Published
Tue, Mar 5, 2024, 12:45
- In a recent SoundCloud comment, Richard D. James said controversial opinions attached to a song file aren't his.
Aphex Twin has clarified his position on vaccines after the ID3 tag of a song posted to SoundCloud contained anti-vax sentiments and other conspiracy theories.
"I'm not against them in principle but you should look at them on a case-by-case basis, see what's in them, do your research and decide if it's right for you or your loved ones," user18081971, widely accepted to be Richard D. James, wrote on SoundCloud last Friday, March 1st. "It's up to the individual whether you have them or not."
James's comment was in response to a Reddit user who last week posted a screenshot of an ID3 tag for a track ripped from a 2014 interview with the UK artist. "Vaccines are poisonous, mercury, aluminium can = autism, cancer," the tag read, while also sharing conspiracies about 9/11, Hamas and chemtrails, among other issues.
But James denied responsibility for these remarks. "I put random things in ID3 tags sometimes but this one about vaccines has been changed," he said. "When you get known, people will try and bring you down, it comes with the territory. I recommend trying to find common ground with your fellow humans, rather than dividing yourself into smaller and smaller groups."
He continued: "I should also add for future reference that if you want to know my thoughts on any topic I believe in everything and nothing simultaneously."
It's not the first time James has shared sentiments on vaccines. In 2020, he posted a note online mourning the loss of his father and expressing skepticism towards Covid-19 death statistics. He later clarified his comments, stressing that he didn't think the virus was a hoax, but was "just very worried about the erosion of civil and human rights and how we're going to get them back."
Read James's recent SoundCloud comment in full.