Titus Andronicus Frontman Defends '13 Reasons Why' Against Car Seat Headrest's Criticism

"Real artists don't wanna be censored bc y'all can't deal"

BY Sarah MurphyPublished May 2, 2017

The Selena Gomez-produced 13 Reasons Why has caused a shitstorm of controversy since its release last month, garnering letters home to parents at school boards across the country, warnings from mental health organizations and a designation as "kind of fucked" from the one of show's soundtrack contributors, Car Seat Headrest.
 
That string of tweets from Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo has now been met with opposition from another notable indie rock name. Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles took to Twitter yesterday (May 1), responding to Toledo's summation of the show.
 
After straight-up asking Toledo what he did with the money earned from the show's soundtrack (so far, he hasn't received a response), Stickles urged viewers: "Don't be afraid of the dialogue."
 
He goes on to outline his own battle with suicidal thoughts, and argues that "Pretending that suicide isn't real, and keeping it out of the art so it doesn't give anybody ideas, is the opposite of art's purpose."
 
He also singles out Toledo, claiming that just because a piece of art isn't helpful to "one particular indie rock singer," that doesn't mean it isn't helpful to others. Insisting that the world isn't one person's "private space," he claims that "real shit" is happening and "real artists" shouldn't be censored because "y'all can't deal."
 
Finally, he deems Toledo's approach — accepting money from the project and then bashing it and trying to take it away from viewers who do find the show helpful — "selfish and typically millennial."
 
Stickles did close by extending an offer to Toledo to "slide up in my DMs" to start a dialogue, but he has yet to publicly respond to Stickles's string of messages. Read the Titus Andronicus singer's side of the argument below.
 















 
As reported yesterday (May 1), Netflix has confirmed that additional trigger warnings will be added to the first episode of the series.
 
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can access information about 24-hour crisis centres across Canada here.

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