Elon Musk Ends Farting Unicorn Feud With Lisa Prank’s Dad
You would think that someone like Elon Musk would be too rich and famous to get himself entangled in various petty Twitter feuds involving indie rock personalities. You’d be wrong! Yesterday, Musk’s girlfriend Grimes was on Twitter, talking about how she tried to get a Tesla union vote going and defending Musk’s donations to the Republican party. It’s “the price of doing business in america,” don’t you know! And now the whole weird little episode between Musk and Lisa Prank is apparently over.
Lisa Prank, the Seattle pop-punk musician whose real name is Robin Edwards, got into a Twitter beef with Musk last month. Prank’s father is Tom Edwards, a Colorado-based artist and potter who has a company called Wallyware Pottery. He’s been selling a mug with an illustration of a farting unicorn for years. Last year, by way of promoting the Tesla sketchpad, Musk used an image of that same farting unicorn, and that same image apparently appears as the icon for the app in the Tesla operating system — something that Tesla did without permission and without paying for the image.
On Twitter last month, Prank called attention to the way Tesla had “ripped off” her father’s artwork, noting that the letter that her father’s lawyer had sent had gotten no response. Musk responded that Edwards could sue but that it would be “kinda lame” if he did. He also claimed that Tesla’s use of Edwards’ art “increased his mug sales.” Elon Musk, everyone! What a guy!
In any case, it appears that Musk and Edwards have come to some sort of understanding. Last night, Musk tweeted “✌️” and linked to a post on the Wallyware Pottery website. In that post, Edwards writes that the whole issue has been resolved. Here’s what he says:
I am happy to report that we have reached an agreement with Tesla that resolves our issues in a way that everyone feels good about! It’s clear there were some misunderstandings that led to this escalating, but I’m just glad that everything has been cleared up. I’ve always been a Tesla fan, and I’m looking forward to getting back to making pots and selling them in my online store.
I’d also like to announce today is that I will be designing a mural for the “Arts Bridging The Gap’s LA Street Art Initiative in Los Angeles, CA. Their mission is “to bring top quality arts programs and experiences to children in underserved communities in order to improve their quality of life, academic success and future prospects.” Their murals are painted by underserved youth and LAPD officers! They approached me last week about doing a unicorn mural possibly in Hawthorne, CA near SpaceX headquarters. I grew up in this part of Los Angeles and my father and stepfather both worked in aerospace and defense industries in this very neighborhood. I’m excited about designing a happy, fun work of art for the community.
Musk has almost certainly learned his lesson and will never make an ass of himself on Twitter again.