The NY Times has printed a retraction to their obit for songwriter Paul Vance of “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” infamy. It seems the fellow who died was not the pop tunesmith, but a fellow in Florida who has long misled his loved ones that he was responsible for the hit, but was cheated out of his royalties. Doubtless this made for amusing light conversation for many years, but the fake Paul Vance probably didn’t anticipate his family announcing his death to the press. Meanwhile, the real Paul Vance is cranky that a couple of his ponies were pulled from a race out of respect for his non-passing, and worried he might stop getting royalties if people think he’s dead.
Milk it, real Paul Vance: this is a rare opportunity to see what folks really think of you.