Colin Mee Leaves Deerhunter
The NYC-based amongst you are probably doing exactly what we are: counting the hours 'til the kick-off of a long weekend promising good weather and, starting at 7PM, the free show of the summer: Deerhunter and Battles at the Seaport Music Festival! (You bring the map, Battles will bring the "Atlas.") No excuse to miss it. But before you take off on that extended afternoon-through-Tuesday coffee break, we have some sad news to report regarding our beloved, Kranky shoegazers: Colin Mee has resigned as resident noisemaking guitarist for Deerhunter.
Precious little more to report, unfortunately; we don't know the circumstances surrounding Colin's departure (sick of Bradford's fights with journalists?), although we have learned from a source at Kranky Records that Mee didn't perform at the band's show last night, either. So for now the band is back to being a four-piece. More details when we get 'em. For now, the band in content-quintet times...
[Left to right: Josh Fauver, Colin Mee, Bradford Cox, Lockett Pundt, Moses Archuleta]
UPDATE: Colin reached out to us to share his side of the story...
I essentially wasn't passionate enough about Deerhunter to maintain the time commitment that it required. I'm very sad that it ended the way it did, but it was too much of a strain on my schedule and what we stood for in the media (which was probably what led to people buying our album and coming to our shows) didn't reflect anything about my tastes or values, so it wasn't as much of a priority to me. The circumstances of me leaving were that I couldn't make it to a couple of shows we had booked next weekend and that was unacceptable to certain bandmates. I feel like I let them down as well as many friends and colleagues but I just had to make a difficult decision and I didn't want to play any more shows that I wasn't going to be happy with. I'll add that I have nothing against anyone and I'm sure things will work out fine.Best of luck to Colin and the Deerhunter gang. Kranky says that tonight Bradford will be on guitar, and plans are for the band to move forward as a quartet. See ya at the Seaport.
Posted at 1:42 PM
Tags: Deerhunter
One less idiot !
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hey, you all are still talented and awesome live!!!
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Haha, I love band drama.
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one down, four to go.
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I think it's important to say, as I often have, that Colin was the foxy one, and I'll miss his pouty lips. :(
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i'm getting tired of reading about this band....next
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Is he the one who blew Bradford on stage?
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lol at "reached out to us".
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to the people who said one down, four to go
FUCKING RIGHT!
deerhunter news, blah blah, they're the indie version of britney spears, i know whenever the fuck bradford cox jerks off or blows a guy behind a bathroom.
who the fuck cares? are they that good that every good website becomes US magazine when something comes out about them?
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I think so
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I think so too.
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Same here.
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agreed with everyone. i'm actually kinda just glad this isn't a dan deacon post.
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He shared more with Pitchfork (you left out some juicy bits of drama 'gum):
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/45312-guitarist-colin-mee-explains-why-he-left-deerhunter
Gotta say I agree completely with the guy. If I was in that band I'd get tired as hell of Cox's antics. He seems like an obnoxious, attention seeking twat.
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It appears that Colin is the only member of that band who has any sense of dignity or self respect. 99.9% of the shit that they say, either in their blog or in interviews, is total bullshit/desperate attention groping. Bradford is not who he pretends to be in interviews--he is a saavy turd salesman. Unfortunately, they've figured that they only need to do whatever you want them to--if you want clowns they'll strap on the wigs and make-up and happily oblige.
Bottom line= you people made the monster...now how are you going to get rid of it?
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It is far too early in a band's life to disintegrate like this. Yes, Mee has been referred to as a minor player and the band can go on without him, but groups are usually much more famous before they flake out and fall apart.
Suggestion to Cox: pour some gelatin into the toilet, pull that shit together, or flush it all away.
DwD
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Where was this past Friday at the seaport the desperate attention Deerhunter is always looking for?
They are making great music, that's what counts to me.
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Agreed - I could care less about the ongoing indie blog media train following them (though some of it is mildly entertaining) but if they manage to make more music as good as Cryptograms or Fluorescent Grey then I'll still be interested in the band.
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cox is a d-bag. i remember reading something on pitchfork where he interviewed Stephen Malkmus and kept asking him inappropriate questions about Malkmus and Dave Berman having sex and then incessantly hitting on Malkmus.
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Damn am I out of the loop. The first time I heard a Deerhunter song was literally yesterday, I didn't even know they were getting the type of attention to be the "indie Britney Spears".
Kindof sucks how pissy members led him to leave, but good for him, at the same time.
In the meantime, I plan on continuing to enjoy their tunes. :P
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this band really is good. it's too bad the front man is just that weird kid from school who has to act out in an attempt to become (actually) famous and legitimize his talent when it's clearly already there on record. i actually think the kid who left was the only one who thought the guy was a jackass. good for him...he's right.
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