Ryan Adams Blasts Journalist for Portraying Meniere's Disease as "High Drama and Crises"

Photo: Stephen McGill

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Jan 17, 2017

Ryan Adams has taken to social media to speak out against the way he was portrayed in a new interview with Q Magazine. The magazine hit stands yesterday (January 16), and an online teaser for the interview with Adams promises a "run through his career of high drama and crises."
 
Adams has now shared a snippet of the article, which claims he "freaks out" when Q's photographer unexpectedly tests her flash. It reads:
 
"I have ocular migraines," he shrieks, "if you do that, I could have a seizure!"
 
It's like a new twist on shooting himself in the foot — only it's in the head, with a flashgun.
 
Adams objected to his characterization in the piece, offering another explanation of his well-documented battle with Meniere's disease.
 
"TFW @qmagazineuk decide a person would CHOOSE to suffer through years of vertigo, nausea, ocular migraines and seizures from Meniere's Disease," he sarcastically wrote on Instagram.
 
Adams goes on to detail his public recovery from alcoholism, as well as his ongoing struggle with Meniere's, pointing out the array of achievements he's accomplished despite his personal battles.
 
"After 10 years of trying to grow into a life away from madness, from the chains of addiction, from chronic Meniere's it's bizarre to be interviewed by some man who is polite to my face but then chooses to BLAME me for my disease," Adams continues. "To ignore any of the amazing things I have been able to achieve. I have played Carnegie Hall 3 times, I have toured the world over fighting severe compression in my ears and played 2 hour shows to thousands of people no matter if I was sick of not. I didn't cancel one show. I fought for myself."
 
He continued: "I'm 42 and when I am not playing guitar I am a person with friends and animals and a life. This article is horrible. What a horrible person who would have the balls to be such an asshole. I play shows when I am sick for anyone who has Meniere's but can't get up. I think about people suffering from alcoholism and who choose to rise up from that. I work hard to be better. My struggle with Meniere's is NOT my choice. It's a disease. My father has it. I talk to people who suffer and reach out to be helpful. I get up and I work. My supposed time away from music is characterized as some farce. I was sick for years. I was sober and fought hard to find treatment for constant vertigo and nausea and pain."
 
From there, Adams also accuses Q of shoddy fact-checking, citing incorrect references to living in New York, his friendship with Meg White, and even a doctored photo of him and Taylor Swift onstage together.
 
 

TFW @qmagazineuk decide a person would CHOOSE to suffer through years of vertigo, nausea, occular migranes and seizures from Meineres Disease. RockandRoll is a lifestyle when you have lived your entire life making it. It's a weird business where songs and content can be misconstrued. Growing up in the public eye as an alcoholic was horrible. I survived it. I survived and have done my best to better myself for being ignorant and foolish but I am openly candid that I don't believe my songcraft should begin with a motive to aquire money or quest for fame. After 10 years of trying to grow into a life away from madness, from the chains of addiction, from chronic Menieres it's bizarre to be interviewed by some man who is polite to my face but then chooses to BLAME me for my disease. To ignore any of the amazing things I have been able to achieve. I have played carneige hall 3 times, I have toured the world over fighting severe compression in my ears and played 2 hour shows to thousands of people no matter if I was sick of not. I didn't cancel one show. I fought for myself. I'm 42 and when I am not playing guitar I am a person with friends and animals and a life. This article is horrible. What a horrible person who would have the balls to be such an asshole. I play shows when I am sick for anyone who has Menieres but can't get up. I think about people suffering from alcoholism and who choose to rise up from that. I work hard to be better. My struggle with Menieres is NOT my choice. It's a disease. My father has it. I talk to people who suffer and reach out to be helpful. I get up and I work. My supposed time away from music is characterized as some farce. I was sick for years. I was sober and fought hard to find treatment for constant vertigo and nausea and pain. Your journalist didn't fact check much. I dont live in NYC. Nor did I ever in the basement of @electricladystudios I was friends with Meg White who is an awesome person. You WANT me to be something more dramatic than I am. For instance... I was never onstage with @taylorswift - you doctored a photo to make it seem like I was... I wonder how she will feel about that.

A photo posted by Ryan Adams (@misterryanadams) on


 
In addition to condemning the Q piece on Instagram, Adams also let off a string of tweets on the subject. Read those below.
 



As previously reported, Adams's next album Prisoner is due out on February 17 through Pax-Am.

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