If you’re going to name your band Black Pussy, you should probably be prepared to take some heat for it. The Portland-based stoner pop quintet took their name from the original title of the Rolling Stones chart-topper “Brown Sugar.” That doesn’t make things any more excusable, in that the song is about a slave owner having sex with a female slave. However, the band has written any controversy about their name off, and even have a disclaimer in their description about their name on their Facebook page. And while it may be a dumb and offensive name, the band feel they should have the freedom to call themselves whatever they want.
However, a change.org petition that was started a few weeks back seeks to have them change their name and offer an apology. Initially, it didn’t really have that much of an impact beyond the type of people that get pissed off an sign change.org petitions generally, garnering about 360 signatures. Then the Daily Dot picked up on the story with the headline “Black feminists are furious about this all-male, all-white band’s racist name.” Since then, the petition has garnered over 1,000 signatures, and as of now, has forced the cancellation of at least one show. According to MetalSucks, the band’s Raleigh, NC show has been canceled due to “serious threats of violence and vandalism to the venue and its staff.” The band issued a statement to MS:
Black Pussy is fully supportive and respectful of every opinion in the growing conversation regarding their name, and welcomes fans of every race, gender, creed, sexual orientation and preference of intoxicant to join the party. With that said, it is with deep regret that we must announce that there have been serious threats of violence and vandalism against the promoter, the staff, and the venue of The Pour House in Raleigh, North Carolina, and out of respect for the venue and the safety of everyone involved, the March 25th show has been cancelled.
We live in a country where it is absolutely imperative that every voice is heard and everyone is encouraged to not only speak their minds but also fully exercise their right to protest what they believe is wrong. However, it is VERY important to recognize the grave irony of a situation where those protesting nothing more than the contentious name of a band that has never stood for anything but positivity and love are the very same people threatening physical harm to others and their property. The band is taking this very seriously. Stay safe out there and make sure you’re spreading nothing but love. – Black Pussy.
Wow. It’s really dumb of Black Pussy to think that people wouldn’t be offended by their stupid name, which at least temporarily is overshadowing any music they make. Oh the other hand, they should be able to call their band whatever they want, and to threaten to physically harm anyone or vandalize a venue over a band’s name is overreacting. And while the petition aims to stop the band from using their name, they’ve inadvertently got a hell of a lot of people saying “Black Pussy” in reporting the story, making the band more popular than they ever were. And while we’re admittedly neither black nor women, we think this is more of a freedom of speech thing than anything else.
[Update] While New Orleans’ Siberia hasn’t canceled the band’s show there tomorrow, they have censored the band’s name, listing them only as “B.P.” for their flyer and their show listing online.
