Eagles of Death Metal Frontman Faces Criticism After Insulting Gun Control Movement
The issue of gun control can clearly get emotional for partisans on either side of the issue — particularly those who've experienced gun violence firsthand — so it's at least somewhat understandable that Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes used a variety of inflammatory rhetoric in his heated response to the growing gun control movement led by student survivors of the recent Parkland school shooting. Understandable — but according to at least one of Hughes' peers, unacceptable.
As previously reported, Hughes used his Instagram feed to post a series of scornful dismissals of the Parkland protesters, accusing them of "playing hooky" and calling their efforts to effect change "pathetic and disgusting" while using his own history as a gun violence survivor to offer a more personal attack.
"As the survivor of a mass shooting I can tell you from first-hand experience that all of you protesting and taking days off from school insult the memory of those who were killed and abuse and insult me and every other lover of liberty by your every action," wrote Hughes. "May everyone [sic] of these disgusting vile abusers of the dead live as long as possible so they can have the maximum amount of time to endure their shame ….and be Cursed."
Unsurprisingly, while Hughes' remarks undoubtedly had their supporters, they also disappointed a number of people — among them Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, who's worked with Eagles of Death Metal co-founder Josh Homme and referenced personal time spent with Hughes in a public lament posted in response to his comments.
"When I think of the good times we've had in the past it fucks my heart to see how far off the rails you've gone," wrote Lanegan on Twitter. "Come back bro." In a separate post he added, "I know Jesse to be a guy who would give you the shirt off his back not someone who'd attack someone for their opinions that differ from his."
Lanegan's tweets were just a couple of the many posted in response to Hughes — one of which, from a woman named Erin claiming to be a friend of slain Eagles of Death Metal employee Nick Alexander, reacted in outright anger.