Watch Pharrell’s Uneasy “Blurred Lines” Court Deposition

Earlier this year, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams lost a lawsuit over their massive 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” that resulted in them forking over $7.4 million to Marvin Gaye’s children. The trial dragged on for nearly a year and half, and the verdict will surely have lasting effects on a music industry in which the borrowing of ideas is inescapable.

A Los Angeles federal judge unsealed deposition videos containing interviews with musicians Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke that were used in the “Blurred Lines” trial. Throughout the video, Pharrell is snappy, cold, and guarded.

The Hollywood Reporter, the media outlet that obtained the tapes and published them, says that the deposition tapes are proof “what it’s like for artists to be under fire, forced to tell the truth with nowhere to hide”. Despite the fact that he was a former coach on The Voice, Williams added that he’s “not a teacher”. And when Richard Busch, a lawyer for Gaye’s family, continued to probe him on his knowledge of music structure, Williams replied, “I’m not here to teach you music”.

“I’m just asking you if you can read notes”. Williams, Thicke and T.I. are now seeking an appeal. “I did not go in the studio with the intention of making anything feel like, or to sound like, Marvin Gaye”, Williams says.

New video footage might make a few “Blurred Lines” a little clearer. When the conversation finally made its way to the similarities between “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up”, Williams compared the feelings of the two tracks, as opposed to their actual musical make-ups. “We are reviewing the decision, considering our options and you will hear more from us soon about this matter”.