For Using Song By Convicted Pedophile, 'Joker' Sparks Anger

It almost seems poetic that a film about a controversial villain is being met with controversies in real life again and again. After credible threats and polarizing responses from the critics, Joker has found itself embroiled in yet another problem now.

The film uses convicted pedophile Gary Glitter's 1972 hit "Rock and Roll Part 2" in a lengthy and pivotal scene, in which Joaquin Phoenix dances down a long flight of stairs and transforms into the iconic character. For the uninitiated, Glitter, 75, real name Paul Gadd had huge success in the 1970s and 1980s as a star of Britain's glam rock scene but fell dramatically from grace in the late 1990s after being arrested for downloading child pornography. In 2015, he was found guilty of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 13, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. 

Much of the anger on social media has centered on the fact that Glitter could be receiving royalties from Warner Bros. for using his song. 

"Gary Glitter gets royalties for Joker. They're literally paying a pedophile to use his music in a movie about the consequences of child abuse. I'm off the fence - this movie is immoral bullshit," tweeted one critic, while another said the track choice was the "most morally questionable" aspect of the film. However, one Twitter user pointed out that Joker wasn't the first film to use a Glitter track, "Rock n Roll" having been played on 2004's Meet the Fockers.

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