For ages, metal and hardcore fans have assumed that the woman from the cover art of Converge‘s legendary 2001 album Jane Doe was just a drawing meant to stand for any and every woman. And that would make sense, given that the concept of a ‘Jane Doe’ is that of a woman who can’t be identified. But now, an Italian model has come forward claiming that a photo of her was used for the Jane Doe cover, and Converge frontman Jacob Bannon has confirmed this…but in a weird, long-winded way that seems to be making an excuse for not giving her credit.
As reported by The PRP, Italian model Audrey Marnay posted on Instagram claiming a photo of her was used in the Jane Doe album art. The caption to her post also suggests that Converge have never given her credit for that usage — or, one assumes, paid her.
“Hi CONVERGE, it’s ‘JANE DOE,'” wrote Marnay. “Shall we talk!?”
View this post on Instagram
In response, Converge frontman and cover artist Jacob Bannon posted the following statement to his social media accounts: “Just to be clear: This is definitely one of the sources for the original stencil/mixed media piece for the ‘Jane Doe’ album. Most of my work always been collaged cut/paste based (and still is). Hundreds of images were xeroxed and repainted/inked in a loose style to create the release artwork. This process is similar to everyone from Shepard Fairey to Francis Bacon. Over time my work has evolved into something more much more refined, but the roots will always be in this style. I wonder if folks will still insist that it is actually from the cover of Slayer‘s ‘Reign In Blood‘?
“The original goal was to create ghost-like forms that embodied the concept of ‘Jane Doe‘. In recreation identifiers are removed from physical forms, making all humans become relatable and stoic. We see what we want to see in them, and often times, it’s a reflection back onto our own life experiences, etc.”
Many members of the metal community aren’t buying this drawn-out excuse, though, with one tweet illustrating why:
lol really dude pic.twitter.com/59RRe47wl4
— ska dot txt (@metaltxt) October 6, 2021
Look, it’s real simple: that’s Marnay’s picture. If Bannon used it for the cover art to one of the most famous records in hardcore history, she (or the photographer) should’ve been paid; if it’s coming out now, she should be paid with interest. It’s pretty fucked up to use someone’s likeness and then be like, “But I used other pictures, too!”
More on this as it unfolds.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
