NOFX has shared an in-depth apology after group members made insensitive jokes during their set at the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 27.
San Francisco Chronicle reports the punk group referenced the Las Vegas mass shooting from October that killed 58 people when frontman Fat Mike (Michael Burkett) said, “We played a song about Muslims and we didn’t get shot! Hooray!” Guitarist Eric Melvin replied, “I guess you’re only getting shot in Vegas if you’re a country band.”
“I mean, that sucked,” Burkett went on to say. “But at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans.”
Following the incident, according to New York Post, NOFX issued an impromptu apology on Facebook and Twitter saying “I can’t sleep, no one in my band can. What we said in Vegas was shitty and insensitive and we are all embarrassed by our remarks.”
The public backlash was swift and prompted Stone Brewing out of Escondido California to pull their deal with NOFX that includes sponsorship of the “Punk in Drublic” craft beer and music festivals.
In the face of public pressure, Pitchfork reports NOFX has now issued a detailed apology via Facebook saying, “There’s no place here to backpedal. What NOFX said in Vegas was shameful. We crossed the line of civility. We can’t write songs about how people in this world need to be more decent, when we were clearly being indecent.” The group goes on to say, “We didn’t plan or intend on saying anything so insensitive. It was off the cuff, but just as hurtful. We won’t blame it on drugs or alcohol or Ambien. That’s too easy. NOFX said it, and we own it. We made a tasteless joke. But to be clear, NOFX does not condone violence against ANY group of people, period!”
Read the full NOFX apology below.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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