Two members of the US rock band, the Bloodhound Gang, have been charged with criminal offenses against Russia.
The band's lead singer, Jimmy Pop, and bass player "Evil" Jared Hasselhoff, are presently under investigation by Russia's version of the FBI, the Investigative Committee. Both musicians will be faced with "inciting hatred in an organised group," with the maximum sentence for the charge being five years.
A statement on the committee's website, which refers to the suspects with their real names, James Franks and Jared Hannegan, described the incident at the Bloodhound Gang's July concert in Ukraine, where Hasselhoff (Hannegan) had promptly stuffed the Russian flag down his pants, while shouting insults against Russia. The Investigative Committee has accused the men of "humiliating the dignity of the citizens of Russia," and has since banned the group from performing at a Russian music festival after posting video footage of the flag-stuffing online.
The band was reported to have apologized, saying that they had merely wanted to appease their fans. However, the damage had been done; once they arrived in Russia for their next concert, their minivan was assaulted with a shower of eggs and tomatoes by a Russian mob carrying posters angrily urging them to leave the country.
The desecration of hosting countries' flags might be something the band does far too frequently; Hasselhoff had also been banned from entry into Ukraine five years ago after he urinated on the Ukrainian flag.
The Bloodhound Gang was formed in 1991, beginning as a rap group but changing its genre over the years. They are known for their humorous and off-beat songs, using satire as material relying on puns and heavy innuendos to express the often sexual nature of their music. They have sold more than six million albums, counting "Fire Water Burn," "The Bad Touch," "Along Comes Mary," and "The Ballad of Chasey Lain," as some of their more popular songs.
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