in producing the wholesome 1970s hit, “You Light Up My Life,” by Debby Boone.

In addition to lyrics taken from the “Silly Savage” album, the McCarthy campaign released titles from the 1967 film, “Devil’s Angels,” for which campaign officials said Curb composed the title song and was responsible for the lyrics of songs such as, “Make Believe Rape” and “Devil’s Carnival.”

Composed Sound Track

Curb also composed the original sound track for the 1966 movie “The Wild Angels,” which featured such songs as “Wild Orgy” and “The Losers’ Burial,” according to the McCarthy camp. And, the McCarthy campaign added, he authored or co-authored songs for the movie “Teenage Rebellion” titled “Pot Party,” “The Gay Teenager” and “A Young Girl’s Mistake.”

All of the movies predate Curb’s entry into politics. Curb was elected lieutenant governor in 1978 and served one term, giving up the office to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the gubernatorial primary in 1982. After his defeat by Gov. George Deukmejian, Curb moved to Washington, where he was the chief fund raiser for the Republican National Committee.

McCarthy began attacking Curb two weeks ago for writing music for ‘60s exploitation movies that feature drugs, rape, orgies and violence. McCarthy, in television and radio ads, singles out a movie that Curb co-produced, titled “The Cycle Savages.”

Warns of Action

Curb’s lawyer, Joel R. Strote, answered the initial attacks by writing McCarthy a letter warning of possible legal action because of “false and misleading statements.”

Strote said that Curb “was never involved in determining the content” of the movies cited by McCarthy, and also disputed the Democrat’s claim that he made “a fortune” from such songs.

McCarthy’s lawyer, Lance H. Olson, wrote back defending McCarthy’s comments as accurate. He quoted from the promotional poster for “The Cycle Savages,” a motorcycle gang movie, which said, “Hot steel between their legs . . . they steal women . . . initiate them into their pack . . . sell them on the black market of crime!”

Karger said that Curb will have a more detailed response this week.