The shitstorm surrounding Spotify and Joe Rogan has only intensified in the weeks since Neil Young threatened to remove his music from the platform, and now legendary musician and engineer Steve Albini is in the mix of things. You may be familiar with Albini given that the guy has worked with an incredible amount of iconic bands; having worked with acts like Neurosis, Sun O))), Nirvana, and many more – Albini has lent his technical finesse in creating several classic records.
With Young’s frustration in Rogan pushing disinformation involving COVID-19 and the platform supporting Rogan, Young has since removed his music from Spotify; since then, artists such as Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and Disturbed’s David Draiman have voiced varying opinions on Young’s move. Hell, Young is now even telling employees of Spotify to jump ship! That said, rather than speaking out against Spotify, Albini’s comments are directed at Rogan.
You may recall that some of Rogan’s episodes featuring Tool member Maynard James Keenan have recently been removed from Spotify; the reasoning behind this decision is due to Rogan’s use of gross and offensive racial slurs. Rogan has since made a public apology – but to Albini – the apology could be much stronger.
On February 6th, Albini took to Twitter with the following post below, referencing a 2020 interview with Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J, as done by Stereogum. :
This is absolutely model owning-your-shit behavior, and if a goddamn fucking Juggalo can manage it, a nine-figure podcaster can step the fuck up without whining. https://t.co/8Vttbhqo9a
— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) February 7, 2022
Yes, I’m saying the Juggalos are good. A non-judgmental, inclusive community for people on the fringe, built on a beautiful communion they call “family.” They remind me of punk/queer chosen families and I love them. I haven’t heard much of the music, it’s atrocious. Who cares.
— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) February 7, 2022
The specific section Albini has retweeted involves Violent J owning up to his homophobic past, where the rapper calls himself out for using offensive and hurtful language. Violent J goes on to also say that, pertaining to a conversation with his daughter, “’For the rest of your life, when your friends ask why your dad said that, say it’s because your dad was a fool. Don’t defend me. Say I was a fool then, but I’m not now.’ There’s no excuse. I was going with the flow, and that’s the very thing we preach against — being a sheep. And that’s what I was doing.”
Albini sees Violent J’s response to his past as a sincere move to own up to it, tweeting, “This is absolutely model owning-your-shit behavior, and if a goddamn fucking Juggalo can manage it, a nine-figure podcaster can step the fuck up without whining.”
People can screw up in life, it’s human. But rather than try and run away or throw out a quick apology, one can just own up to their shit. To recognize where one has done wrong and to learn something from that – and to move forward and do better – is a commendable move. In Albini’s opinion, he expects better of the podcaster, especially if a guy who dresses as a gangster clown can grow and do better by his community.
Props to Violent J for being real and owning his crap with integrity. If you are a fellow Juggalo/Juggalette, I join you in having an honorary glass of Faygo.
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Words by: Michael Pementel
