Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack has further delved into the dynamic of his longtime friendship with tourmate Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse and offered a more in-depth explanation as to why he is touring with the musician despite backlash from some BVB fans over Ronnie’s divisive views that the singer has shared on social media.
Shortly after the recent tour leg started, Biersack posted on the X social media platform a statement addressing the backlash. In it, he expressed the kindness that Radke had afforded his band over the years, explained that fans need not come to a show if they were uncomfortable doing so and suggested that using the tour as a means to grandstand on moral grounds was a myopic viewpoint.
Not long after, Radke hopped online to address some of the commentary being directed at Biersack after one fan suggested he was ignoring some of the “blatant bigoted & transphobic things” that Radke has said. The Falling in Reverse singer challenged that narrative and added, “I’ve done more for the LGBTQ [community] than any of these little fucking twerps have ever done. In my 20 year career, I’ve done way more for them than you will ever do.”
Now, in an interview with Rock Feed, Biersack spoke more in-depth about his friendship with Radke, the perception that touring with him implies a blanket acceptance of the singer’s views and why ultimately whether he agrees with those views or not is not the determining factor in touring with Falling in Reverse.
What Andy Biersack Said About Ronnie Radke
In his previous post on X, Biersack admitted up front that he was afraid his comments wouldn’t land properly due to a presupposition about Radke formed by readers. But with an interview platform, the Black Veil Brides singer was not capped by social media character limits and his free flowing explanation might be a better representation of his argument for touring with Falling in Reverse.
“There is a lot of conversation that is had about … the characteristics of [a person’s] intent when it comes to things they say. I think obviously there is validity to those things because who you are is ostensibly the brand that you present and that is true,” starts Biersack. “But the way that I have always viewed Ronnie has always been through the prism of there is an undeniable charisma or rock star characteristic about this person that you would be hard pressed to deny. Have he and I always seen eye to eye on things? Absolutely not. Even when we toured together there would maybe be things that we disagreed on.”
He adds of his past interactions with the singer, “The one thing that has always been true is that he is somebody that anytime I’ve ever had a conversation with him, he very clearly has good intentions and a good heart. He and I disagree on a great many things, but to me it doesn’t matter. The people that you respect or work with do not have to share the same value system or beliefs as you to know that they are talented or valid or worthy of the position that they have.”
Public Vs. Private Citizens
The singer then turns the discussion to addressing how being in the public eye somehow doesn’t afford you the same ability to disagree with someone but still find common ground that people in everyday life seem to have.
“That nuance is something that is really lost culturally in that it applies to people who are not in our position however it doesn’t apply to people who are in our position,” said the singer, then offering an example.
“If you work at a retail store and eight of the nine employees who work with you have diametrically opposed political views than you, are you fighting them all day long about those political views or is it more likely that you would find the common ground so you could get through the day? Because they are a person, too. That is something that is afforded to everybody but people who are in the public space,” he explained. “I’m not saying cry for us because we’re famous. That’s not my case. But I do think there is a lack of nuance that is sometimes seen where you can find somebody to be a net good without every single thing that they say, espouse or believe to be in line with the things that you think.”
READ MORE: Andy Biersack Steps In After His Name Is Used to Bully Another Musician
What Else Andy Biersack Said
He adds, “I also think that much is made about people’s intent from people who don’t know them. Ronnie and I know each other and have and have always had a positive relationship, but this isn’t somebody that is among the closest people in my life. But I’ve never had an interaction that I felt was in a way where I was being disrespected or that someone was unkind and I would not go on tour with somebody if I did not believe that their heart was not good.”
He continues, “There are a great many people in my life that say things that I think are absolutely insane. There are people that I love who say things that I disagree with, vehemently. That is not the position that I have to have the most joy in my life. As someone who has a tremendous amount of anxiety and somebody who is just trying to get by and be a good person, the thing that I want to spend the least time on is finding ways that I can pick apart the individuals who have been kind to me so that I can litigate their validity within my life. That sounds A) like bullshit and B) like a huge waste of time.”
Within the Rock Feed interview itself, Biersack details how exactly he first met Radke in a period before he had even formed Black Veil Brides and explains how that friendship evolved throughout the years. Check out more of the chat below. You can also see all tour dates and get tickets for the run through the Black Veil Brides website.
Black Veil Brides’ Andy Biersack Chats With Rock Feed
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