In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Glee creator Ryan Murphy issued an apology to Kings of Leon, ending the feud that gave us good reasons to dislike both parties.
To recap, after Kings of Leon turned down a request to use their music on Glee, creator Ryan Murphy ranted:
“Fuck you, Kings of Leon. They’re self-centered a–holes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music.”
In response, drummer Nathan Followill Tweeted:
“Dear Ryan Murphy, let it go. See a therapist, get a manicure, buy a new bra. Zip your lip and focus on educating 7 yr olds how to say fuck.”
After Murphy accused him of being homophobic, Followill apologized to anyone who “misconstrued” his comments. Now in a rare mea culpa, Murphy has admitted that he was out of line, saying:
“I didn’t speak with as much clarity as I would have liked …. Who am I to say ‘F—k you?’ That’s not what I meant. I completely understand when artists don’t want a show or another artist to interpret their songs. In fact, I respect it. It’s their personal work and I’d feel the same way. We get turned down all the time and I’ve don’t fight it or even go back after a rejection.”
He added that as a Foo Fighters fan, he was upset when Dave Grohl commented, “It’s every band’s right… Fuck that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do Glee.” Murpy told the Hollywood Reporter:
“I’ve never felt that if you don’t give Glee your music, there’s something diabolical about you … To the contrary: I support artists and what they choose to do… I think Kings of Leon are cool as shit. The Foo Fighters are brilliant. We’d love to do one if their songs, if they were ever interested. But if it’s not their thing, then OK. I personally wish them luck will still listen to their music.”
To prove he’s capable of not ripping the head off every artist who doesn’t want their music on Glee, Murphy revealed that Bjork had recently turned down a request to use one of her songs because she felt it wasn’t right for the scene and, “That’s completely cool.”
Murphy deserves credit for stepping up and admitting he was wrong, though apparently Gwyneth Paltrow deserves some recognition for negotiating the détente via text message (in case you aren’t aware, she’s Glee‘s official “muse”). Still, neither side came out of this escapade unscathed. Whether or not Followill was conscious of it at the time, telling a gay man to “get a manicure, buy a new bra” did come off as homophobic and misogynistic.
In his apology, Murphy reiterated how very important Glee is because it introduces people to new music and promotes arts education. Murphy has a habit of describing Glee as a show that’s singlehandedly ending bullying, homophobia and a variety of other societal problems, and attacking anyone who disagrees. Even as a fan of the show, this can get irritating. Glee often handles these issues well, but then they’ll throw in a scene featuring Mercedes eating too many tots or Mr. Schue violently shaking his lying wife. It would be great if Murphy could spend more time making the show consistently good, rather than suggesting that those who don’t see Glee as thoroughly groundbreaking are just bullies who hate homosexuals, arts education, children, and puppies.
‘Glee’s’ Ryan Murphy Backs Off Kings Of Leon Attack (Exclusive) [Hollywood Reporter]
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