Ryan Adams Is Posting Through It

There are honestly too many rants here to make full sense of, but I’m going to give it a shot. Ryan Adams — the alt-country musician once married to Mandy Moore and was later soft-cancelled after Moore and Phoebe Bridgers (who was 20 at the time) accused him of emotional abuse — has been posting through it lately.

That in itself isn’t unusual for Adams, whose public meltdowns seem to surface on social media every few months. But the past few weeks have been especially chaotic. Things were relatively normal (by Adams’ standards) while he was touring in the U.S. — until, after Nicole Kidman’s divorce announcement, he offered to date her. Around the same time, he also posted that if Dua Lipa were interested, he’d love to “read with her and worship her.”

OK. Weird. But then he went to Australia, and the wheels started coming off.

According to multiple reports, Adams began melting down on stage — rambling incoherently about Mandy Moore (whom he divorced a decade ago) and Bridgers, starting and stopping songs abruptly, yelling at ushers, taking unplanned intermissions, and generally losing the plot.

It’s not exactly shocking behavior from Adams. I saw him perform in Boston twenty years ago, and he played the entire show with his back to the audience. He didn’t say a word between songs. It was one of the worst concerts I’ve ever been to — but at least he didn’t sound completely unhinged.

This time, though, he apparently was kicked off a Delta flight for complaining about duct tape on his seat. And then came the social media rants.

The first was a long, incoherent post. In it, Adams accused people of conspiring to “frame” him, referenced Mandy Moore, Phoebe Bridgers, and various unnamed industry figures, and made cryptic statements about lawsuits, “burned houses,” and something about being an “Abraxas backer sorcerer.” It ended with a dramatic flourish about rage, betrayal, and revenge. “Choose a side. You can’t kill me. I am your rage. And I have come for you.”

A few days later, he turned his attention to online “haters,” calling them losers and “keyboard warriors” while bragging about his wealth and declaring that the internet isn’t real — but his money is.

I’ll be so sad flying home to my mansion in the hills where your comments look like refurbished rooms. Your mom looked hot last night you f**king wanna be keyboard warriors, Comments are closed, Such it up dumbasses / you all made me rich of mind and body. You’re the reason nobody tours here you idiots. You’ll never see me again. Thanks for the million and a half. The internet isn’t real. This cash is, And so are these shows. I don’t owe you anything.

After a brief apology for a poor performance in Melbourne, which he blamed on camera flashes, a genetic disorder, and ocular seizures, Adams returned to Perth and posted another rant, claiming victory over cancel culture. He said he’d been blacklisted from radio and TV but “won,” calling his critics “socialist censors” and saying he was ashamed to have ever been a liberal (except, he clarified, when supporting his LGBTQ family). “I stand with all who have been dishonored, undignified, harassed and singled out by a mindless mob of idiots. F**k you, you mob of socialist censors.”

Finally, he capped the week with a “farewell” poem of sorts, promising to say goodbye to his “disgusting” critics, vowing eternal financial success, and wishing “fire upon your homes.” The post then took a mystical turn involving “guardians,” “gremlins,” and “hexes.”

I don’t know if it’s burnout, illness, or ego collapse, but something is clearly happening. One thing is for damn sure: He does not care for Australia.

via Reddit