Glastonbury Festival 2015: Change.Org Petition Asks to Remove Kanye West as Headliner
A petition has been circulating throughout the Internet in the last couple of days demanding the Glastonbury Festival remove rapper Kanye West as headliner.
The American hip-hop artist is the second of the genre to headline the festival, which is dominated by rock music.
The Change.org petition appeared after Glastonbury announced on Twitter that West would headline the Saturday night show of the festival. Both the festival’s official account and the Twitter account of organizer Emily Eavis announced the rapper’s appearance.
The petition, which has gathered more than 88,000 signatures, asks the organizers to “Cancel Kanye West's headline slot and get a rock band.” The petition, started by Neil Lonsdale, argues West is not an appropriate choice for a music festival because of his opinions on music as well as his music.
“Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world,” Lonsdale wrote. “We spend hundreds of pounds to attend Glasto, and by doing so, expect a certain level of entertainment.”
“Kanye has been very outspoken on his views on music,” he continued. “He should listen to his own advice and pass his headline slot on to someone deserving! [Let's] prevent this musical injustice now!”
The reference to his “views on music” probably refers to his rudeness towards Beck, who won Best Album at the Grammys. However, West later apologized on Twitter.
In an interview with NME, Lonsdale explains why he started the petition even though this would be his first time attending Glastonbury.
"My beef is not with the genre. My beef is with the stage and the fact it's a headline slot,” he said. He then explained that West does not "represent anything. His songs are lyrically appalling." Lonsdale also said he "totally disrespected Beck" and called his performance at the BRIT awards “just threatening".
Lonsdale said he started the petition as a joke and did not expect it to gather as much attention as it has. However, he does not mind it.
"Don't get me wrong, if it works, then I'll be more than happy. I'm not surprised it's popular though,” he said. “Festivals are about people coming together through their love of music and song, and creating something magical.”
Neither West nor the Glastonbury organizers have commented on the petition. The festival will begin on June 24 and end on June 28 at Worthy Farm in Somerset. The festival started in 1970.
This year’s line up so far includes Lionel Ritchie and the Foo Fighters as well as West.
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