TownofNewHaven was in Manchester, Tennessee to watch the Stepkids perform in front of a massive crowd. We also got to see a few other shows as well, and with some trademarked moves, managed to obtain access to some of the scenes behind the scene. A video of the experience will be released in a matter of days. But something else also caught our attention.
At his festival performance at Bonnaroo this year, Macklemore prefaced his signature "Thrift Shop" song with some crowd banter. It wasn't particularly interesting enough to film, at the time, but in retrospect I wish I had gotten some of it on tape. Instead I'll have to paraphrase a little bit.
First he said something to the effect of "Wow, there are so many fashionable people here. What is everyone wearing? This guy has on a hat. There goes a tank top. And... oh my, there appears to be someone wearing a fur coat over there!" There stood a man for the most part by himself with sunglasses and a fur coat on. The performer requested to see the fur coat, which the crowd member graciously provided. First he examined it.
"This is a real Tennessee Bobcat fur coat. People say that I shouldn't wear fur," (this is paraphrased but it's fairly true to form), "but this fur has been dead for a long time, since the 1970s!" Some of the crowd cheered.
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| the guy with the nate dogg voice 'wanz' |
That's when I called shenanigans. "That was staged," I told my friend. First, he knew way too much about the type of fur itself, without examining it. And it just so happened to be "Tennessee bobcat," which would be apropos for the show, right? It all seemed a bit fishy.
As it turns out, Peta and the Macklemore guy have been at odds before. And there seemed to be a very good chance that the interaction was staged, by some degree, to point out to people that wearing furs is ok, especially when they're used, which is what Macklemore would like you to believe. Here's a quote which is nearly identical to what he stated:
"Tell PETA my Mink, Fox, Rabbit, Coyote, and Hungarian Raccoon jacket are ALL dragging on the floor. And I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. I love my animals. But they’re dead...Those animals have now migrated from some old lady’s closet, to a thrift shop and are now getting their proper shine, up to 40 years later." source: RefinedStyle
Maybe this guy should Mack a little less. I personally find fur to be a little tacky. But as far as ethical treatment of animals, I've been known to disassemble a lobster for dinner and there is nothing vegetarian about that. It's the process of involving oneself in a pointless argument that can be a distraction from the art itself, especially when it's between a musician and a progressive and aggressively active group like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who have been known to use actors, artists, and musicians to promote their cause.
He's also kind of like a middle-age looking Justin Beebler. And he raps as though everything he says is very difficult to say. He's from Seattle, and his DJ features a very prominent Microsoft logo on a laptop he barely touched during the performance. They have also been known to help promote the opening of Microsoft retail stores. Another major issue has been his theft of the "Crowd Walk" maneuver originated by Method Man of the Wu Tang Clan. They even (the Wu) have a song about them being not the type of people to mess with. If you want to hear Method Man's response, try watching this.
Method Man at Toads Place doing that "Crowd Walk" Thing in '06
