We can always count on legendary musician and recording engineer Steve Albini to speak out about issues related to the music industry, but a new interview gives us a rarer look at his take on various topics unrelated to music. Albini recently participated in the “Five Easy Pieces” feature of Oxbow frontman Eugene Robinson’s newsletter, where he weighed in on the Joe Rogan podcast and Barstool Sports.
“Rogan, Barstool, all the anti-woke comics, just fuck them all in the eye,” he said. “It’s trash garbage and I want it all to fail. What if all the stupid shit your racist neighbor you can’t stand said was typed up and put on a blog? Nope, still trash, still fuck it. I want them all out looking for work. Into the chipper with all of it.”
The comments about Barstool and Rogan came as part of Albini’s broader take about the debate over separating the art from the artist — something he insists he’s unable to do — and which celebrities are on his “Keep/Toss list.”
“Anybody who uses a position of power, status or authority to exploit people who are vulnerable to that power, status or authority is dead to me,” he said. “I don’t care what kind of movies a rapist makes, don’t care if other people think they’re good, they’re rapist movies and I’m not watching them. I have limited attention to lend to other people’s art, and I get to choose who deserves it. I’ll admit I laughed at Bill Cosby’s humor before I knew what a monster he was. Never since. Those Spanish Fly jokes just hit different now. I’ve never had a problem with transgressive art, but it sure seems like you can tell when it’s just a veneer used to justify being a fucking creep. Always hated Vice, still hate it. Just a parade of gawkers reveling in whatever misery they can observe from an ironic distance. Fuck that shit completely.”
So there you have it! Steve Albini has zero interest in engaging with art made by predators, and he thinks most anti-woke, “edgy” comedy is actually just lazy racism. We’re inclined to agree with him.
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