Art is my career. Gira calls accusation a ‘slanderous lie’ after his label protege Grimm took to Facebook to post an account of alleged abuse, Last modified on Thu 22 Feb 2018 11.21 GMT. As she wrote in her recent social media postings about that night, I said to her, "this doesn't feel right," and abruptly but completely our only intimate encounter ended. The allegation against Gira was made by singer-songwriter Larkin Grimm, who posted what she claims to be an account of the pair’s relationship on her Facebook page, including what she says is a detailed recollection of the incident. In the latter half of the 90s, Swans' material saw a rebirth in the form of an extensive series of reissues via Young God Records, band leader Michael Gira's own label. I will respond vigorously to defend my name against this horrible slur. It was an awkward mistake. Gira called Grimm's accusations "a slanderous lie" on his personal Facebook page. The "Demons darkening my soul" are the men like you who interfere with my ability to do my work as a musician. This is a job I am good at. Grimm: "This is a perfect example of why we need to have education about consent. ", A daily roundup of the most important stories in music, Liam Gallagher Shares New Song “All You’re Dreaming Of”: Listen, How Did the Fake Cult Leader From the Movie, i_o, Grimes’ “Violence” Collaborator, Dead at 30, Listen to Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff Chat About New Jersey, Watch Lil Baby Perform “Emotionally Scarred” at AMAs 2020, Cloud Nothings, Sad13, Dan Deacon, More Feature on New Carpark Covers Album: Listen, called Grimm's accusations "a slanderous lie". He would tell me he loved me and that he would leave his wife for me. I said no to you many times before that day, begged you not to interfere with me sexually, even made it a part of a verbal agreement we had when I signed a contract with you. In the end, this is about business. I trust in the intelligence of those who have followed my work and respect me as a person, to know this is NOT the person I am. You assured me that I could trust you. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. All I want is to be left in peace while I am working. I long ago apologized to my wife and family and told them the truth about this incident. In an official statement through his publicist, Gira has acknowledged the spring 2008 night in question, but calls the incident "an awkward mistake." Michael would call frequently to talk about the progress on my record and to talk dirty to me. The fact that a man in power can throw a women's life and work away like they are garbage, simply because she won't sleep with him, is an immoral injustice that happens to many, many women in music. Unfortunately, this was still rape. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Pitchfork may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. When we met, the interactions were often sexually charged and I would squirm out of them as best I could. I won't stand for it and neither should you. Update (2/27, 9:40 a.m.): Grimm sent us a statement in response to Gira's comments, which she calls "an admission of guilt." Gira, however, has described the claims as a “horrible slur”. Swans frontman Michael Gira has defended himself from an accusation of rape, calling it a “slanderous lie”. Swans' Michael Gira Issues Statement on Rape Accusations, Larkin Grimm Responds Gira: "It was an awkward mistake." Eight years ago, while I was still married to my first wife, Larkin Grimm and I headed towards a consensual romantic moment that fortunately was not consummated. She says that Grimm is “mentally unbalanced” and that her words should not be reported as fact.