Travis Scott Gives His First Interview Since The Astroworld Tragedy
Do Travis Scott and Alec Baldwin share the same damage control expert or something? And is that damage control expert working off a book called Fuck The Investigation, Open Your Mouth and Let The Denial Spill Out. Because much like Alec Baldwin, Travis Scott has decided to sit down for a formal interview in which he very sincerely and seriously states that he’s in no way responsible for the ten deaths that happened at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, TX last month.
Travis’ nearly one-hour-long interview took place with Charlamagne Tha God, in what appears to be a car dealership sales floor. But despite Travis working a casual head-to-toe denim look, Travis made it clear that he’s hurting, because his fans mean everything to him, and because the tragedy took place in his hometown. via NBC News:
“It gets so hard because, you know, I always feel connected with my fans. I went through something and I feel like fans went through something and people’s parents went through something. And it really hurts. It hurts the community, it hurts the city.
It’s been a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving. Just trying to wrap my head around it. I really just want to be there. Wish you could just hold everyone, talk to them, have conversations. It hurts.”
There’s currently an investigation into what happened at Astroworld, and 300 lawsuits remain open and active (like the $2 billion class-action lawsuit that was filed on behalf of 282 victims). So, this situation is ongoing, and one that likely won’t be wrapped up in a tidy package any time soon.
Travis’ lawyers recently filed documents asking for one of the several lawsuits against him to be dismissed, as he believes he’s not the one responsible for the 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries sustained when the crowd became unmanageable and rough at the first of his Astroworld shows back on November 5th, 2021. Travis’ own spokesperson has previously said that Travis wasn’t responsible for the chaos at the show and that it wasn’t his responsibility to stop the show when it got out of hand, and now Travis himself is saying much of the same thing. It might have been Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, but it’s not Travis Scott’s Problem Now.
Charlamagne Tha God asked why the concert continued for another 40 minutes even after officials declared it a mass casualty event.
“They told me, right after the guests get on stage, we’re gonna end the show. And that’s what we did. Other than that, there was no communication,” Scott said.
“They didn’t say, ‘Stop now?’” Charlamagne Tha God asked.
“No,” Scott replied.
“I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution,” he said. “Hopefully this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on.”
After being pressed by Charlamagne about whether Travis has been actively encouraging dangerous crowd behavior at his shows, Travis says the only thing he’s guilty of is promoting a super fun time! And if anyone felt they were in danger, well – that’s on them to make like a tree and leaf.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for a while of just creating these experiences…as artists we trust professionals to make sure that if things happen, people leave safely. In concerts, we’ve grown it to be an experience of having fun, not harm. It’s about letting go and having fun.”
Except that it looked like very few people were having fun that night. Or at previous Travis Scott shows, where people have been injured after he encouraged violence and dangerous behavior. Maybe consider working on something else for a while? Like how to put on a show where people don’t leave in neck supports. But what am I saying? Travis isn’t the one responsible here. These decisions are for someone else to work on. So please, stop suing the man, and let him and Kylie Jenner get back to their regularly scheduled programming of cosplaying as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Pic: YouTube