How to Dress Well Defends Mark Kozelek’s "Fucking Hillbillies" Outburst
Update: Krell has backed off from his statements in a series of tweets. You can see them below.
Over the weekend, Mark Kozelek played a Sun Kil Moon set at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh as part of this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. As Indy Week points out, Kozelek insulted the crowd for being chatty, calling them “fucking hillbillies”, and threatened to walk off if they didn’t “shut the fuck up”.
Now, How to Dress Well‘s Tom Krell has defended Kozelek’s outburst in an interview with Brightest Young Things. While discussing the bad shows he’s played, Krell said:
I feel for Mark Kozelek. Honestly, that’s what I wanted to say last night in Louisville too – I’m just not established enough to do it. Luckily, he’s an old dude who can be like, ‘Fuck you!’
I used to be super antagonistic with crowds when they weren’t giving it. I’d be in the middle of a song and be like, ‘Stop. Stop the song… Really? This is your vibe tonight? This is good? OK, we’re done.’ I walked off stage a couple of times in Switzerland and a couple of other places where people just didn’t give a shit. I don’t know if it’s because people are self-conscious or if it’s because they don’t have respect for what creative people are trying to do. Sometimes crowds just don’t care. I made a resolution with myself to be less antagonistic, and to try to be more open and sweet on stage, and to not be defensive. Because the 30 people in Louisville last night had a beautiful experience. And there were 170 other people who were dicks. I could have turned on them and went Kanye and ruined the show, but instead I was looking at the people right in front of me, like, ‘OK.’
Later, he spoke about the crowd’s sense of entitlement:
I think that’s what Kozelek was picking up on. It is entitlement. It’s like, ‘Dance, monkey! Dance! We paid for you to be here.’ There should be reciprocity. That reciprocity means everything.
Yo idk who said what but just for the record the crowd at hopscotch was fucking dope! Every crowd on this tour has been LOVELY!
— oh tom krell boy tk (@HowToDressWell) September 8, 2014
& idk abt kozelek’s vibe but I adore & respect the ppl who support my art I love yall Im constantly impressed by yr generosity of spirit 
— oh tom krell boy tk (@HowToDressWell) September 8, 2014
RT that last tweet for me ok?
— oh tom krell boy tk (@HowToDressWell) September 8, 2014
Slow news day I guess well luckily I get to play for another dope crowd tonight in Atlanta Ayyy so fucking hyped to be here! ! !
— oh tom krell boy tk (@HowToDressWell) September 8, 2014
Fuck pitting artists against their beloved fans as click bait ! I love my lovers I dont give a fuck abt mark kozelek’s ornery bullshit
— oh tom krell boy tk (@HowToDressWell) September 8, 2014
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