Breaking the Silence in the Music Industry

[cronus]

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainmen ... ut/424869/

Breaking the Silence in the Music Industry
By Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, Jan 20th 2016

It’s very easy to find examples of men employed by rock ‘n’ roll getting away with being total creeps. David Bowie’s many appreciations in the past two weeks have mostly omitted mentions of his participation in the “baby groupies” scene of the 1970s where he took the virginity of a 14-year-old, nor have they delved much into the rape accusation against him in 1987 (he was acquitted). A British police investigation last year named 40 people in the music industry who’d participated in child sex abuse, some of whom had faced prosecution but many of whom had already died. In July, Jackie Fuchs of The Runaways told a horrifying story of being raped in front of a room full of people in 1975 by her band’s manager Kim Fowley, who died in 2015.

These stories are often discussed alongside descriptions of changing cultural mores—of the permissiveness of the ’60s and ’70s, of drugs, of murky ideas about consent. Many are stories about men with power and fame attracting women and girls without either of those things and taking advantage of the differential. They are not stories, generally, about consequences for the men.

In fact, it’s probably the expectation of no consequences that enables many of these incidents. Sexist attitudes and simple lust may fuel some men’s desire to become a sexual predator, but impunity allows them to act on that desire. If the goal is for women to be able to operate in the music industry (or anywhere) free of harassment, assaults, discrimination, and predation, removing that impunity would seem like a good place to start. And that might—might—be what’s happening right now.

Take the case of Heathcliff Berru, an indie-music publicist who’s now alleged to have made unwanted attempts at a number of women over the last few years. This week, Amber Coffman of the band Dirty Projectors recounted on Twitter how Berru groped her and bit her hair at a bar. Soon other testimonials flooded in from women in bands, at PR firms, and elsewhere in the rock scene. Some said that Berru or one of his friends roofied them. Others told stories that amounted to him attempting rape.

Berru has now resigned from Life or Death PR, the firm he cofounded and that has represented a number of high-profile artists including D’Angelo, Frank Ocean, GZA, Cloud Nothings, Killer Mike, and Wavves, many of whom quickly severed ties with the company. In a statement, Berru blamed his actions of alcohol and drugs, said he’d go to rehab, apologized to any women he “offended,” and included a line so deadpan and strange that it might be a passive-aggressive joke: “It’s time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man.” Regardless of his sincerity and of whether it’s okay to chalk up a pattern of sexual assault to partying too hard, it does appear he has lost his career and reputation for now.

(continued)

[Seth]

Don't be a groupie if you don't want to get fucked by the band. Pretty simple really. Decades-old claims of "rape" aren't convincing. It's just as likely that the 14 year old lied about her age and threw herself at Bowie back then. Don't think such things didn't happen because they did, all the time. Ex post facto sex-regret isn't particularly credible, particularly when its directed against a wealthy celebrity (who is now dead) perhaps with the intent of extorting some money in a "settlement" with his estate.

If somebody rapes you, report it right away and have the forensic evidence collected. If you don't, then you are unlikely to be able to obtain "justice" decades later when you misremember what actually happened and YOUR part in it after you've been brainwashed by some feminist zealot who thinks any sexual contact between a man and a woman is "rape" who has implanted false memories through suggestion.

Better yet, carry a gun and when someone tries to rape you, shoot the fucker dead on the spot.

[laklak]

What were they expecting, anyway? Come on up and party with the band, baby. They thought maybe pin the tail on the donkey and ice cream? Balloon animals? If you're going to party with Led Zeppelin you'd better be ready to get down, bitch.

[Seth]

What were they expecting, anyway? Come on up and party with the band, baby. They thought maybe pin the tail on the donkey and ice cream? Balloon animals? If you're going to party with Led Zeppelin you'd better be ready to get down, bitch.

I was around at the time and my understanding of young female groupies (and yes, I knew a couple) is that they were absolutely desperate to get fucked by the band, or usually the superstar band leader anyway, and it was a major bragging point if they managed it. They would travel cross-country after running away from home just to bang Bowie.

The movie "Almost Famous" handles that aspect of groupies quite well.

[Tero]

Kim Fowley was a nut. Anything is possible. (He wrote Nutrocker that ELP played as a comedy piece).

[JimC]

What were they expecting, anyway? Come on up and party with the band, baby. They thought maybe pin the tail on the donkey and ice cream? Balloon animals? If you're going to party with Led Zeppelin you'd better be ready to get down, bitch.

I was around at the time and my understanding of young female groupies (and yes, I knew a couple) is that they were absolutely desperate to get fucked by the band, or usually the superstar band leader anyway, and it was a major bragging point if they managed it. They would travel cross-country after running away from home just to bang Bowie.

The movie "Almost Famous" handles that aspect of groupies quite well.

That can be true for many of them, and still involve many instances of exploitation and quasi-rape...

[Seth]

What were they expecting, anyway? Come on up and party with the band, baby. They thought maybe pin the tail on the donkey and ice cream? Balloon animals? If you're going to party with Led Zeppelin you'd better be ready to get down, bitch.

I was around at the time and my understanding of young female groupies (and yes, I knew a couple) is that they were absolutely desperate to get fucked by the band, or usually the superstar band leader anyway, and it was a major bragging point if they managed it. They would travel cross-country after running away from home just to bang Bowie.

The movie "Almost Famous" handles that aspect of groupies quite well.

That can be true for many of them, and still involve many instances of exploitation and quasi-rape...

Not if it's sought out and consensual. If the girl is a minor it's her parents that are to blame for not keeping track of their daughter's vagina and what she does with it.

[pErvinalia]

Not according to civilised law.

[rainbow]