Former Nirvana producer Steve Albini has apologised to Amanda Palmer after labelling her an “idiot” for asking fans to play in her live band for free, NME reports.
Palmer managed to raise over $1.2 million to release her new album via online fundraiser site Kickstarter. She is now touring in support of the album and has asked for “professional-ish horns and strings” musicians to join her onstage in each stop of the tour.
Instead of financial payments, Palmer offers: “We will feed you beer, hug/high-five you up and down (pick your poison), give you merch, and thank you mightily for adding to the big noise we are planning to make.”
Albini thought that was pretty poor considering her recent fundraising success, and posted a lengthy rant on forum Electric Audio, stating if “you are forced by your ignorance into pleading for donations and charity work, you are then publicly admitting you are an idiot.”
However, he has since published another post on the forum to clarify his comments and apologise to Palmer.
“Well, since the new journalism is just re-posting what other people have lifted from message boards and Twitter, there are probably going to be a hundred or so stories on the web with headlines like ‘Steve Albini calls Amanda Palmer an idiot,’ so I’d better make my position on that clear,” he wrote.
“I don’t think Amanda Palmer is an idiot, and it was rude and sloppy of me to make that impression. I’m sorry Amanda Palmer, the internet is going to tell you that I think you’re an idiot, and while that’s not true, it’s my fault.”
However, he somewhat backed up his initial stance later in the post.
“I have no problem with bands using participant financing schemes like Kickstarter and such. I’ve said many times that I think they’re part of the new way bands and their audience interact and they can be a fantastic resource, enabling bands to do things essentially in cooperation with their audience. It’s pretty amazing actually.
“It should be obvious also that having gotten over a million dollars from such an effort that it is just plain rude to ask for further indulgences from your audience, like playing in your backing band for free.”
There is no word on whether Palmer has replied or accepted the apology yet.
