Ian Brown isn’t the poster child of pandemic conspiracy theories we expected, but the past year has since the Stone Roses legend lean into cuckoo caca insano behaivour.
In September last year, Brown penned a number of bizarre Twitter rants — sharing seemingly anti-vax rhetorics and claiming that the coronavirus pandemic was planned.
“NO LOCKDOWN NO TESTS NO TRACKS NO MASKS NO VAX,” he wrote. “#researchanddestroy.”
Later that month, Brown doubled down on his coronavirus conspiracy theories, claiming the pandemic, which he dubbed a a “plandemic” was “planned designed to make us digital slaves.”
The musician took his furore further, releasing an anti-lockdown anthem ‘Little Seed Big Tree’. The track reiterates his controversial views with lyrics like: “A sonic lockdown in your home town/ A sonic lockdown, can you feel me now?/ A sonic lockdown, state shakedown, a mass breakdown/ Put your muzzle on, get back in your basket/ Get behind your doors cos living here is drastic.”
Check out ‘Little Seed Big Tree’ by Ian Brown:
Now, Ian Brown has accused Spotify of censorship after the song was removed from its platform.
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“SPOTiFY stream the streams and censor artists like they have with my last song TOOK IT DOWN just put it down the memory hole!” he tweeted. “FREE EXPRESSiON AS REVOLUTiON”
SPOTiFY stream the streams and censor artists like they have with my last song TOOK IT DOWN just put it down the memory hole! FREE EXPRESSiON AS REVOLUTiON
— Ian Brown (@ianbrown) March 12, 2021
In a statement provided to NME, a Spotify spokesperson confirmed: “Spotify prohibits content on the platform which promotes dangerous false, deceptive, or misleading content about COVID-19 that may cause offline harm and/or pose a direct threat to public health. When content that violates this standard is identified it is removed from the platform.”
Earlier this month, Brown pulled out of a scheduled headliner appearance at Neighbourhood Weekender because attendees were required to show proof that they had received the coronavirus vaccination.
“My Saturday night headline show at NHBD Weekender Festival will now not happen!” he wrote on Twitter. “I refuse to accept vaccination proof as condition of entry. Refunds are available! X”
