Sex, Drugs, And Bubblegum Pop is the most outlandish column on UTG. Written by Mr. Jayce, vocalist for Secret Secret Dino Club and all-round funny guy, this column isn’t as much about the music as it is the experiences people in the music industry have.

WARNING: This column does and will continue to contain content some readers may find offensive. If you don’t have a sense of humor, this column is probably not for you.

I remember being 15 and marking my own hands with x’s and sneaking in through the back door of Northern Lights, which was the premiere venue in my area. I got dropped off by myself because I couldn’t convince any of my friends to go see New Found Glory and Give Up The Ghost. I got to meet the bands which at the time was a big deal to me. They were in bands traveling around the country and playing to hundreds of kids every night, which made me think they were larger than life, and in a sense they were. 

It took me a few years, but I figured out most of my heroes were just regular dudes. And after playing a lot of shows, you learn that not all these heroes are larger than life, and some of them are pathetic. But there was a time where I’d give the shirt off my back for someone in a band no questions asked. But with modern technology, it keeps making it easier to see that the people you look up to fuck up a lot.

Yesterday I read a disturbing story on this very website about some nu-metal singer named Jonny Craig. I had somewhat followed his scandal before just because I love hearing stories of bad people fail. Apparently this guy scams his fans and buys a bunch of heroin and stays at their houses. People excuse it because “he has a gift” or “he has a problem”. I will never understand how a “gift” can excuse someone for being a terrible person. He takes the kids who look up to him for whatever reason and uses them to feed his selfish and pathetic habits. To me that’s just a fucking loser and I don’t care if I ever hear his voice (never bothered to listen).

Whether it’s a musician, or an actor or a friend, don’t let people take advantage of you because you look up to them. There are lots of genuinely good people out there to look up  to. People who play music to show people the good in life, not to utilize such a wonderful tool to feed their own personal demons. If some idiot singer in a band takes advantage of you, let it be know and don’t stand for it.

I’m sick of people defending this idiot for any reason. And it’s pathetic his management and label ever tried to continue to push this loser on people, as if anything he had to sing needed to be heard. Let this loser hide in Canada and don’t go to another show he plays or listen to another song he sings.

Mr. Jayce

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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