Devin Townsend has mounted an impassioned defence of Nickelback and their frontman Chad Kroeger.
In a series of unexpected tweets, the Canadian musician admitted that he’d been hostile towards his countrymen in the past due to “jealousy” but that his views have changed recently.
“As you progress in any field, eventually the ‘lifers’ in a profession find they have a lot more in common than they may have anticipated,” he wrote. “For years I was critical of Nickleback for a number of reasons, not the least of which jealousy and falling into the negative public sentiment.”
Townsend went on to describe Nickelback singer Kroeger as “brilliant”, and revealed that the two had tried to write songs together in recent months.
“He gets a ton of shit, but I have immense respect for the guy now. In fact, I've met very few brilliant people in this industry, but he’s one of them.”
“We tried writing together a bit but it seems we’re on very different planets from each other musically, same passion, but it’s coming from a different place. Regardless, Whatever anyone may think of the guy he’s not full of shit in my opinion and I’m glad to know him. Respect.”
It’s not clear what prompted Townsend, who is working on a new project titled Empath, to offer his unexpected olive branch. You can read his full tweets below.
As you progress in any field, eventually the ‘lifers’ in a profession find they have a lot more in common than they may have anticipated. For years I was critical of Nickleback for a number of reasons, not the least of which jealousy and falling into the negative public sentimentAugust 27, 2018
In part, I had heard through the grapevine that the singer (who came up in the same scene I did) was critical of me as well, so when he and I unexpectedly became friends, I took some time to reflect on my thoughts on his band. I saw them play a few years back and it was greatAugust 27, 2018
Over the past few months him and I have spent some good times together, hanging out, playing guitar, and talking. He became a big help to me in that there’s no competition between us, and a lot of things I was struggling with professionally theres no real resource for adviceAugust 27, 2018
Chad is a real person. He’s exceptionally talented at what he does and he’s above all a good dude who helped me when I needed help. He gets a ton of shit, but I have immense respect for the guy now. In fact, Ive met very few brilliant people in this industry, but he’s one of themAugust 27, 2018
We tried writing together a bit but it seems we’re on very different planets from each other musically, same passion, but it’s coming from a different place. Regardless, Whatever anyone may think of the guy he’s not full of shit in my opinion and I’m glad to know him. Respect.August 27, 2018
