Nella recente e, purtroppo, non nuova bufera di abusi nei confronti delle donne che ha investito parte della scena musicale indipendente si inserisce a sorpresa anche Ian Svenonius.
Il leader di storiche band come Make-Up, Escape-ism, Nation of Ulysses e Chain and the Gang, ha pubblicato sulla sua pagina instagram un lungo comunicato nel quale ammette di aver avuto in passato atteggiamenti assolutamente inopportuni nei confronti delle donne.
Nella dichiarazione, misteriosamente cancellata poche ore dopo, l’artista prima commenta i recenti fatti (Burger Records, Nobunny , Part Time) muovendo precise accuse verso la musica underground (da tempo si attende il fuoco della spazzatura che brucia attraverso la musica underground ) e poi si lancia in ammissioni di colpe:
Voglio usare questo spazio per dire che sostengo le persone che lottano per lo sradicamento delle modalità predatorie abusive e che anche io sono assolutamente colpevole. Attraverso il mio narcisismo, egotismo e spensieratezza, ho agito in modo inquietante. Il fatto di aver fatto sentire terribili le persone a cui tenevo e che rispettavo, è stato del tutto inappropriato nei confronti delle donne.
e ancora:
Mi scuso sinceramente con tutti… Ho sempre creduto di essere un rivoluzionario e ora il mio atto rivoluzionario è l’auto-immolazione.
Leggi il messaggio originale:
BURN BABY BURN : the trash fire burning through underground music is long overdue. It is not happening in other spheres of the music industry. It is unique to the underground rock music scene because this scene is predicated on the concepts of access, participation, respect, and honesty. It rejects the capitalist models of hierarchy and exploitation. For all of the degenerate posturing of the punk progenitors, we exist in a highly moral scene where accountability is paramount. Accountability takes many forms and faces; at one time this manifested in fairness of pricing of records and concerts, or all ages shows where anyone could enter. Record labels that were accountable. This battle is over; the fans are few and most labels and money are gone.
Now the scene must address personal behavior. The interactions between people. As a lifelong punk i am permeated in the myths of rock. While we loathe the rock prescriptions of misogyny, power imbalance, sexual objectification, et al, we have also lionized the exploits of the greatest public degenerates (outside of politics, industry &military), the top sinners, the scum and the perverts and, at times i too have manifested aspects of their tawdry behavior. I want to use this forum to say that i support people speaking out for the eradication of abusive predatory modes and also that i am absolutely one of the guilty parties. That, through my narcissism, egotism, and thoughtlessness, i have acted the creep. That i have made people i cared about and respected feel terrible, have been completely inappropriate to women. While this may seem like virtue signaling, its not. We are interested in creating an accountable world where this kind of dialogue isn’t necessary . To anyone i have made feel bad or uncomfortable, i sincerely apologize and throw myself at your mercy. I always believed that i was a revolutionary and now my revolutionary act is self immolation. If rock “‘n’ roll behaves like its mortal enemy “” the imperial war machine and the capitalist consumer cannibal factory, then it must be eradicated, burned, destroyed. So it can be borne again, free of the pollution that has infected it since its inception.
