![]() “Why it took a British band inspired by the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack to successfully repackage roots music for American audiences is still something of a mystery,” wrote the New York Times. Still whatever the product, people were buying in droves. This last part is not even metaphorical the debut album literally features a song called “Dust Bowl Dance.” They seemed rather earnest - and in the world of reviews, this hurt them (the band is “ in the costume business,” wrote Pitchfork). They wrote songs inspired by the work of Steinbeck - novels frequently held up as the ideal of “ when men were men.” They dressed up like they were enamored with the Grapes of Wrath–ness, the Dust Bowl–ness of it all. The four members wore suspenders and waistcoats. The other half was visuals: Mumford & Sons sold a facsimile of a bygone mode of masculinity (“I always felt I was supposed to be a highwayman,” the group’s lead singer Marcus Mumford once wrote). ![]() But what are the consequences of romanticizing this kind of manhood? Does it risk giving the appearance of endorsing outdated values? And who, exactly, gets to dream of traveling back in time to the 1930s? At the height of their career, Mumford & Sons telegraphed a traditionalist aesthetic of masculinity and used it to build their image. (Mumford & Sons did not respond to requests for comment). Marshall’s decision to quit may be surprising to some, but it’s an evolution of the hollow, cosmetic idea of masculinity that the Mumford & Sons project once heavily relied on. Could all this drama really have been stoked over a banjoist’s right to tweet without restraint? Does one really give up being in one of the most successful bands of the millennium to.post? Conservative writer Bari Weiss wrote that the Medium post made her “ stand up and cheer.” Meghan McCain gave Marshall mad props. Marshall “ stands up to cancel culture,” said the New York Post. Upon some additional reflection, Marshall said he found that well, actually “the truth is that my commenting on a book that documents the extreme Far-Left and their activities is in no way an endorsement of the equally repugnant Far-Right.” He doubled down on the tweet he had once apologized for: “The truth is that reporting on extremism at the great risk of endangering oneself is unquestionably brave.” (After Marshall’s departure, the band posted a farewell message to Marshall on their Twitter, writing, “We wish you all the best for the future, Win, and we love you, man.”) In his Medium post, he described the apology as something he wrote “in the mania of the moment” to protect his bandmates. Late last month, he made that sabbatical permanent. “I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates and for that I am truly sorry.” After posting the apology, he announced that he will be taking time away from the band. “I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed,” Marshall wrote. The apology was, by all appearances, sincere. Perhaps because the book had been called things like “ supremely dishonest,” or perhaps because its author hung out with far-right hate groups - please, take your pick - the tweet caused a furor and Marshall apologized on Twitter. ![]() “Congratulations Finally had the time to read your important book. Marshall’s exit was the latest turning point in a saga that began in March, when he praised a book by Andy Ngo, the right-wing provocateur who has made a career of demonizing antifa. In a lengthy missive posted on Medium, Marshall explained that he had departed because he’d like to speak his mind freely, and he wanted to protect Mumford and the rest of the sons from backlash and criticism. But it wasn’t over artistic differences or a disagreement over ambitions or the burnout of touring. Last month, Winston Marshall, the banjoist for Mumford & Sons, quit the band. Look, being the world’s most famous banjoist ain’t nothin’.
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