City officials in Brighton, England have apologised to Status Quo rockers FRANCIS ROSSI and Rick Parfitt after poking fun at them in an online recruitment ad.
Marketing bosses at Brighton and Hove City Council upset the veteran rockers by suggesting their fans were incapable of becoming "strategic directors".
The ad men went so far as to state "Status Quo fans need not apply".
The band's founders were not amused and demanded an apology.
Quo's publicist Simon Porter says, "This is a direct insult to the capabilities of millions of Quo fans, many of whom are probably totally overqualified for these jobs."
A statement from the council's CEO John Bardell reads, "I'm sorry if any offence has been caused by our advert slogan 'Status Quo fans need not apply' - none was intended.
"I accept that it was a little insensitive. My wife did say when she saw it that it might upset Quo fans. I hoped it would make us stand out from the crowd and would get people interested. Clearly she was right."