2017 has been a
pretty crazy year in terms of the fairly brutal uprooting and public
condemnation of popular figures accused of sexual misconduct. In the music
scene With Confidence were notably left reeling after guitarist Luke
"Rockets" Thomas was outed after it was made apparent he had been
engaging in inappropriate messages of a sexual nature with a 14-year-old female
fan. He was 22 at the time. That situation was made worse when another young
lady spoke up against WithCon frontman Jayden Seeley, and the future of the
band is still uncertain. There was the Kevin Spacey scenario, allegations made
against comedian Louis CK (up until recently one of my all time favourite
comedians), and of course the spectacular fall from grace of Harvey Weinstein,
among others. While these were all shocking and absolutely horrendous, the
allegations regarding Jesse Lacey genuinely upset me considering how close I
have held the music of Brand New for such a long time.
For those who need
to be caught up, it begun with Brian Diaz - Fall Out Boy, Guns n Roses and
former Brand New guitar tech - addressing the current sexual misconduct
witch-hunts and raising largely unknown rumours about Lacey and encouraging any
women with such experiences to speak up. Nicole Elizabeth Garey, who is now 30,
responded with a brief comment, before posting the following to Substream:
"He solicited
nudes from me starting when I was 15 and he was 24. Manipulated the hell out of
me, demanded specific poses/settings/clothing, demeaned me, and made it clear
that my sexuality was the only thing I had to offer. He knew what he was doing
was shitty so he wouldn’t touch me until I was 19. I should’ve known better by
then, but he had screwed me up so much psychologically that all I wanted was
his approval. It fucked me up to the point that I STILL have nightmares and
wakeup in a sweat. I still breakdown and have panic attacks when people play
Brand New in a bar.
Oh and yes he made
me watch him masturbate on Skype. Apparently, that’s a common thing with sexual
predators. I took screen shots at some point, they’re probably on a computer in
my basement if I ever really wanted to rehash my past that much (I don’t think
I do).
Unfortunately I
didn’t realize that until I was around 25 and had spent some time in rehab.
It’s still hard for me to write this or re-read it and not say “I thought I was
smarter than that.” I know deep down that it’s more complicated, but it’s just
gut-wrenching to even think about. How did I allow that to keep happening? Why
didn’t I speak up sooner? I was a kid, but like all teenagers, I thought I was
an adult. I was very wrong.
I never wanted to
come forward because it didn’t seem bad enough and it wasn’t physically
violent, but sexual abuse comes in different levels and forms and all of it is
unacceptable. It has taken years for me to realize the extent to which his
actions have harmed me, and continues to harm me, especially now that I have a
daughter of my own. I spent years in denial, I tried to drink it away, I tried
to run to different cities, but it always followed me and it always will. I
wish him no harm, but I hope that some day he can see the effects of his
behavior and make a change for the sake of our children."
Lacey has since
come out with a statement following Garey's serious accusations, which you can
read here, which does a great job of tip-toeing around any potential apology.
I guess an
important thing to realise is that an AOTY list is essentially a promotional
game; the writer in question is saying "I think these artists have done
something great with these releases, you need to go and check them out".
In the case of Brand New, I stick by the fact that the band released an amazing
piece of work that was truthfully my favourite of the year. I don't need to go
into any more clarification of that, I've written a review for the album and my
opinion on Science Fiction purely as a musical piece of work are already known.
What also is important to realise, though, is the moral dilemma in promoting work
from someone who has been accused of such serious sexual misconduct.
Let's step back
from this particular case for a second and think about another similar instance
from this year. In my mind, both American Beauty and Se7en are near-perfect
movies, in which Kevin Spacey delivers two very different but equally nuanced
and captivating performances. Regardless of your opinion on either movie, do
the events and revelations of this year tarnish either film, or any of his
previous work for that matter? Some seem to think so, given Netflix have
cancelled House of Cards and Ridley Scott replaced him with Christopher Plummer
from his upcoming film All The Money In The World. I personally still cherish
the two films I mentioned earlier, and while I am morally opposed to the
actions of Spacey that have been raised and thrust into the public eye that
doesn't detract from the artistic merit of the films he was a part of.
I am of the opinion
that the same should be said about Brand New. The band's music, in particular
their seminal The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me, has meant a lot to me
for a long time. As hard as it may be to come to terms with, Lacey wasn't the
ideal hero fans held him up to be up until these allegations came to light - no
one ever is. He has been the person he is for his entire life, including the
duration of his time as an artist, during which time his work was revered and
loved by many. A sudden realisation that someone isn't as perfect as you
thought they were shouldn't mean that their work is automatically rendered
unlistenable, or taboo even - should it? Of course I am morally opposed to what
he has been accused of, but does that by extension make me morally opposed to
the art he created?
I 100% understand
the thinking behind removing Science Fiction end of the year publications. I
get that a more established publication doesn't want to be seen promoting an
artist with such baggage and that the readership has so openly condemned. And I
totally get the anger, sadness and disbelief at such a revelation - believe me,
I do. But regardless, Science Fiction was my album of the year - I was pretty
sure it would be right when I first heard it, before the accusations were made.
I would like to
reiterate that I openly condemn Lacey's actions. That should go without saying.
But I also have strong opinions about music, and it is my opinion that the
music of Science Fiction - not the actions of the artist behind it - should be
praised. Ultimately no piece of art is made in a vacuum (something I will
address in a future post about the latest Linkin Park record), however, and the
two are intrinsically linked, so it is up to each individual to make up their
mind about how they deal with that. It certainly does shed different light on
the band's music, however, and none of their music can every be heard in the
same manner ever again.
It is a tricky
question, and one that I don't think can ever have any one definitive answer. I
will say, however, that Science Fiction and the rest of the band's music does
have a serious blemish on it now, and one that I don't think will be kind to
any future listening experience that I may (or likely may not) have. I haven't
had such outward aversions to the band's music as some have, but I suspect that
as everything sinks in a little more that may be more and more the case.
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