The disappointing uniformity of the mob mentality being displayed here the last several days got me to thinking about Canada. Here we have a nation which prides itself on its collective behavioral convention. A nation based on a partial system of facts before fury. But if you were to go by the barrage of hateful messages sent to me over the past few days, You would find no characteristic differences between here Afghanistan or Somali, save the fact that in some places the environment is more volatile.
So instead of twitter messages they respond with rocks & firearms. In a different part of the world, some of you would have stoned me. But did any of you examine the facts from both sides before the name calling? Human beings are generally followers. Worse, they are excited by blood. They love to be shocked by the gore and we all secretly lust for a twisted ending. Not all that different from our taste in film. Think about it.You might argue that I should not make a statement about a whole nation from the actions of a few misguided students. But isn’t it always the actions of a few which lead a nation either into peril or peace? The story here is that I refused to play a charity event because they were $5000 short. Though this is not true, it is within my right to do so. How many of you would be ok with your boss paying you $5000 less of your fee because he wants to donate your personal earnings to a cause? Hmm. Well, there’s not a different set of standards for artists. We have a responsibility to earn a living, even if we love what we do. SPECIALLY because we love what we do! No one in their right mind could accuse me of not having done charitable work. Yet It is impossible to be on a tour & play shows for free.
The fact is, the organizers lied. Of the 40 grand owed they paid 18. They were not short 5 like they said, but more than half of the fee. Which means for the tour to work we’d have to make up the difference. But is it ultimately the reason why I did not play the show? Was I really waiting in a limo by the venue? No. I hate limos. I prefer towncars or taxis or friends to give me a ride. I was still at the hotel when my management decided to pull the show. The main reason for not playing was that the production wasn’t up to par. I was told that sound was a concern, logistics were worrying. And my team did not feel like the organizers were handling things professionally. This was ultimately the deciding factor for me. I have heard an apology from the organizers today. I commend them for that. But they shouldn’t have used me as a scapegoat for their lack of professionalism to begin with.
I explain shit not because I have to, but because I enjoy open dialogue. I enjoy informing people of my truths. And in the end, if you’re a hateful spiteful penisface then I don’t care about your view. That was for my fans at SFU who waited to hear my side of the story before judging, and for the rest who tried to defame my character: itS… F.U.
One Love.
