I was getting all hyped about the new Tau Cross album, given how epic and monolithic in scope 2017's Pillar of Fire was, only to be quite miffed about the band getting dropped by their label due to Rob Miller thanking a fucking Holocaust denier and Nazi Germany apologist, Gerard Menuhin, in the liner notes, with a possibility about the lyrics being influenced by this. It didn't get better when the rest of the band distanced themselves from all that (very understandable) and Rob Miller making an unbelievably pathetic attempt trying to defend his actions. Sheesh, I know his background in punk, but not everything the man teaches is bad and needs to be questioned by hacks, ya know?
I'm no stranger to listening to music by people whose opinions I disagree with, even vehemently so, or find utterly abhorrent: black metal and all that noise. But this is a punk rocker spouting this so the pass I sometimes give black metal artists desire to be edgy for sales and notoriety doesn't really apply here. I expect other standards from European punk rockers, or other musicians, for that matter. And furthermore, things like Matt Pike's yammering about lizard or snake people or whatever controlling us isn't something that affects me or anyone else in a negative fashion, and is very harmless crankery. Likewise, I don't really care about Johnny Ramone being a Reagan worshipper, or if Greg Graffin has a Pollyanna stance about the danger of giving charlatans and demagogues free reign in public discourse. But this is fucking Holocaust denial, and I really can't stand harmful stupid-ass beliefs. Rob Miller can clamour about free enquiry all he wants, but there is one thing to want these authors to not be censored by the state on principle, and another to fucking agree with these assholes and having fooled yourself into believing that they're truth-tellers.
I'm so fucking cranky right now.
