October 23, 2007 | Celeb Watch

"Out" interview leads to lawsuit

Out Magazine is being sued. Danny Fields, an openly gay rock band manager who worked with the Ramones and Iggy Pop, told the New York Post that a sidebar article in Out made him sound like a pedophile. “My reputation is ruined because Out has called me virtually a sexual predator. It is atrocious,” he claimed.

Fields had agreed to an interview with Out's editor in chief Aaron Hicklin for a small story about the 70s. In the article, Fields is quoted as saying "the ‘70s were a lot of fun, but I was sure a lot of young [sic]. If you didn’t get laid, then it was your own fault. I don’t remember ever being inhibited by saying, ‘I’m the manager of the band. If you want to meet them, come to my hotel room and sleep with me, and I’ll introduce you to them in the morning.’"

Fields claims he said no such thing. "The implication is while my bands were playing, I was trawling the audience for kids, … like I used the performances as an excuse to cruise and pick up underage teens. The quotes are also so ungrammatical, I would never even talk like that. I have advanced degrees in English literature. … They gay-bashed me." Uhm, okay...

To settle the issue, Hicklin offered Fields some cash and 75 words in the magazine to defend himself. Considering Fields' lawsuit is demanding over $100 million in damages, it doesn't seem likely he'll accept Out's offer.