I posted this to my website. Not a link to this website (nope! I think someone would figure out who I am) but my tumblr. I have a large fanbase of about 18K followers. When I posted the link to the closing remarks and sentencing, I put up a trigger warning. I'm now receiving hate mail - HATE MAIL - from his fans. according to their tumblrs, they *might be 15.
*sigh*
I have a girl I mentor that was the victim for the Blood on the Dance floor incident - which is literally everywhere online. We've talked at length about Ian and how he got away with this.
I wish I could explain how scene music is so much different than rock n' roll or punk. How the crowd is different. How marketing is different and how there are tons of Ian's. I don't think they would rape infants and dogs, but I know many that have had questionable aged girlfriends. Most of which they meet on Warped Tour.
If you're a parent of a teen, I'll tell you the #1 way they get their attention: Twitter. It used to be myspace (most of these bands got their notice during the 2004-2007 myspace days) now it's twitter. Girls tweet insane things at these men who strike up notice of where they live and then get them passes with a plus 1 (meaning one other vip) backstage and onto the bus. Usually the girls are seperated if it looks like one won't be down with what the pedo is into.
Now, not all of these men do it and of course through out history musicians have been with lolita types (Robert Plant anyone?) but social media makes it so much easier for them to scout and groom.
Ian is a very extreme case. I didn't have a lot of interaction with him, I was stuck with him on a very short tour in the UK but not in a way that more than food, passing conversation etc was shared. After it came out (before the arrest) that his ex was online posting proof of him cheating on her with a 16 year old, I made a remark that he reminded me of Ted Bundy. I guess you have to see his eyes up close.
He's truly a psychopath.
