Art Brut Singer Says Steer Clear of Crack, Pete Doherty, The Others

Art Brut played at the Jersey Live Festival yesterday, which took place in Trinity in the Channel Islands. After performing "My Little Brother", the last line of which is "Stay off the crack", lead singer Eddie Argos told the crowd "Steer clear of crack, and steer clear of Pete Doherty, he's a very bad man." He then added, "Oh, and steer clear of The Others too and Poptones Records."

Like Pete Doherty, the frontman for Babyshambles (who The Others opened for at their first gig), The Others' lead singer Dominic Masters does a lot of drugs (Masters does cocaine, crack, and heroin, and has done cocaine with a fan in front of a reporter at least once. They also both miss a lot of gigs. Masters told Spin, "I believe it's up to the individual to regulate their habit. We haven't had a death on our hands yet. I'd like to think we're structured and focused and organised enough to prevent a death from happening."

Hey, if we can't trust the judgment of a cocaine/crack/heroin-abuser, whose judgment can we trust? Spin also called him an ex-convict, but didn't mention what he was convicted of, which is odd. It could be not paying parking tickets or mass murder; it does make a difference. Perhaps it has something to do with drugs, though.

I like what Eddie Argos said. What must the insurance companies that cover any tour with bands like Babyshambles, The Others, or Bright Eyes say to their record labels? The insurance fees must be astronomical with such unreliable people. Why do their record labels tolerate -- enable -- this behaviour? Greed? Fear? They're not truly looking out for their artists' best interests, either the interests of drug-adled artists, or their other artists, who are bound to be neglected. Ridiculous amounts of time must be spent trying to locate missing drub-abusing artists prior to shows, and attempting to "fix" their latest PR/legal snafus.

mp3:Art Brut - My Little Brother (from Bang Bang Rock & Roll)

mp3:Art Brut - Stand Down (from Bang Bang Rock & Roll)