Jeff Zagers should have seen it coming. Bragging on social media that you’re part of a protest fueled by lies and that ends in death is bound to result in some sort of clapback. The Georgian musician and avowed Trumper should not have been surprised when Brooklyn label Wharf Cat Records promptly dropped him and washed their catalog of two of his albums. You can bet the right-wing commentariat sees this move as yet another example of political correctness and cancel culture gone crazy.
In any other era, they might be right.
In any other era, the leader of the free world isn’t a misogynistic, racist, violent, criminal idiot.
Zagers will be just fine. Not only will he be picked up by another, assuredly less progressive label, but he will become a sort of martyr to the martyr class, a.k.a. Trumpers, a.k.a. The World’s Biggest Snowflakes. There was a time back in the ’90s when I stumbled onto a Nazi punk show. On my way out, I wanted to reach into my ears and remove the words and riffs note by note from my brain. Nothing is redeeming about white supremacy, and don’t believe for a second that that’s not what we’re talking about when talking about the guy loitering in the White House. Donald Trump and white supremacy are closely aligned. No matter how many times he may denounce it, he still says racist things as the president, which matters. The presidential voice matters, so when he refers to African nations as “shithole” countries or when he calls Mexican immigrants “rapists” or when during a presidential debate he issues a call to arms to a white supremacy group, he is essentially shaping his party’s policy, and his policy — immigration hardlining, suppressing votes, neglecting housing discrimination and police misconduct — has been equally racist. While not all Trumpers are racist, all racists are Trumpers. In the words of Stone Cold, “And that’s the bottom line.” Do with that info what you will.
Locally, I’ve come across a few on my newsfeeds, a few MAGA rockers, and, as I do with my family and close friends who have drunk the Kool-Aid, I just avoid them as best I can. Someone brought up an interesting point the other day online as my friends/“friends” piled on Blaine Crews, a popular rock drummer who’s gone full MAGA. Is it truly bullying when the person being allegedly bullied supports the biggest bully of them all? Or is it standing up for what’s right and fighting to change hearts and minds? I think the answer’s obvious.
I’m sure lots of MAGA rockers here and all over Texas and beyond are enjoying “anonymously” trolling FWWeekly.com and our social media accounts, and I hope they’re as satisfied and gratified with our non-responses as we are when we (don’t) make them. When your beliefs do not include justice and equality for minorities, then you are not entitled to any beliefs. You might as well be an axe murderer.
I do not think Josh Weathers is an axe murderer. Probably the biggest local name to support Trump — or who once supported him; haven’t talked to him since Jan. 6 — the blue-eyed soulman should have known that playing the inauguration in 2017 was going to put him sideways with pretty much every other scenester in town and all other decent folk with functioning hearts and minds. All we can say on the plus side is that Weathers played for Trump before the latter had begun his full-frontal assault on democracy, decency, and the truth. The story we published about Weathers’ inauguration performance went viral and remains our most shared and commented-on story to date. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at the Weekly when I say I would trade every single mention in every single national newspaper for a Hillary presidency.
Weathers has, uh, weathered the drama just fine. He put out a new album not too long ago. We wrote about it. It’s good. Not nearly as many shares, though.
I won’t be buying any Josh Weathers music anytime soon. As much as I like him personally, I don’t want to support him financially if supporting him with money means enabling him to soundtrack a wannabe dictatorship. Sorry.
Oh, and I listened to a few Jeff Zager songs. They’re shit. — Anthony Mariani
Contact HearSay at anthony@fwweekly.com.
Reading this article just shows the immaturity that a grown man can have. Makes me want to never read or purchase a FortWorth Weekly paper for sure, especially if they are going to publish crap like what this guy has wrote. Singling out artists, great artists at that, and only to corrupt the reader with his own opinions. Shame on him! You don’t deserve to hear those amazing voices! I will be boycotting any papers that has his crap in them, as well most of my social media friends. This is pure disgrace on society!
Counterpoint- the artists are bad.