But I'd like to explain my recent focus on the mainstream by pointing out the steady proliferation of ridiculous news and scandals surrounding the world of mainstream music. Although these incidents typically have nothing to do with the music, I enjoy the opportunities they provide me to wax bitter and spiteful.
With that in mind, we proceed.
In a recent interview with Playboy, John Mayer stuck his foot in his mouth and then repeatedly attempted to chew and swallow it when he made insensitive and offensive comments about race, homosexuality and his sex partners.
The 32-year-old singer-songwriter told Playboy that he didn't date black women because his "dick is like a white supremacist." At first glance, any person with some scrap of faith left in humanity would assume that this quote is taken out of context.
Yet, I can't think of any context that could possibly make Mayer's line remotely appropriate. Congrats, Mayer.
He then went on to recall a conversation in which he was asked how it felt to have a "hood pass," perhaps better known as "street cred." Mayer told the interviewer, "it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass,' you could call it a n*gga pass.' Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass' if you really have a hood pass'?"
If blatantly racist anecdotes weren't enough, Mayer also threw in a gay slur for good measure: "I remember seeing Perez Hilton flitting about this club and acting as though he had just invented homosexuality. All of a sudden I thought, I can out-gay this guy right now. I grabbed him and gave him the dirtiest, tongue-iest kiss I have ever put on anybody almost as if I hated fags."
That's not the end of Mayer's tirade of insensitivity and lack of tact, but you get the picture. When the interview hit stands (stands in the back of stores behind closed curtains) and excrement hit the fan, Mayer promptly posted a series of tweets apologizing for his use of the "N word" and his attempt to be "raw" in interviews, once again proving that Twitter is the best forum for a serious apology.
Mayer's misplaced motivation for acting "raw" only adds to the inappropriateness of the incident. In the past few years, Mayer has shifted musically from sensitive, let's-talk-about-our-feelings acoustic pop to a more soulful, blues style. His vulgar talk may have been an attempt to separate himself more completely from his former persona and genre, but it certainly doesn't bolster his reputation as a blues artist. Even Mayer acknowledged that in his apology, saying, "I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it."
Whether the apology which notably lacked any mention of sexism or homophobia is sincere, however, remains to be seen. Mayer has been continuing life as usual and seems to be trying to make light of the episode. When a Twitter user suggested that Mayer "follow up his apology with an announcement that he's going to rehab" citing Tiger Wood's recent publicity debacle, the singer replied: "They don't make rehab centers for being an a-hole."
In the celebrity world, the golden rule seems to have become that controversy sells better than sex and "any publicity is good publicity." But I find that hard to believe in most cases. Sure, John Mayer may be the topic du jour of Twitter or the blogosphere, but I wouldn't exactly call cries of outrage and accusations of bigotry a win.
Mainstream artists and I both need to return our attention to music. Performers should have enough confidence to know that if your music is good, then pretense is irrelevant.
