[UPDATED] As a growing number of women out movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for decades of sexual abuse, the music industry is being forced to confront its own culture of harassment. This week rocker Marilyn Manson parted ways with longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez after rape allegations surfaced; and Canadian electropop group Crystal Castles’s former lead singer Alice Glass alleged years of abuse by band member Ethan Kath that began when she was 15.
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via CelebrityAccess
Marilyn Manson Parts Ways With Bassist Twiggy Ramirez
Amid Rape Allegations
Industrial rock icon Marilyn Manson has parted ways with his longtime bassist Jeordie White, better known by his stage name Twiggy Ramirez.
In a post to his social media, Manson, whose real name is Brian Johnson, wrote: “I have decided to part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson. He will be replaced for the upcoming tour. I wish him well.”
While Manson did not offer any insight into his reason for replacing White, the move comes as White faces allegations of sexual and psychological abuse from Jessicka Addams, frontwoman for the riot grrl band Jack Off Jill.
Addams made the allegations in a Facebook post on October 20th, in which she detailed a long relationship with White which began in the 1990s when she was 18. Addams claims that White inflicted emotional and eventually physical abuse on her, including a claimed rape after he concluded a tour with Nine Inch Nails.
“I knew at that point that Jeordie had not been faithful on tour, including being with women whom I to this day respect and considered my musical contemporaries,” Addams wrote. “All this led to an argument I never saw coming. He forced me on to the floor with his hand around my neck. I said NO. I said NO. I said it so loud enough, that [Addams’ roommate] Pete came rushing in from the other room to get him off of me. But I had been raped. I had been raped by somebody I thought I loved.”
Addams also alleged in her post that she was threatened by her label to not publicize her rape allegations or face being “blackballed” by the concert and recording industry. She did not identify the label in her post, but in 1997, Jack Off Jill released Sexless Demons and Scars via Risk Records.
White has yet to publicly respond to Addams’ allegations and was unavailable for comment. White first joined Marilyn Manson after Brad “Gidget Gein” Stewart’s exit in 1993. He departed the group in 2002 but rejoined in 2008. He has also performed with other groups including Nine Inch Nails and Oasis. He is currently the lead vocalist for industrial rock band Goon Moon.
Alice Glass Exits Crystal Castles Amid Rape Allegations,
Tour Appears To Be Canceled
In what is becoming an all too familiar theme, Canadian electropop group Crystal Castles’ former lead singer Alice Glass alleged physical, mental, and sexual abuse against band member Ethan Kath.
In a lengthy post to her webpage, Glass alleged that Kath, whose real name is Claudio Palmieri, first approached and initiated sexual contact with her when she was fifteen.
“I met “Ethan Kath” (Claudio Palmieri) when I was in the 10th grade. The first time he took advantage of me was when I was around 15. He was 10 years older than me. I came to in the back of his car extremely intoxicated (from drinks he had given me that night). We didn’t talk for months after that. He went to great lengths to find me again, stalking me and driving past my high school looking for me,” she wrote.
She went on to claim that Kath encouraged her to drop out of high school and engaged in both physical and emotional abuse.
“He became physically abusive. He held me over a staircase and threatened to throw me down it. He picked me up over his shoulders and threw me onto concrete. He took pictures of my bruises and posted them online. I tried to leave, and he swore that it would never happen again, that he would never physically abuse me again,” she wrote.
In the wake of Glass’s post, the band appears to have canceled all of their upcoming shows, including this weekend’s appearance at Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans. While no formal announcement has been made, none of the venues on their itinerary currently list active Crystal Castles tour dates.
Kath was unavailable for comment but in a previous statement released through his attorney to Pitchfork, he said: “I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship. Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of the post stated that Alice Glass has just left the group. While her allegations of abuse surfaced this week, she left the group on October 2014.