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Law360 (April 24, 2020, 12:48 PM EDT ) One BigLaw associate has responded to the boredom of being cooped up at home during the coronavirus pandemic by writing, producing and performing in a music video that takes a humorous look at life under social distancing.
Hogan Lovells senior associate Russell Hedman says he put together the song and video, "Stay at Home Hero," in just a couple of days in his attic music studio, donning wigs and tuxedos to take on different roles, while singing, rapping and playing the keyboard, violin and ukulele for the video.
"I got the idea because I felt totally cooped up at home and wanted to express that in some way that conveyed what everybody was feeling, but also taking seriously the idea that we need to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Hedman said. "I wanted to deliver that important message in a way that was lighthearted."
The video includes lines like, "The good news is it's time for laziness to win, because it's finally healthier to not go to the gym," and "We've got to stick together in these times, like stick together separately by arguing online."
Hedman has been a musician most of his life and grew up playing Texas swing violin. In more recent years he has performed as part of a band in Denver called Rocket Surgeons, which plays original pop and hip-hop songs.
According to his bio, Hedman leads and negotiates complex M&A and investment transactions around the world, with a particular focus on sports teams and entertainment venues.
He said that many of his fellow Hogan Lovells colleagues who are in Denver come out for the band's shows and so they weren't surprised to see him put out a music video. But, working in a global firm, others from offices elsewhere likely heard him sing for the first time when they saw the video, he said.
"The response has been overwhelmingly positive and lots of people have reached out from the firm to say, 'Thanks for sending,' or, 'I was having a rough day and this made me laugh,'" Hedman said.
Working as an attorney often requires a lot of logical reasoning and music is a "really fun release" from that because the guiding principle of music is to create something that is enjoyable, he said.
"Whereas law is all logic, music is all play," he said.
--Editing by Katherine Rautenberg.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
