Bad Wolves guitarist Doc Coyle has issued a statement regarding the controversy his bandmate Tommy Vext generated with a video he shared earlier this week. In that video Vext laid out a conspiracy theory alleging various elites, politicians and media companies were pulling strings behind Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement in a bid to push their own agendas and profit off the unrest.
In addition to that, while agreeing that systemic racism exists, Vext also went on to state of his own personal experiences with racism as a whole:
“There’s a huge fucking problem going on where we have turned into citizens policing other citizens over a veil of racism that doesn’t exist. I’m African American, I’m 38-years-old. I’ve grown up in this country and I have not experienced actual racism. I’ve spent twenty years traveling through 48 states and, how many countries? I don’t know, lets say 50 countries all over the world. We don’t have a problem with race here. It’s all manufactured…”
As you’d expect in this current political climate and time of upheaval, his comments generated a divisive response. Vext has since removed the video and went on to clarify his statements in a post that was issued earlier today, you can find that here.
In a statement of his own addressing the matter issued this afternoon, Coyle went on to say:
“I have been uncharacteristically quiet with regard to the Instagram video & backlash to said video about Black Lives Matter recently released by Bad Wolves singer, Tommy Vext. While it should be noted that I advocate for free speech & don’t want to censor anyone, I wholeheartedly disagree with the content of this video.
I speak for & represent myself. Thankfully, today Tommy offered a retraction/clarification on his thoughts on the matter & the video has been deleted. That means a lot to me. Some people agree & that’s ok. Some people disagree & that’s ok. But I apologize to anyone who was hurt.
Some in the media will exploit this as a flashy band-feud, but Tommy & I have spoken. We’ve heard each other, & that’s what this time should be about. Listening to one another. If he & I can disagree & be in a band together, then we as a count, or society can find a way to find common ground despite ideological differences.
But we can’t do that if we are talking past each other. I’m not an activist. I’m not a civil rights leader. But I offer solidarity to those addressing historical and systemic racial inequities in this country.
Public band squabbles are bad for business, but if I didn’t make my voice heard about an issue pertaining to my own band, then I have no credibility to speak on other social issues that are important to me. I would be letting fear get the best of me.
I want to put the focus back on music, not politics. This is a distraction from what we are here to do — create, perform, & engage. It may sound corny, but I want our message to be one of inclusion & positivity because that’s what I truly believe in.
Thank you,
Doc Coyle“
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