# Kesha sues top producer Dr. Luke - 10 years of abuse **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410 "2014-10-15T16:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/21 "2014-10-17T05:22:46Z")
Isn’t that the point, though? Sure, there are quite a few rough industries where employees are treated badly, but the entertainment industry seems to tolerate sexual exploitation far more than others. Talk to insiders and you start to see a pattern of sociopaths and sexual deviants being tolerated for the power they wield. See: Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter, Rolf Harris, [Robert Hughes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hughes_(Australian_actor)), _et al_. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/22 "2014-10-17T05:40:36Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Isn’t that the point, though? Sure, there are quite a few rough industries where employees are treated badly, but the entertainment industry seems to tolerate sexual exploitation far more than others. Talk to insiders and you start to see a pattern of sociopaths and sexual deviants being tolerated for the power they wield. See: Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter, Rolf Harris, [Robert Hughes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hughes_(Australian_actor)), _et al_. Right, I was just saying that most industries have their own forms of ridiculously unhealthy exploitation. You generally don’t hear of wannabe Hollywood stars working 100 hour works, for instance. The sexual exploitation seems to be Hollywood’s peculiar manifestation of the same general idea. Even if this makes it objectively worse than other industries, I feel it’s generally part of the same trend you see elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/23 "2014-10-17T12:15:16Z")
This is the same singer who claimed she was raped by a ghost a few years back isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/24 "2014-10-17T12:20:39Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > This is the same singer who claimed she was raped by a ghost a few years back isn’t it? I can’t believe I actually typed “Kesha claims she was raped by a ghost?” into my search engine. Here it is - but it seems to be 100% about moving units: > **[Ke$ha Says She Had Sex With A Ghost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kesha-sex-with-ghost_n_1919320)** > > Ke$ha Says She Had Sex With A Ghost > [@](#): > > Ke$ha says she has had sex with a ghost. Yes, you read that right – sex with a ghost. > > And what do you do when you have sex with a ghost? You write a song about the experience, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/25 "2014-10-17T12:39:32Z")
Where does a guy find the time to produce hit records _and_ have a successful medical practice? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/26 "2014-10-17T13:25:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Where does a guy find the time to produce hit records _and_ have a successful medical practice? The New Yorker profile of him talked about him transitioning from SNL guitarist to producer. I think it was Mos Def who was telling him he needed a better handle and coined Dr. Luke for him. > **[The Doctor Is In](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/14/the-doctor-is-in)** > > A technique for producing No. 1 songs. > [@](#): > > Lukasz Gottwald—his given name—has co-written or co-produced more than thirty Top Ten singles since 2004, a run to rank with the greatest hitmakers in pop-music history: Phil Spector, the Beatles, Michael Jackson. At forty, he’s still going strong: last week’s No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball,” and the previous No. 1, Katy Perry’s “Roar,” are both Dr. Luke songs. Many of his hits—like “Roar”—are written with Max Martin, Gottwald’s Swedish mentor and frequent collaborator. If Luke is the Skywalker of pop songcraft, Max is the Obi-Wan: the reclusive master. > [@](#): > > It was during the making of one of his last Rawkus records that “Dr. Luke” replaced “Kasz” as Gottwald’s nom de guerre. (It is not true, as legend has it, that the name derives from his mixing of Adderall and Ritalin with coke and MDMA to create the perfect studio cocktail that keeps you working through the night.) “I would tell people my name was Kasz, and no one could get it,” he told me. “And, like, why have a weird name you have to explain all the time? So, one day in the studio, Mos Def just said, ‘Nah, man, your name’s not Kasz. It’s Dr. Luke, man,’ ” and it stuck. Gottwald added, “The truth is, I don’t even like ‘Dr. Luke.’ I mean, I can’t change it now, but if I could I’d think of a cooler name.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/27 "2014-10-17T13:25:43Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I can’t believe I actually typed “Kesha claims she was raped by a ghost?” into my search engine. > > Here it is - but it seems to be 100% about moving units: > > [Ke$ha Says She Had Sex With A Ghost | HuffPost Entertainment](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/kesha-sex-with-ghost_n_1919320.html) Oh dear - ectoplasmic slut-shaming. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/28 "2014-10-17T13:27:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Oh dear - ectoplasmic slut-shaming. > > Regards, > Shodan [Ghostbusters] Are _ **you** _ The Key Master? [/GB] ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/29 "2014-10-17T13:30:27Z")
_golf clap_ Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/30 "2014-10-17T13:42:17Z")
Speaking of industries – I wonder how the porn industry handles claims of sexual exploitation? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/31 "2014-10-17T14:23:53Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Speaking of industries – I wonder how the porn industry handles claims of sexual exploitation? While doubtless a fascinating topic, boy, do I hope this thread doesn’t drift into that topic. 😉 Perhaps worth another thread, **BJ**? (sorry, had to just use your initials given the puntastic connection to the topic). It is interesting to see the thread focus on the rate of exploitation in music vs. other industries. I would’ve expected this to focus on this situation - e.g., how much is real vs. how much is maneuvering to break a contract and rejuvenate a career? The general tone of the posts seems to lean towards “of course she was exploited and he was a dirtbag - but how is that different from other businesses?” I am NOT saying that is an incorrect interpretation, just observing it. Other than the music, and the articles I have linked to, I know nothing about these people, so hadn’t thought about reaching conclusions yet. It just seemed a step above the typical;) “I have to break my contract so I am going to shave the word Slave into my beard and change my name to a glyph to stifle record sales” type of gambit. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/32 "2014-10-17T15:12:05Z")
I always wondered why Alanis Morissette never went after the producer who abused her. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/33 "2014-10-17T15:47:39Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > It is interesting to see the thread focus on the rate of exploitation in music vs. other industries. I would’ve expected this to focus on this situation - e.g., how much is real vs. how much is maneuvering to break a contract and rejuvenate a career? Because you almost never hear about this, I figure a lot of people assume the entire thing is real. Something very seriously wrong had to have happened for someone to break their silence about the “casting couch.” People know it happens, but no one ever admits anything. I think it’s likely that this was less of a “casting couch” situation and more of an actual forcible rape. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/34 "2014-10-17T16:46:01Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > She’s not dumb - I believe she states in the lawsuit that she got top SAT scores, etc. I have heard her interviewed on NPR and she came across as very articulate. So I have seen all along that the drunk and oversexed bit is part of her branding… > [@](#): > > “I was very studious,” she says. “I was in the international baccalaureate program, I loved physics and math, and I was in the marching band. After practice, I would drive to Belmont [a college in Nashville] and listen to Cold War history classes; I just think it’s so interesting. I was really curious about a lot of things that are much deeper than partying and dancing.” Yet Wiki says she dropped out of high school and only got a GED. I suppose it’s possible, but after the ghost sex allegations I would prefer to see some documentation before I take her word for either her wonderful grades or the horrid abuse she alleges. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/35 "2014-10-17T16:49:39Z")
Well Wiki can be bullshit central, since anyone and everyone has access to changing or modifying details. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/36 "2014-10-17T20:49:05Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yet Wiki says she dropped out of high school and only got a GED. > > I suppose it’s possible, but after the ghost sex allegations I would prefer to see some documentation before I take her word for either her wonderful grades or the horrid abuse she alleges. > > Regards, > Shodan That’s because this Dr. Luke asshole forced Kesha to leave school TWO MONTHS before graduation. The gist of it: either drop out, or no contract for you. It’s all part of his pattern of controlling people’s lives to the greatest extent possible so they have no way of backing out. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/37 "2014-12-09T15:32:17Z")
[http://gawker.com/dr-luke-now-suing-keshas-lawyer-over-lady-gaga-rape-al-1668534651](http://gawker.com/dr-luke-now-suing-keshas-lawyer-over-lady-gaga-rape-al-1668534651) > [@](#): > > Last week, Lady Gaga confessed on Howard Stern’s show that she had been raped by a producer when she was a teenager. The same day, Kesha’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, posted a series of tweets identifying Dr. Luke as Gaga’s abuser. He also told reporters he intended to subpoena and depose Lady Gaga as part of Kesha’s lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/38 "2014-12-09T16:33:02Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > [http://gawker.com/dr-luke-now-suing-keshas-lawyer-over-lady-gaga-rape-al-1668534651](http://gawker.com/dr-luke-now-suing-keshas-lawyer-over-lady-gaga-rape-al-1668534651) Gaga said (almost immediately) that it wasn’t Dr. Luke. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/39 "2014-12-10T00:09:24Z")
hotflungwok: > [@](#): > > I always wondered why Alanis Morissette never went after the producer who abused her. Because for her to sue him with the money he helped her make would have been ironic. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410/40 "2016-02-20T16:14:33Z")
Update on Jezebel here: [How We Failed to Protect Kesha](http://jezebel.com/how-we-failed-to-protect-kesha-1760142637) The female judge basically ruled that this was a heavily-negotiated contract and Kesha must uphold it. I am not a lawyer, and don’t know what really went on between Kesha and Dr. Luke. But this sounds awful for Kesha. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kesha-sues-top-producer-dr-luke-10-years-of-abuse/701410.md?page=3)