Mumford and Sons - cancelled?

[WotgunShedding]

I'm completely baffled by this. The lead guitarist of Mumford and Sons is leaving the band because he tweeted in March about a book.

The tweet:

“Congratulations @MrAndyNgo. Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man”.

I know Andy Ngo's controversial (although the specifics evade me - I vaguely remember something about a milkshake and reporting on Antifa?) but perhaps I'm missing context as this seems like quite an extreme reaction to saying you liked a book.

The few times I've seen similar behaviour have been when women are targeted for talking about sex vs gender but it's not related to that.

Here's the statement Winston (the banjo player) made about leaving:

mrwinstonmarshall.medium.com/why-im-leaving-mumford-sons-e6e731bbc255

The statement seems reasonable enough to me - am I missing something?

I can't abide Mumford and Sons, but this is awful. He likes a book and then received so much abuse he has to leave the band to protect his band mates?!?! How can anyone be defending this? The intolerance of the people who call themselves progressive is gobsmacking. (I used to call myself progressive, I don't anymore as it seems to imply total intolerance of any difference of opinion now).

As always the first posts nail it.

It's all so very un fucking rock n roll.

My thoughts exactly.

@newnortherner111

I've not read the book, but if it leads to the end of Mumford and Sons, I won't be sad. Not as bad as the bedwetters' music of Coldplay or the soppy rubbish of Keane, but getting close.

They came for the crap musicians, I did not speak out because I wasn't a crap musician.

@WotgunShedding

I don't think that's what has happened here though - it looks like he and the other band members came under such abuse that he felt he had to leave to protect the others.

That's different to not buying someone's products (which is of course absolutely ok!)

My interpretation of it is somewhat different. It reads very faux-noble to me. More likely the rest of the band told him they thought he was a twat & they weren't happy he dragged them into it. So they gave him the option to fall on his sword, which he did, but not before making sure to blame it on 'cancel culture'. No. It's not cancel culture to say you find someone and their views objectionable. Unless of course you're the type of bloke who has never had anyone stand up to you before...

I just see it as someone blaming everyone else in the world for the consequences of their own actions, and failing to see why other people have differing views.

And that's before I even get to his 'how can I be far right, some of my family died in the holocaust' defence, which is also known as 'How can I be racist? One of my best friends is black' line.

Plus it's really shit writing. Really, appallingly bad writing. Short sentences. Lots of short sentences. Short sentences. Sentences. Short ones. Short. Lots of them.

To be honest they would have done the world a favour if it's the end of Mumford and Sons - AKA The Waitrose Levellers

They came for the crap musicians, I did not speak out because I wasn't a crap musician

☝️

I'd not heard of him, but reading his letter he strikes me as a Lawrence Fox figure, makes a big fuss about nothing and then rebrands himself as anti woke or whatever he is against this week.

Bless.

The book he liked is by Andy Ngo, a complete twat who had a milkshake thrown at him when he was at a Proud Boys rally and was with a group called Patriot Prayer.

Those groups are made up of violent thugs who do a lot more than throw milkshakes at people.

So the musician applauded a book written by someone who hangs around with violent extremists (they were among the groups who participated in the attempted armed insurrection in Washington).

I've no problem hanging around with people who disagree with me. I'm a left wing vegan Remainer but all my relatives (outside immediate family) eat meat and I have colleagues who are Tory voting Brexiteers. We all get on amicably and agree to disagree.

But there is a point where I draw the line. I'm sure there is for most people but the position will be different from individual to individual. Personally, I wouldn't be friends with racists or homophobes.

Band members will spend a lot of time together, whether that's touring ir recording. It's pretty difficult to do that if you don't get on. I can't remember the names of the musicians involved but if the remaining ones know anything about Andy Ngo and felt that the one who left agreed with his views, I can see how that would make it hard to work with him.