Oct 19, 2017
Has a giant bubble of sexual abuse just popped? It's as though a bunch of water has been poured into the globe and all the oily buggers who don't mix well with society are floating to the top. Besides The Gaslamp Killer allegations, there is now word of Matt Mondanile AKA Ducktails, Alexander Calder & Ariel Pink being exposed for inappropriate behavior. From mistreatment to abuse, the spectrum is wide and varying, each undoubtedly wrong; needing to come with repercussions. We take a look at the allegations as well as the resulting consequences.
Matt Mondanile
Matt Mondanile is a fairly well-known under the moniker Ducktails and was previously the guitarist for Real Estate. Mondanile didn't leave Real Estate, no, he was asked to leave after several allegations of sexual assault came to the band's attention. Several people have come forward to tell their stories about Mondanile's mistreatment of women. SPIN covered the story and compiled the statements from the women who have spoken out. Pitchfork reached out to him, and all he said was that he has 'done nothing wrong.' In light of this, most of his Ducktail tour has been cancelled – 11 dates were scheduled across the US and 9 have been cancelled.
Alexander Calder
This alternative indie musician, Alexander Calder, has actually come forward and confirmed the allegations made against him. On Facebook, he issued a statement that read 'I would like to address an incident that occurred in 2008 between an individual and myself...In the last year, I have come to understand the sexual encounter I had with this person was non consensual and constituted assault....This encounter did not meet the criteria for getting consent. I abused this person, and I have not held myself accountable for this.' Calder has now been dropped by his label, and his album has been retracted.
Ariel Pink
This one's still up in the air. A post surfaced on Reddit, detailing someone's experience of a recent Ariel Pink show. According to this person, Ariel Pink was mistreating his much-younger girlfriend Charlotte Ercoli. It was stated that she normally stays on stage for the whole show, but after being 'treated like a piece of meat' she left after singing her two songs (she does the vocals for some of Ariel Pink's songs.) Apparently a lot of people left as they were uncomfortable with his behavior – grabbing her ankles, trying to shove her into the crowd and pinning her down on the ground. However, Charlotte Ercoli has raised her voice on Twitter to defend her boyfriend's behavior.
https://twitter.com/Charlesdecrema/status/920391280449826816
At the end of the day, this bubble is bursting whether we like it or not. The #MeToo conversation continues, and it's taking over the global news. The ideal would be to be a part of the dialogue, confront the issues and stay informed. On this note, a suggested article to read, would be "The Thing All Women Do That You Don’t Know About" By Gretchen Kelly.