Yesterday, we pointed your attention to Jessica Hopper’s backlash-culminating Vampire Weekend takedown in the Chicago Reader. We think VW front man Ezra Koenig might have seen it as well, because he lashed back at the backlash this morning on Twitter. He starts off by recommending Rolling Stone’s feature on his band, writing “it’s not a puff piece (but at least the dude didn’t twist our words to fit a preconceived idea of what our band represents).†Is that a subliminal shot at Hopper? She didn’t interview Koenig for her piece, but she does use quotes from other interviews. Then: “Anyways, trying to express yourself to the press is often like arguing with a hysterical person.†(Ha!) And finally, “I’m asked how it feels to be called a WASP-y, insensitive, rich kid. I answer honestly. I become a WASP-y, insensitive, rich kid in denial.†We can empathize here: Koenig’s deep into the press run for Contra, and fruitlessly trying over and over to convince people you’re not a spoiled, upper-class jerk, but just some dude trying to be funny, is probably pretty exhausting. Or maybe he’s ornery this morning because his butler spilled grapefruit juice on his favorite Lacoste cardigan.
Ezra Koenig [arzE/Twitter]
Earlier: Vampire Weekend Backlash Culminates With Comparison to Widely Disliked Nation