Posted by A few days ago, I learned that Daniel Berghaus (aka Buzz Stephens aka clothedambition – and a sundry of other identities) of The Judy Garland Experience Facebook Group and Page (and by that name on every other social media outlet), was illegally sharing a stolen digital version of my upcoming book, “Judy Garland – The Voice of MGM” (hitting bookstores and online on June 18) – the entire book from cover to cover, all 415 pages.
Apparently, he’s much dumber than previously assumed. His actions clearly violate copyright laws, and he faces a possible statutory civil penalty of up to $150,000 and/or a statutory criminal penalty of up to $250,000.
The inside of the digital copy states: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. In other words, he can’t claim ignorance. And stupidity doesn’t hold up in court.
My publisher has taken action and an investigation is ongoing. For example, his Dropbox account has already been frozen pending removal of the stolen property. He has been notified by their lawyers (being a major publisher, they have the resources to pursue this to the fullest). More actions are pending. They’re closing in on his source, too. You know who you are.
I do not know him personally. I have only had negative interactions with him online, but not for the past six to eight years. I assumed (and hoped) that he had grown and moved on from his childish harassing actions. Obviously not. Now we see his intense jealousy of me, my website, and my accomplishments is not just petty but pathological. This tired, lonely old man needs help.
Now I know how the late Scott Schechter felt in the 1990s and 2000s when John Fricke would go to similar lengths to sabotage whatever project Scott was working on. From what Scott told me, it was pretty lowdown and dirty. Some people are so insecure they can’t handle any competition.
If you are approached by anyone offering to share the file, please let me know. The investigative team will want to know who continues disseminating the stolen property.
On a positive note, the book is being published regardless of his actions and will endure for a minimum of many decades after his death. You can preorder “Judy Garland—The Voice of MGM” here. I’m confident in the quality of the content and the publisher’s beautiful design and layout that anyone who has the digital copy will want to add the book to their bookshelves. It’s much nicer than that PDF!
Scott, I find this disgusting! I am so sorry this has happened to you just a few months before publication. I, and many others, have been looking forward to this book for a very long time, and I’m sure I speak for many when I say I have zero interest in a leaked PDF! For shame! Again, I am looking forward to the LEGITIMATE publication of this fascinating tome.
Thank you!
I will be pre-ordering the Scott Brogan Voice of MGM book soon. I’ve been an observer of intra-Garland world warfare since co-authoring a trail blazing biography of Judy’s childhood: YOUNG JUDY—1975. Our book was frequently quoted over the years without proper acknowledgment. I note that Scott caught up with our title a decade or so ago, and had some kind words for the fruits of our labor. (My co-author was the late David Dahl, 1940-2010). I am in the final phase of completing the first biography of Buddy De Sylva, an icon of Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, & Hollywood. Would enjoy hearing from OzianScott sometime. I also loss track of a neat Judy aficionado Randy Henderson. Good luck with the new Judy book Scott.
Thank you Barry! I love your book, “Young Judy.” I purchased the paperback after it came out and devoured it. I bought the hard copy as a back up. Your book was a great resource for my book – I couldn’t have written much of what’s in the first chapter without your work and that of Michelle Russell. I have been fascinated by those vaudeville years. You’ll have to keep me posted on on the De Sylva book. I’m sure it’ll be great.
This is disappointing to read! 🤨 Once again, your Judy Garland-everything website is invaluable + precious! I bookmarked + favorited it for whenever I needed to know something about Judy! Keep up your good work, seriously! 👏🏼
Thank you!
That crusty, rusty, dusty old hack is still at it?! He’s been nothing but a bitter old Hag for years! Go get him!
Thanks! My publisher’s legal team will take the necessary actions.
Thanks for the heads up! I just ordered yours on Amazon. Looking forward to it! You do a great job!
Thank you! I hope you like it as much as I do. I haven’t gotten a copy of the finished book yet, either. I’m also looking forward to it! 🙂
I was very shocked when I read this. I am still waiting for my copy. The cover is simply stunning. But I am really sorry to realize that this person, or anyone for that matter, would do such a thing. Pleased to hear you are suing him. I am certain your book will be a big seller. Thank you fo writing it. And remember we all LOVE your Judy Room. Invaluable research that is more than a must for any fan.
Thank you, I appreciate that! The publisher is taking care of the legal stuff. They have massive resources and I’m sure this isn’t their first time at the rodeo.
I burn about this daily. My disdain for Daniel is as deep and profound as my affection and admiration for Mr. Brogan. I know the effort put into creating the book – and I vomit a little at D.B.’s obvious sinister glee in showing off his pilfered spoils.
Thank you! Some people never grow or change. They stagnantly stew in their poisoned juices.
Another chapter in the Judy Garland Wars… in the words of her daughter’s frequent collaborators, Kander and Ebb, “Holy shit… what a shame… what became of class?”
One of my favorite Kander and Ebb songs.
How absolutely horrendous, Scott. This is your livelihood he is jeopardizing and I’m glad to hear you are moving with the full extent of the law here. Good luck, my friend.
Thank you!
Hi Scott. I’m certainly sorry this has happened, and I am sure your publishers will take necessary actions. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to purchasing your book! I absolutely LOVE TheJudyRoom, and i’m sure your book will be fabulous as well!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Hello Scott! How are you? Considering all? I just wanted to say I’m sorry to hear about all this ridiculous turmoil. I live in KC, MO…we might be neighbors)(Gladstone)all my life and obviously a huge Judy fan. 🎵 I’ve admired you and your awesome and elaborate Judy Room for many years. I believe I’ve sent various messages over the years. I’m 58…but young at heart. I appreciate that all you do for Judy. The time you must put into your website is amazing. I’ve been a fan , I don’t know, 46 years or so, since I was a child. I’ve dealt with many “JUDY” people over the years and have great disdain for many of them. I am not jealous of other Judy fans, and not at all in competition with them. I look at them and say oh cool you like Judy too. But it got so bad over many years I just decided to be a Judy fan in private. I have a pretty massive Judy collection. I’ve been collecting for many many years. I admire you and your unconditional love for Judy and her legacy. The time you must spend on just seeing that Judy is presented in the best light possible, I admire you for that. I’ve known many “JUDY” people over the years which pretty much made me want to be a Judy fan in private. 😊 I’m sure all drama with your book will all turn out fine. I just wanted to say HI! 👋💕💐🌹🤗 I wish you nothing but the best always, and always remember the good guys always finish first. I wish you nothing but rainbows 🌈, happiness, peace, and most of all from Judy from the great beyond and/Heaven. I’m sure she is smiling down with great, great happiness and great appreciation. Best wishes and all good thoughts, and of course Judy looking down on you with love and thanks 🙏👍🌈😸 (and from me too). 😎💕🌹💗
Hi,
Thank you so much! I’m in Gladstone too! We should get together for coffee. 🙂
Hi neighbor Scott! Nice to meet you! I knew you were a good guy! I can’t wait to purchase your new book! I’m sure it will be the best written! I hope to eventually get one autographed by you, it would mean a lot me. I might have to meet you one day. Scott personally wrote to me and showed what kind of a wonderful person he is, and a kind soul. Scott’s love for Judy shines through… and it’s not for him but the fans. He’s quite a man with great dignity. I look forward very much to meeting him. We can share a diet coke and reminisce about wonderful Judy. We actually live very close, and hope we can be friends. 😍
That’s absolutely atrocious news. As an author myself, as a fan of your site, and as one looking forward to reading the book when it’s officially released (yes, pre-ordered 👍) I’m appalled and not a little bit stunned that someone in the “Garland fan community” would be this brazen. The piracy of intellectual property is a real threat and a source of great distress to innumerable authors. (To me, it’s akin to kidnapping!) I have seen this person’s videos on YouTube but did not realize that there existed such acrimony and territoriality among those working to share and preserve Garland’s immense legacy. I hope your pubber gets to the bottom of things ASAP and sets your mind at ease. Meanwhile, it’ll be fun to receive your book in June via Amazon and dig-in. JG’s MGM years are obviously the nexus of her overwhelming legend and any look at her accomplishments in that Golden Era under the mighty studio system will be fascinating. Best of luck. You’ll get this sorted and the book will be a success. What a fine tribute to Judy it appears to be!
Thank you! I appreciate that! I was definitely surprised to find out what he had done, and was doing. Apparently he had the PDF since at least January, judging from his cropping of photos and sharing them at that time, without permission, of course.
My publisher is doing a lot behind the scenes. They’re a huge publisher so they have the legal might. He’s done things like this before, going back over 15 years now, although nothing this big and so obviously against the law (that I know of). I had hoped that since I hadn’t had any dealings with him or his nasty buddies, they had moved on. Obviously not. I guess his jealousy and hatred of me and my success is eating his brain. There’s no sense of any kind of morals or scruples.
This incident has actually prompted many people to preorder the book is support of me and The Judy Room. And I thank you for being one. I’m excited for folks to get the actual book (even I don’t have the actual book yet), as there is much to enjoy. I put my heart and soul into it and the publisher did an amazing job, especially considering I’m a newbie.
Oh, and yes, unfortunately there are some “nasties” as I call them. “Garfreaks” who live for drama and thanks to social media, they’re all over the place! Yikes!
Anyway – thanks again so much for the support. It’s been very humbling to find out how many people out there support The Judy Room.
Horrific. I’m so sorry you have had to experience even a shred of such criminality. Offenses of this kind are federal and SEVERE. In these days, authors often have to worry about their intellectual property being stolen by AI software and, well, CHINA, but it blows my mind that someone remotely in the detectable Western Hemisphere would do this out of mean-spirited envy and … sabotage, frankly.
It seems psychotic, but the truth appears to be something purely intended, malicious, and countermanded.
This is wrong, wrong, wrong heaped upon wrong. Your pubber defending you helps, without doubt, but you still have to deal with this assault upon your intellectual property and go through the needless anguish of defending what is yours and yours alone, in terms of artistic expression. Our courts are meant to jump on vile theft like this, but a seedy truth is that even big publishers (or the unicorn lackeys working for them) often brush it aside.
Stay on ‘em! If it gets insane and you need a GoFundMe to assist, count me IN. (Hopefully you won’t—have things come to THAT?)
I’m glad that the revelation has led to more readers supporting your book. I’ll pre-order more copies tomorrow. I was looking forward your book, anyhow—as mentioned, I pre-ordered a copy because it looked great and your site is top-notch. Any and every unique perspective of JG’s work is a treat for cinematic buffs and fans of her genius. JG belongs to everyone—why must there be weird possessiveness of her body of work?
Stand your ground. Your book about Judy promises to be superb: I can’t wait to read it. You have a sure ally here.
Ha! Just pre-ordered another Amazon hardcover copy of Judy: Voice of MGM, to give to my sister. She and her daughters love Judy and Judy movies. I never mentioned her, that I know of, or needed to, but my sister grew up on Judy like I did (like we all did) and nature took its course, I guess. She said her girls love watching her on YouTube due to Glee, which I have heard about but … never watched. I’m getting the hunch that new media (and books like your own upcoming work) have already brought Garland further into the mainstream wherein EVERYONE loves her. Which makes sense. Yep.
Thank you again! That’s so nice of you. My mom was a Judy fan, having grown up with her movies in the 1940s. So, I get it honest. 🙂 Glee is a good show, and had a talented young cast. They did most of the classic songs quite well. 🙂