Country star Charley Crockett says Satanic doo-wop group Twin Temple twisted his decision to boot them off his shows into something it wasn’t and the media fanned the flames. He also says he’s lost a good bit of respect for Jack White in the process.
In a new social media post, Crockett set out to dispel some wide-held conceptions about his decision to remove Twin Temple from two shows on his tour last month.
At the time, Twin Temple said that Crockett removed them from the bill due to their use of “Satanic imagery” onstage. Crockett didn’t exactly dispute that, though his response did focus more on the importance of artistic and creative freedom and the importance of everyone making the decisions that sat right with their individual morality compasses.
But in his newest post, Crockett heavily implies that there’s more to the story.
Why Did Charley Crockett Remove Rock Duo Twin Temple From His Shows?
Crockett says the whole thing started when Twin Temple made some “production requests” for the shows that “raised eyebrows simply because we couldn’t accommodate them physically.”
That prompted him to take a harder look at what their stage performance entailed, he says. He thought about it for a couple days, then decided to “cut ’em loose.”
But Crockett says Twin Temple deliberately timed their announcement that they wouldn’t be on the bill in order to promote a new album the group had in the works.
“I never dropped that band from those [two] shows for ‘Satanic Imagery,’ they made it up and dragged me by a rope real good,” the singer wrote on Tuesday (Aug. 18).
“They got together with their business folks and plotted for days before finally making their public statement, designed for effect. Purposely making it look like it was a whole tour. Dog whistling about religious and creative freedom,” Crockett continued. “Of course my rights didn’t matter since they had a new record coming out and a headline tour to announce.”
He then slammed the media for capitalizing on the situation for clicks, and bystander artists who “applauded” while he was “face down in the dirt coughing up blood.”
The only artist Crockett mentioned by name was Jack White, who invited Twin Temple to open some shows for him in the aftermath of the brouhaha.
What Did Charley Crockett Say About Jack White?
Crockett said that White used the situation to sell tickets “and I lost a lot of respect for him.”
“I wonder why he wasn’t so outspoken back when he was in The White Stripes 20-something years ago,” he continued. “They purposely avoided political issues. Maybe he was worried about losing audience back when it was all on the line and he needed all the help he could get.”
Speaking to Loudwire in July about the offer from Jack White, Twin Temple expressed gratitude, concerned that Crockett’s actions had the capacity to damage their band.
“It meant the world to us, ’cause when you get removed from a show, there’s always the fear, as a smaller independent artist, that you’re being rejected by the industry. Charley’s a pretty well-known — I won’t call him mainstream — but he’s a much bigger artist than us. So you’re always like, ‘Okay, are other people going to do similar things to us?'”
About Twin Temple’s New Album
Doomed Lovers, Twin Temple’s third studio album, will be released on Oct. 9.
Watch the band perform the single “Haunt Me” on The Daily Show back in July directly below.
The Top 10 Charley Crockett Songs Every New Fan Should Hear
To a sub-sect of alt-country fans, Crockett is one of the biggest names in the business. The Texas-born crooner is one of the genre’s most authentic cowboy stars, and he’s won multiple awards in the Americana format. But to mainstream listeners and terrestrial radio, Crockett’s music is still uncharted territory. Keep scrolling for a primer on the best Charley Crockett songs for a new fan.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
