FEATURE:
Too Late Now
brings about a story that there has been misogyny in the music industry! It is a depressing state of affairs that shows attitudes towards women have not really changed as much as they should. Whether it is a female artist being attacked or denied opportunity, you wonder how much is being done to tackle these attitudes and bring about progression. In terms of that idea of the classic musical muse. I have discussed recently how women in classic tracks are rarely credited or discussed. They do not come out of the woodwork and call out the male artists who get successful using their name or image. It seems, when it comes to men and accreditation, there is this sense of entitlement. Men who are not part of bands anymore who feel like they are owed credit or acclaim because they have this notion they were pivotal. In the case of Doug Richards, he has hit back at Wet Leg. The Isle of Wight band feature the central powerhouse of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. In addition to being heralded and award-winning, they have had to face a lot of misogyny and sexism. Accused of being industry plants when they burst through with a song as astonishing and successful as Chaise Lounge, it is the same crap The Last Dinner Party are facing right now. Picture Parlour are too. In fact, any female band or women in music gets similar accusations when they have this complete and accomplished sound right at the start.
The truth is, and this can be applied to all those who have had to face these misogynistic accusations, is that they are not industry plants. In fact, they have been working a while and touring to make sure that their debut song is as impactful as possible. Raw talent and originality is a reason why Wet Leg have gained the hearts and affection of millions. Indeed, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Williams’ connection and songwriting is what has got them where they are now – throw in the support and skills of the band they play with live. You listen to Wet Leg’s music and their stories and lyrics resonate. Whether they are discussing the mundanities of modern life or focusing on an ex-lover, they are always witty, fresh and memorable. Sadly, as Tom Taylor wrote for Far Out Magazine at the weekend (reacting to an interview published by The Sunday Times), the acclaimed and superb Wet Leg are facing a fresh wave of misogynistic credit-grabbing from a bitter ex of Rhian Teasdale:
“And yet, Wet Leg are once again being smeared, this time not by the ‘industry plant’ brigade but by the disgruntled ex-partner of Rhian Teasdale with nothing more than “dirty laundry” to air—a point he, Doug Richards, admits and then proceeds with all the same.
Richards, taking part in what feels like a dirty tabloid expose, only this time with the Sunday Times, has claimed that his contribution has been written out of history, something that a history’s worth of women know all too well, to such an extent that there is a phrase that dubs them in the background: behind every great man is a great woman. That platform is now being levelled at long last, and with women stepping to the foreground of that phrase, men need to start realising that relationships are about support and nobody gets nor deserves a receipt for their spiritual part in the pact.
This is an absent thought in the recent Sunday Times piece interviewing Richards, where not only is it bemoaned that his minor contributions to the band well before they were signed haven’t been recognised years later when success finally arrived, but shots are also fired at what is termed the ‘Terrible Ex Boyfriend’ genre with Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus also being indicted.
As you might expect, no mention is made of Blonde on Blonde or calls for Bob Dylan to credit his first girlfriend back in Duluth, or even Bon Iver’s muse ‘Emma’, who proved so pivotal to his artistry that she features continually in his songs, while we are led to believe that these great men transcended any influence that their exes had on them, but the women in Wet Leg will forever be indebted… or at the very least that they should take pity on the people from their past.
The fact that when they broke up, Richards was asked to leave the band should surely serve as evidence of the role he played within it. “I also felt like I helped to create it,” is hardly a quote that paints him as an irreplaceable pillar of influence. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, he is being given a platform to candidly muddy the waters of Wet Leg once more, a band that nobody seems to want to accept as important contemporary musicians.
“You can’t make a cake without breaking some eggs,” Richards states in the article regarding the band’s frequent break-up-orientated lyrics. “We all do it. It’s difficult to be the egg though,” he adds. “I realise she wrote these lyrics during the heat of a break-up, but she could have come and told me about it after, given me a heads-up at least”. Why does Rhian Teasdale owe him this for her artistry that may well not have anything to do with him at all? If this was always the case then Leonard Cohen would’ve probably written about nine songs in his whole career before spending the rest of his days rattling off letters to myriad spurned muses.
In another more toxic point cited throughout, Richards states: “It’s just been completely surreal, watching them get massive. I keep thinking, ‘Why does it have to be the No 1 album? Could it not just be No 4 or something?’” While this dent to the ego might be passed off in a lighthearted fashion, ill-wishes to female exes is not a sentiment that should be making its way into the press – no matter how glib – in an era whereby we know how troublesome that narrative can be.
Richards’ concluding statement is that “it’s weird to have all the nice memories from a seven-year relationship tarnished, but of course we had some really happy times,” he says. “I’d like to feel more at peace with it all. It’s hard though, when they’re just everywhere.” That is the same with every single relationship. Certain pubs become untenable, mutual friends have be reconstituted, and songs from the past blare out of the radio to haunt you. While of course there is a comical undertone to the fact that Richards also has billboards to contend with, when you take into account the sullying undercurrent to Richard’s claims against Wet Leg and their art, this seems far from a laughing matter.
In this instance, the entirely normal ordeal of a break-up has been woven into part of a narrative that is becoming more and more common in pop culture: men are taking ownership over women’s achievements or looking to tarnish them once surpassed. I’m sorry for your plight Doug Richards, but nobody would’ve ever known about it if you had never emerged to swing yet another hatchet at a female band finally in a position of progressive influence and sway”.
I am glad that this story has been reported. I am glad, in a way, that a male journalist has written so passionately about ending misogyny and calling out men like Doug Richards. Women not having agency when it comes to their success. If a break-up song seems to be about a particular man, and that song then does well and the artist(s) get popular, that does not mean they should be credited or acknowledged. In this case, Richards’ sour, money and attention-grabbing campaign is a classic case of misogyny. If a male artist had written a lot of songs about broken relationships or they had grown successful partly because of this, you would not get loads of women asking for recompense and apology. Richards was clearly a minor cog in the band’s story. Although he claims to have co-written a few songs, I am not sure what proof he has! His mere existed, maybe?! Wet Leg are successful in spite of him and not because of him! It is convenient that Doug Richards has come out of the woodwork at a moment when Wet Leg are at their peak. He would have a hard time in court arguing he deserves credit and royalties from their songs, so why does he feel that he warrants a platform and degree or compensation because he is – though nothing has been explicitly said about him being named in songs - the subject of some realistic and harsher words?! I guess the more these stories are highlighted, then the quicker there is this shift in narrative. The way women are treated and expected to behave in relation to men. If men can freely get successful from songs where their former exes are mentioned and taken down, then that should be okay or everyone else. To be fair to Wet Leg, they are more than entitled to writing about tough times and break-ups without having to explain themselves!
The Sunday Times should never have run the article! Almost a tabloid story in terms of its pathetic central figure and this scandalisation of people who deserve nothing but respect, adulation and privacy, it is another bit of hate and detriment thrown at Wet Leg. It does muddy their incredible music and legacy! It also sends out this message to women in music that, if you dare to become successful on your own terms and do not credit your former boyfriends when you make it, you are going to be dragged and called out. Too much of this sort of things is happening! So much imbalance, double standards and misogyny is doing huge damage to artists and the industry as a whole. Let’s hope Wet Leg carry on regardless, rather than let a former wannabe tarnish and damage their incredible drive and passion. It makes me wonder whether there will ever be change and proper respect give to women in music.
IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg in early-2023 with their two GRAMMYs (Best Alternative Music Album (for Wet Leg), and another for Best Alternative Music Performance for Chaise Longue)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I know that Doug Richards’ words will be forgotten and he’ll be written out of Wet Leg’s history. What it does leave is this feeling that men will be given this massive platform to accuse and attack women in music when they feel they are owed reparations and a piece of the pie. There are countless women who should be given an equal platform to talk about being discredited, marginalised, harassed, abused, overlooked, and having to deal with misogyny and sexism. Where are all those stories?! Maybe that cold hard truth is a bit too real and raw for the press. Having a tale of a man seemingly (but not) disrespected in songs and not being acknowledged for what he brought to the table. The reality is simple enough: former boyfriend of Rhian Teasdale is no longer in her life and should move on. He is no more than a miniscule footnote! Unfortunately, rather than being ignored and waved aside, a national newspaper has painted him as a victim. Claiming to have also helped name Wet Leg, this story has been reported far and wide since Sunday. Wet Leg have been dogged by misogyny since they started out. This latest story proves that, rather than attack and undermine them, we should all…
RAISE women up!