Kirin J Callinan Clears Air With Rhyme Scheme On The Small Screen

In November last year, a pencil-thin moustachioed Kirin J Callinan stared down cameras at the Arias and made a bold (rather, bald) statement. The eccentric, controversial musician did something thats been branded “the IRL equivalent of an unsolicited dick pic”, exposing his bare disco stick to the world.

Any press is good press right? WRONG. The risky, wannabe-artistically-accepted experiment was horrendously received. In the wake of the #METOO movement, and with sexual harassment claims surfacing thicker and faster than Don Burke’s ear-hairs, the senseless actions of Callinan had him slammed on social media and news outlets alike.

In the new year, Brisbane rapper Miss Blanks made it apparent to organisers of St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival that she didn’t feel comfortable sharing a line-up with Kirin J Callinan due to his history of questionable “expressions of art”. Miss Blanks is a part of the ‘1800 LANEWAY Hotline’, which is a strategy focused on making the festival a safe space. The not-so-politically-correct behaviour of Callinan eventually led to Laneway Festival organisers discreetly sliding the artist off the bill.

But after all of Callinan’s commotion, the Sydney-sider has finally dropped the kilt and swallowed his pride. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Callinan opened up about his removal from the Laneway line-up:

My friends, There’s been some talk. Debate & discourse. Much of it positive, some of it misinformed, a small n sanctimonious element too. Regardless o the noise, however, it does not sit well with me one puny pitiful bit that a fellow artist & clearly strong, trans woman of colour could now be shamed or take the blame, be defamed or suffer the same re my recent omission from a certain summertime festivus, regardless o the role she may have played #laneway #lanewayfestival @lanewayfestival @miss.blanks #missblanks She is the exact sort of artist we should all support ~ bold, original, flamboyant, progressive & with somethin to say. Furthermore, it mortifies me to think that she could now be made to feel unwelcome in any way, shape or fabulous form ~ onstage, backstage or on her ig page, at any stage. So I’m saying so, demanding it now, there will be no harassment, there will be no D’s out 4 Miss B in 20 A~teen. There will be tolerance & there will be respect #respect #tolerance #therewillbe I’m serious. Deadly. To say I’m a wee bit disappointed that I will not also be performing for every dusty, sexy, sunburnt woman & man & non-binary human ‘round this beaut n dusty sunburnt land is the understatement o the new year. But more important than some rocking concert, more relevant than resentment or regrets, is respect ~ for each & every one o us. So, be kinder to each other in 2018, be kinder to yourselves and perhaps, one day not too far from now, the world will be big enough, for all of us #allofus #bigenough #thisguysinlovewithyou ? by Annett @annett.bonkowski

A post shared by Kirin J Callinan (@kirinjcallinan) on Jan 30, 2018 at 12:40am PST

Callinan highlighted his disappointment in typically unique fashion, writing:

“To say I’m wee bit disappointed that I will not also be performing for every dusty, sexy, sunburnt woman & man & non-binary human ‘round this beaut n dusty sunburnt land is the understatement o the new year.”

It certainly is disappointing for fans; however, I’m sure every  “woman & man & non-binary human” can understand why his discreet departure was the case. Expressing his disappointment wasn’t the only thing that his silence-breaking Instagram post revealed, as the artist demanded that there be no harassment toward Miss Blanks. Instead, praising the Brissie rapper:

“She is the exact sort of artist we should all support ~ bold, original, flamboyant, progressive & with somethin to say.”

Whilst in addressing his absence from the Laneway line-up, the controversial muso did stand up for his career-shaking catalyst Miss Blanks; this act of ‘class’ and ‘respect’ hoisting many fans back aboard the KJC bandwagon. But the lack of an explicit apology has left a sour taste in the comments section for some… 

You can’t please ‘em all Kirin, at least you tried! Next time, just keep it under the kilt mate.