Modest Mouse has sidelined guitarist Simon O\u2019Connor amid allegations he\u2019d sent a sexually explicit, racially overtoned image to a teen, though he insisted it was all a big misunderstanding, while admitting a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimon O\u2019Connor will not be joining us on the upcoming tour,\u201d the Pacific Northwest indie rock band announced Friday on social media after a young female fan publicised racy DMs she said she\u2019d received on the verge of her 17th birthday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSIMON calls your bluff,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote, followed by a photo meme of a naked, dark-skinned male body builder whose private parts were hidden behind a smiley face sticker, then added, \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teen replied, \u201cit\u2019s all good,\u201d assuming he\u2019d been hacked and complimenting his music, but O\u2019Connor said no, that her bikini photos and a \u201cparty night\u201d were the culprits. She advised him to \u201cget some sleep,\u201d and O\u2019Connor replied with a salute \u2014 then apparently attempted to have the last word.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you did blindside me with a gaggle of likes and then very little intro besides bikini pics, so we are both to blame,\u201d he wrote. In the next screenshot, that had disappeared and been replaced with, \u201cI did it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor, 42, on Monday tried to explain that he thought he was dealing with a longtime prankster who had dogged him \u201cthroughout my adult life\u201d but had realised his mistake a few minutes later, unsent the messages and cut off communication. He apologised to the fan and copped to exercising \u201cpoor judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Modest Mouse replaced him with Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav, labelling the move a \u201c tour update\u201d without giving a reason. It was not clear Monday whether O\u2019Connor, who joined the band in 2021 and played on its latest album An Eraser And A\u00a0Maze,\u00a0was permanently out.<\/p>\n
The Modest Mouse tour kicks off in Ojai, California, on Tuesday and runs through Jan\u00a018 of next year. The band will play New York City\u2019s The Rooftop at Pier 17 on Oct\u00a08.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to being out there with you all,\u201d Modest Mouse said. \u2013 New York Daily News\/TNS<\/p>\n
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