Ok, this might wind up being kind of controversial, but I have been really bummed about what has become of Joseph Arthur since the pandemic started. He was one of my very favorite musicians. I’ve seen him a bunch of times including as an opener for R.E.M. and own all of his albums and EP’s. I loved the Arthur Buck album he did with Peter Buck.
But a few years ago he started posting pictures of a girl he was dating who was a teenager. He’s currently 50 and she’s 21 and they have a child together. He’s gotten really into yoga and fitness. And around the time COVID became a thing, he started posting a lot on his social media about vaccines being poison, that yoga and breathing air and eating healthy is the only way to cure COVID, how Fauci should be jailed, how people supporting vaccines are like nazis, Bill Gates conspiracies, and all kinds of really crazy stuff. He’s interviewed some of those anti-vaxxer doctors that do the right wing media rounds on his podcast. Now he’s fully on board the free speech, anti-cancel culture train. I unfollowed him everywhere a long time ago.
According to Wikipedia he was dropped by his manager, agent and record label because of it. They also mention that a second record with Peter Buck was rejected for the same reasons.
This all makes me really sad and shocked. What happened?
I wish I knew. Joseph is/was a friend, and you can imagine how sad it was to watch this all unfold, and everyone trying to jump in to help
During the pandemic I saw this in a few places though, where reasonable people dove off the deep end. Some were former addicts (Joe was very upfront about his substance abuse and mental health), but I had other friends were mostly in a bad way reacting to the isolation and fear.
I try to be sympathetic, as I didn’t have the easiest time either through the last two years, but when you have the power to amplify a voice, others have the power to not pay attention, and the label, management, friend loss for Arthur is a case example of that.
It’s sad to see something like that happen to someone you admire so much, let alone a friend. I almost sent you a message a few times towards the beginning to see if you knew if he was ok.
It really doesn’t feel like some of the cases where hints were there all along. I just don’t see that in his lyrics or poetry before. When I first saw his girlfriend I was pretty creeped out, and wondered if he was having a midlife crisis.
It’s extremely sad to see someone just derail their career with little hope for ever coming back from it. He’s such a talented man and just seems completely lost.
oh wow! Didnt know any of that was going on. I’m not a big fan of his stuff but I did enjoy the Come Back World album from 2019. I liked the collaboration album he did with Peter. The Summertime track sounds a lot like an early Reveal instrumental. Had been waiting for the second ‘Arthur Buck’ album to make its way, cause it seemed like there was already a set of songs they had ready.
I’m not a hardcore fan but do have at least one of his albums (The Ballad of Boogie Christ) and saw him on that tour when Mills was a member of the band. I thoroughly enjoyed the show even if the spray paint left me with a bit of a headache afterwards. One of the highlights was when Django Haskins and some other members of the Old Ceremony showed up along with Mitch Easter towards the end of the show which was at Cat’s Cradle Back Room in Carrboro, NC. At that time, they were recording Sprinter (which Mills appears on) at Mitch’s studio in Winston Salem. Mills motioned for them to come up on stage for “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville” but only Django did. I also must say how much I love the song and video for “All the Old Heroes.” Too bad the dude has apparently gone off the deep end.
I guess that’s true. It used to be easier to compartmentalize them just being jerks than now with the kind of platform they have now to really hurt people with their idiocy.
Yeah, it’s not surprising when an old, rich white guy like Van Morrison or Eric Clapton leans into something like this. It’s more surprising when it’s a guy who always seemed progressive and who isn’t old and out of touch like they are. Both Clapton and Van Morrison have long been known as awful people.
I was unaware of Joseph Arthur, but this inspires a rant.
Here in Georgia, the pandemic has been illuminating, and not in a good way.
I drive all over north Georgia for work, and I constantly see QAnon murals and car stickers. I have also watched as several family members and friends have gone off the deep end and ventured down the QAnon/conspiracy theory/white supremacy rabbit holes where they rant about “mainstream media”, “sheep”, and the like.
In Atlanta city limits, it’s normal, with people wearing masks and being courteous.
In rural north Georgia, however, I feel as though I am stuck in a real-life version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers where I am the only actual human left alive.
When I volunteered for the Pfizer COVID vaccine trial back in the summer of 2020, an acquaintance here in Georgia actually told me on Facebook that I was “glorifying Satan” by promoting the vaccine.
I told her that that ship had already sailed when I bought my first Mötley Crüe album back in 1985 when I was in middle school.
All I have to say on this subject is that I’d like to hear the second Arthur Buck album that reportedly was completed, but shelved by New West records. I was only ever interested in the first one because of Peter Buck, and the first album features some of Buck’s best-ever guitar work, in my opinion.
It’s a shame what happened to him. So many who are anti vaccine or mask sadly died of Covid. And why did he feel he needed to be with such a young woman? I just hope she was legal when he met her.
