Speedy Ortiz Guitarist/Vocalist Defends Deafheaven’s Kerry McCoy Against Accusations of Using Homophobic Slurs

Yesterday morning, we reported on a story about how Deafheaven’s Kerry McCoy allegedly really likes to use homophobic slurs. Yesterday afternoon, Speedy Ortiz guitarist/vocalist Sadie Dupuis came to McCoy’s defense on Twitter, counter-alleging that the Deafheaven guitarist is the victim of an anti-SJW campaign perpetrated by “notorious misogynist” Chris Ott, a former Pitchfork contributor. Ott is a controversial figure in music criticism due to what Impose in 2013 called his “acrid martyrdom” and habit of “calling out young journalists within the music industry, skewering their work as complacent subserviency to a corporate-run, money-guzzling machine.”

Dupuis’ tweet is below:

dear @metalsucks, thank you for reporting on intolerance, but it would be cool if you could do so responsibly pic.twitter.com/x53L2vl25z

— speedy ortiz ÷ sad13 ÷ sadie dupuis ÷ haunted guy (@sad13) September 28, 2015

I don’t know who is telling the truth here, McCoy (or Dupais, I guess) or Ott. I also don’t know why Dupuis called out MetalSucks but not The PRP, who was, in actuality, the source we failed to vet (full disclosure: MetalSucks and The PRP are both part of the The Blast Beat Ad Network). I also also don’t know why what someone wrote on Stickies is supposed to serve as evidence of McCoy’s innocence any more than Ott’s “apparently incriminating photo” is supposed to serve as evidence of his guilt. Really, all I’ve taken away from this experience is that there a lot of things I don’t know. But I knew that already.

Deafheaven’s new album, New Bermuda, is out this Friday, October 2. You can stream the entire thing here. Get upcoming tour dates for the band here. And listen to a new MetalSucks Podcast interview with Deafheaven vocalist George Clarke (conducted before the commencement of this brouhaha) here.