Last week, most of the modern music world collectively mourned the passing of iconic guitarist, Eddie Van Halen, a performer whose impact on rock and metal continues to resound. We say “most of the modern music world,” because this did not appear to affect David Crosby in the slightest. How do we know Crosby felt sorta “Meh” about Van Halen’s death? Well, because he literally tweeted “Meh ....” when asked about it.
Would it surprise you to learn that the internet, including a fair number of people in the industry, had strong reactions to Crosby’s casual dismissal? Testament’s Alex Skolnick criticized the tweet, and L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns called it “rude as fuck!!!” Others got downright vitriolic, piling into his replies with expressions of fury.
Despite earning Dee Snider’s ire (that one just rolls off the tongue), Crosby then managed to simultaneously walk it back and double down before transforming into “That College Guy Standing By The Beer Keg Giving His Music Opinions No One Asked For.”
No one expects everybody to be directly affected by Van Halen’s death. In fact, performative displays of mourning do a disservice to the actual mourners, as well as the deceased individual’s memory. That said, David, buddy, maybe hold back on verbally shrugging off someone’s loss next time. Or, at the very least, give it some time before emerging as the designated cynic, like you did with Fleet Foxes that one time.
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