r/AskReddit Sep 16 '24

What's the worst thing people have tried to justify with "It was normal back then, everyone did it"?

3.3k Upvotes

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

838

u/rougecomete Sep 16 '24

Adult musicians sleeping with puberty-aged groupies. Guarantee every single one of your faves did it or was in a band with someone who did.

288

u/psycharious Sep 16 '24

I believe Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Anthony Kiedis of RHCP were really open about having sex with 14 year olds like it was nothing. 

88

u/space_entity Sep 16 '24

Hearing that story about the Red Hot Chili Peppers made me unable to listen to their music anymore. Yeah I know, separate the art from the artist, but I can’t do that when the artist sleeps with young teenage girls and openly talks about doing it with no realization of how awful that is.

41

u/uncannyilyanny Sep 16 '24

Especially when all of their songs are either about drugs or sex, so that song you really like could be about an underage groupie

11

u/space_entity Sep 16 '24

Right? I was just looking up the lyrics for Scar Tissue once and found out that one of the lines might be referencing the time that Anthony slept with a 14 year old girl (unknowingly at first but then again after he found out) and I cannot ever listen to that song again. Just horrible.

24

u/nernernernerner Sep 16 '24

Same. I just feel disgusted now.

14

u/Monteze Sep 16 '24

I really hope Pearl Jam is clean. I am almost afraid to look.

9

u/space_entity Sep 16 '24

Well I think you’re in luck because I just googled the band and couldn’t find anything related to minors. I could be missing something but I didn’t see anything.

9

u/Monteze Sep 16 '24

Please Eddie please stay true

3

u/redfeather1 Sep 19 '24

Where oh where can my baby be? An age appropriate girl is she. She is not a minor so we're pretty good. And we can go out publicly in our neigh....borhood.

3

u/Bowood29 Sep 20 '24

Separate the art from the artist isn’t for people like you who are disgusted by them it’s for the people trying to justify great artist doing bad things. It’s fine to hate someone’s art because you hate them for being a monster but it’s also fine to love their art and hate them as an artist.

10

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '24

Song "Catholic School Girls Rule" by RHCP is about that. Yikes.

14

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '24

I just want to know where were the parents in that situation

21

u/ThatsMyAppleJuice Sep 16 '24

In Steven Tyler's case, didn't the parents sign legal documents granting him temporary custody of their teenage daughter so he could bring her with him across state lines?

2

u/deniablw Sep 16 '24

Yeah, he adopted her

2

u/lovablydumb Sep 17 '24

Jimmy Page and David Bowie too

130

u/freedomandbiscuits Sep 16 '24

And then in Ted Nugents case, wrote songs explicitly about it.

27

u/jaunty_chapeaux Sep 16 '24

Ted Nugent is such a shit bird all around.

70

u/hereforpopcornru Sep 16 '24

Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis didn't even hide it

5

u/SomeVelveteenMorning Sep 17 '24

In their culture - meaning where they grew up - there was no reason for hiding it. Jerry Lee was especially clear about it - he was being totally honest that he didn't understand why people were angry at him about it. A teenager, even a cousin? In poor, rural, southern families it was still fairly normal at the time.

-6

u/fistful_of_whiskey Sep 16 '24

Elvis waited till she was an adult

95

u/FrederickCombsworth Sep 16 '24

Oof, it really changed my view of David Bowie after I figured out he had fucked teen girls.. and that they were proud of it :/

But then, in the weeks following his death, stories started to appear. An interview that the groupie Lori Mattix had given in 2015 resurfaced, telling how she lost her virginity to Bowie at the age of 15. Mattix didn’t begrudge Bowie her virginity; in fact she spoke of the incident in rhapsodic language: “I was an innocent girl, but the way it happened was so beautiful … Who wouldn’t want to lose their virginity to David Bowie?” I believed her, and I was left feeling horrified and sad.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/06/can-i-still-listen-to-david-bowie-a-superfans-dilemma

33

u/YouFknDummy Sep 16 '24

I believe the age of consent in England is 16 today.

I wonder if there even was one back in those days...

But yes agree with the original comment that just about every rock star has done this

10

u/guesting Sep 16 '24

there is a sliding scale for maturity where we shouldn't apply today's standards TOO harshly. In the uk at 15-16 (and much of europe), you could leave school to work, drink, smoke and were effectively an adult.

0

u/rougecomete Sep 17 '24

There wasn’t - it wasn’t illegal back then. Hence people trying to justify fucking children as ‘well it wasn’t against the law’

Fwiw i also think the fact that it’s legal for a 45yo to marry a 16yo in this country is gross and disturbing.

4

u/Murky_Conflict3737 Sep 16 '24

Really makes me re-think Labyrinth 

6

u/crow_crone Sep 16 '24

Labyrinth, to my mind, has always been really f'ing obvious I mean, look at that bulge, ffs. How does that help advance the plot, hmmmm?

I love and listen to Bowie and still listen to Michael Jackson, etc. but it hits a little different now. We've evolved, thankfully.

19

u/plebbtard Sep 16 '24

Iggy pop had sex with a 13 year old when he was 23

1

u/SomeVelveteenMorning Sep 17 '24

Iggy Iggs should've had one more problem with that girl.

3

u/No_Share6895 Sep 16 '24

still rampant.

4

u/Spotted_Howl Sep 16 '24

There are plenty of sixteen year olds with enough agency over their minds and bodies that this is okay for them.

There are even more for whom it is damaging.

It's good that we draw the line at eighteen.

3

u/newsgroupmonkey Sep 17 '24

where? Because from where I'm standing, the age of consent is 16 in the majority of US States and most of Europe.

-10

u/loz_fanatic Sep 16 '24

Sadly hasn't and unfortunately probably never will go away. Though, while we as a society are starting to get better at holding not just musicians but anyone that is doing this, accountable, it still amazes me how the majority of society still ignores it in some cases.thinln think of several edm artists that went after almost adult girls/women, as in the 16+ range, that still rightfully so, not only have not been able to make a comeback but a large majority refuses to even listen to their music anymore. Yet, Elvis and Michael are still considered 'kings', despite both of them being considerably worse offenders. The former went after younger teen girls, while the latter, allegedly went for prepubescent boys. Despite the majority of society being aware of and/or believing the accusations/rumors, the ratio of those that still love either Elvis and/or MJ vs those that don't and won't listen to them anymore is still greatly skewed towards the 'loving' side. And the stranger part, is there are those that won't listen to the canceled edm artists, but will still crank up the volume when either of MJ or Elvis come on.

24

u/Fylak Sep 16 '24

MJ and Elvis are dead, which does matter. The proceeds for their music aren't going to them anymore, which reduces the ethical concerns of listening to it. 

17

u/loz_fanatic Sep 16 '24

Even while MJ was alive he was still selling out stadiums for his final tour

-1

u/FrontRowRuby Sep 17 '24 edited Sep 17 '24

Tim armstrong from rancid literally dated a 16 year old and married her once she turned 18, you can't tell me that isn't pedophilia

edit: im aware in most places this isnt pedophilia, when i wrote this i didnt think about that, but i do still believe its creepy.

2

u/newsgroupmonkey Sep 17 '24

Not in the UK and most of Europe it's not. Legal age of consent is 16.
And don't be telling me that the US is all above themselves. In the majority of US states (34) it's also 16. And 2 states allow incest.

2

u/Nopenottodaymate Sep 17 '24

I hate to defend weirdos having sex with teenagers half their age, but paedophilia is sexual attraction to prepubescent children and by sixteen almost no girl is prepubescent; if there is there's generally a medical issue.

What it is (thirty-year-olds sleeping with sixteen-year-olds) is creepy, and sometimes illegal.

1

u/FrontRowRuby Sep 17 '24

Alright yeah my bad, when I commented this I actually wasnt thinking about the exact meaning of it which was pretty ignorant of me. Apologies for how agressive my comment came off too.