Bill Gross called on a noise expert to convince a judge he wasn’t trying to annoy his neighbor by playing the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song repeatedly, but the witness wound up having to downplay a comparison to the U.S. military’s use of loud music as psychological warfare.
NASA scientist Durand Begault finished his testimony in a Southern California court Thursday where a judge is hearing dueling harassment claims from Gross and his Laguna Beach neighbor Mark Towfiq.
Under questioning from Gross’s lawyer, Begault explained that the military played loud music to get former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to leave an embassy and surrender. But it employed giant speakers more powerful than those he saw outside Gross’s home, he said. In December 1989, the military blasted mostly heavy metal rock at the Vatican embassy where Noriega holed up for days. The song list also included Christmas music and “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins.
Towfiq’s lawyer Chase Scolnick took up the issue on cross-examination.
“You discussed the United States military’s use of loud speakers in psychological operations, right, and they had a lot of loud speakers in the Noriega context?” Scolnick asked.
“That was my understanding,” Begault replied.
“Is it true that the United States military’s use of music was always played below 80 decibels?” Scolnick asked.
“I have no knowledge of the capability of those sized speakers,” Begault said.
“And you’re not saying the speakers you saw outside Mr. Gross’s home are not capable of producing 80 decibel music?” Scolnick continued.
The judge stopped Begault from answering the question.