Following the recent resurfacing of a note promoting conspiracy theories relating to vaccines that seems to have been written by Aphex Twin back in 2014, the electronic musician has once again clarified his stance on vaccines. The note read, “vaccines are poisonous, mercury, aluminum can+ autism, cancer”, and references other conspiracies including 9/11 and chemtrails. A Reddit user discovered an ID3 tag apparently written by the musician which contained the note.
Richard D. James, Aphex Twin’s real name, has since taken to Soundcloud to explain the situation, explaining that he sometimes puts random things in ID3 tags, but that the note about vaccines has been changed. He went on to explain that people will always try to bring him down, but that he recommends trying to find common ground with others instead of dividing oneself into smaller groups. He clarified that he is not against vaccines in principle, but that individuals should look at them on a case-by-case basis and do their own research before deciding if they are right for them or their loved ones.
This is not the first time that Aphex Twin has had to clarify his views on controversial topics. In 2020, the musician was forced to clarify his stance on coronavirus after he left a comment on his own Soundcloud saying, “You stupid tin foil hat wearing idiot. said the person wearing a 2-month-old soggy mask”. James received criticism for his comment, prompting him to clarify that he does not believe COVID-19 is a hoax, but is concerned about the erosion of civil and human rights brought on by the pandemic.
Aphex Twin released his latest EP, Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760, in July 2020, marking his first new music in five years. The EP’s lead track was later included on NME’s 50 Best Songs of 2023 list, and even spawned its own augmented reality app.
Overall, Aphex Twin seems to urge people to be cautious and research vaccines on their own before deciding whether or not to receive them, while advocating for a society that finds common ground instead of dividing itself along smaller and smaller groups
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