#swmrs

[souryogurt64]

YAYYY MY 2.5 HOUR VIDEO IS DONE 

After extended creative development, I finally finished my video essay about SWMRS!! 

For those of you who didn’t read the written version or aren’t aware, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day has a son named Joey who was in a band called SWMRS that were signed to Fueled By Ramen in like 2016. This band primarily catered towards teenage girls and made activism and social justice a big part of their brand. They especially focused on feminism and sexual consent via passing out zines, giving speeches at their concerts, going to feminist protests, and selling merchandise in support of women like Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual abuse. 

However, in 2016, Lydia Night of The Regrettes accused Joey Armstrong of sexual abuse through pressuring her into things like performing oral in front of his friends or giving him handjobs in public and of gaslighting and shaming her when she said she didn’t want to. When she and Joey met, she was 16 and he was 22, and this relationship continued until just before her 18th birthday.

Because of the connection Green Day, this caught the interest of major publications like Rolling Stone. A label SWMRS had been briefly on called Burger Records was experiencing a lot of similar accusations concerning artists that were too small to make major news. This ended up in the article too, and after the Rolling Stone article the entire label shut down. 

Rather than analyze or speculate about Lydia’s experience with Joey, I tell my story as former fan of SWMRS and many other bands in the scene, and explore how—even beyond the allegations—many of these bands (but especially SWMRS) were destroying their own careers through infighting, commercial failures, financial exploitation of their own fans, and encouraging cyberbullying, and how nepotism played a big role in all of this. I also talk a lot about how hypocrisy and the perils of performative activism were at the core of this. 

All in all, it’s a very intimate and (excruciatingly) detailed look at the drama and politics of a niche subculture, and what happens when things go from bad to worse to, well... Worst. 

And for those who have already read the written version, still watch it because it has a lot of new content like interviews with other ex-fans, and more details about topics like their drama with other artists and Joey pretending to be Mexican!

Watch here

[chasingaghost]

Post I saw on Twitter vs Cole Becker’s horrible zine written when his bandmate was grooming a 16 year old

[noideamyguy]

Reminder that the Destroy Boys aren’t good people, nor should they even be considered “punk”. they support Joey Armstrong, an abuser and pedophile who was in a relationship with Lydia Night when she was 16-18, and he was 22-24. (In California, the state this took place, the age of consent is 18.) Armstrong sexually and emotionally abused and manipulated her.

[disruptxrr]

my mother thinks you're disturbed

[glassxworld]

where are you, where are you

find me, please, baby

[millenniumkid]

When I first saw you, I made a mixtape

I didn't know you'd do the same damn thing

Back in 2018 I made a mix tape as a present for a special person I just met. Funny thing that person had the same idea because our birthdays are just 10 days a part. We listend to the mixtape and couldn't stop laughing and giggling. Whats even funnier is that I got to mary that person and we walked down the aisle together to that song.

[replicayouth-art]

cole becker of swmrs, 11x14in., graphite, 2017

[cass-ass]

Oh damn, I didnt realize that Joey Armstrong left SWMRS after the allegations against him- nice.

I hadnt been listening to them cause of him

[esoteric-aesthetic-lyrics]

D’You Have A Car? - SWMRS

[not--really--me]

In a weird way I feel like I have to forgive swmrs. Like. They fucking suck and nothing can ever excuse their behavior but also I really like their music? And I have super nice memories connected to it? And their shows gave me great joy because of the fandom being the way that it was.

Not going to spent any money on them ever again obvs. But maybe casually listen to their music again? The old stuff? Would that be okay?

[uvefandezal]

(⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[megvolsky]

and when you climb every night on your frozen peak

and keep your eyes on mine with your broken needs

and keep your arms up high so that I can see the light

[digitaltourbus]

SWMRS’ Cade Becker shows off all of the bass guitar gear that he uses on stage! Watch the video at https://www.digitaltourbus.com/features/swmrs-cade-becker-gear-masters-ep-554-video/

[ghostedly]

Lowkey should not have had that third beer

[glassxworld]

bashing my brains out to this one