Drab Majesty at Brooklyn Steel
photo by Ester Segretto

Drab Majesty posts (another) statement apologizing for tweets

Drab Majesty, aka Los Angeles darkwave musician Andrew Clinco, has issued two apologies — days apart — after drawing after drawing criticism for what he describes as “the horrible tweet that I made.” “The tweet was myopic, unsympathetic, steeped in cultural prejudice, and it represented myself as both a racist and a bigot,” Clinco writes. “I see now that it emanated from a position of white privilege, something that I promise to recognize moving forward. It was a careless and selfish attempt at humor without considering my audience and the current state of the world, and I see how this tweet contributes to a frightening climate of increasing harassment against Asians and people of color, making a space for discourse less safe.”

He goes on to say that he’s donated $1000 to Asian American Advancing Justice, and will be “giving much more diligent attention and thought to the future aesthetics” of Drab Majesty.

Read his statements in full below.

AUGUST 11th STATEMENT:

I have been listening, reading, and thinking about the horrible tweet that I made, and I wanted to further my apology.

The tweet was myopic, unsympathetic, steeped in cultural prejudice, and it represented myself as both a racist and a bigot. I see now that it emanated from a position of white privilege, something that I promise to recognize moving forward.
It was a careless and selfish attempt at humor without considering my audience and the current state of the world, and I see how this tweet contributes to a frightening climate of increasing harassment against Asians and people of color, making a space for discourse less safe.

I am closely reading, listening to, and learning from every comment and will continue to do so. I deeply appreciate those who have already reached out to me in an attempt to help me better understand the severity of my tweet. I’m learning of the long history of microaggressions Asian-Americans have faced, and I am so deeply and truly sorry to have contributed in any capacity to that dark and undeserved narrative.

In addition, I’ve made a donation of $1000 to the AAJC (Asian American Advancing Justice) whose mission is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build a fair and equitable society for all. I’ve done some research, and this one resonated with me because of how diverse their mission is. Their programs aim to increase visibility of Asian Americans as part of the fabric of America, preserve the considerations of race as a factor in education admissions, and eliminate racial barriers in voting to name a few.

Last, this experience has made me rethink my own appropriation of cultural imagery. As a result, I will be giving much more diligent attention and thought to the future aesthetics of this project.

I am truly sorry for what I’ve said. Moving forward I will work on correcting my biases in thought and in action. I promise to never alienate anyone ever again.

https://twitter.com/drabmajesty/status/1293380761588871169?s=21

PREVIOUS STATEMENT FROM SUNDAY, AUGUST 9th:

The tone deafness of my tweet last night has become complete apparent to me.

I am wholly ashamed that an impulsive desire to use my privilege and Twitter platform to showcase my litany of brain diarrhea and stupid puns overrode any ability to exercise some basic judgement, and it crushes me to know that I have hurt and alienated many of you who have faithfully supported this project. I am so fucking sorry for that. I feel like such an asshole right now… and deservedly.

I’ve taken the time today to really consider my gross behavior and revisit my words. I can’t believe my ignorance led me to say something so dumb and callous.

I accept full responsibility for this tasteless misfire at humor without considering the racist implications and obvious cultural ramifications. To be fully clear: I am not a racist, nor associate with anyone who walks that path. Fuck Racism. I am disgusted that my heedless actions have called my character into question. This was an extreme oversight and lapse in judgement and I promise to improve and never cross that line again.

https://twitter.com/DrabMajesty/status/1292666320824070145

The original tweets Clinco refers to have since been deleted, but Twitter user @fordgrandorder screencapped two:

https://twitter.com/fordgrandorder/status/1292593475607642113

Categories: