Derek Webb Controversy?
The Background:
I’ve been following the career of Derek Webb since he was in Caedmon’s Call years back. He has become a HUGE voice in my life. She Must and Shall Go Free was a game changer for me! It was released during a time that I was questioning the local church and it’s place in the God equation. I was truly brought to tears when I heard the lyrics of his song The Church,
you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church
All to say, Derek Webb is a poet and has an incredible view of God and His Church.
The Controversy:
It seems that Derek and his label have not been seeing eye to eye regarding his new album, Stockholm Syndrome. All content has been pulled from his myspace and his website has been replaced with copies of two emails he wrote to his subscribers. You can read the criptic emails below.
Email #1 (5/12/09):
friends-
i haven’t sent many personal emails to this email list but we’re in a situation that has gotten a little out of control and it’s time to fill you in. as some of you may know, i’ve been working for months on my new record, ’stockholm syndrome’, which i’ve recently finished and turned in to the record label. they’ve been very supportive over the years, but this time we didn’t get the response we expected. it seems i’ve finally found the line beyond which my label cannot support me, and apparently i’ve crossed it.i consider this my most important record and am adamant about all of you hearing it. we had originally hoped to have ’stockholm syndrome’ out this month (next week even), but at this point we’re not sure when the record will come out and in what form. the majority of the controversy is surrounding one song, which i consider to be among the most important songs on the record. so we’ve decided it’s an appropriate time to break the rules.
but because of various legal/publishing issues we’re having to be rather careful with how we do what we need to do. that’s really all i can say for now and i’ve probably said too much.
this is our plan and we’re moving ahead, but we’re not sure what kind of trouble we might be getting into. we’ll let you know as soon as we know our next move-
derekEmail #2 (5/19/09):
friends-
this is turning into a bigger deal than we expected. as a result, we’re having to temporarily _pull everything online down (can’t explain now). and to be on the s_afe side, i’m going to pe_rsonally go offline while we sort this out. i re_ally shouldn’t use my twitter account for now either so _don’t expect any updates there.make no m_istake, our trouble with the label over content i_s very r_eal, and not as simple as one word; we’re backed into a corner. but we have applied all of our creative resources to th_is, working furiou_sly to create something that we believe not only subverts any leg_al issues but should also be a _pretty wild ride.
so this will be the l_ast email for a while. we’ll t_ry to lea_k information via a new tw_itter account, @ssyndrome. you’re o_n your own so start payin_g attention. i’l_l see you _on the o_ther side-
derek
Obviously many questions are raised by these emails.
On one hand, Derek talks about the power of this album and I find it hard to believe his label would not support him! Let’s be real, the guy has proven himself. I say this without hearing the album nor fulling understanding it’s content so take that for what it is.
On the other hand, Derek is genius when it comes to creating a buzz. There are some who believe this is more of a marketing ploy than a controversy. I would be one of them. Can you say that you will “leak information” on your official site? There are also some hidden “easter eggs” on his site that cause me to raise an eyebrow.
Judge for yourself.
Things to get you started…
1) You may want to follow the new twitter he talks about in the 2nd email.
2) On Derek Webb.com there is an ellipsis toward the bottom right of the page. Click it and type in kickdrum when it asks you “what do you want”. This will take you to a huge picture of Derek. To be honest, this is as far as I have gone down the rabbit hole.
3) If you want more go to this blog and read the comments. These guys have “cracked the code” and it’s been fun to uncover hidden songs and backdoors to that take you all over the place.
As I said, I’m leaning toward marketing stunt and I say well done sir. Either way, I cannot wait for Stockholm Syndrome to blow us all away!
-David
One more vote for hoax.
What’s going on with all the underscores in that last email?
The underscores are some sorta code to crack.
It’s like Cloak and Dagger stuff.
For all interested check out http://www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com/
“paradise is a parking lot”
i say its hype.
brilliant stuff.
Derek has always made a career (much like Anne Lamott and Donald Miller) off of words that seem to stir up “controversy” and, at times, offend.
If this is a lure to nab the consumer with the bait of curiosity, then Derek Webb will have joined the ranks of artists that have turned their voice into a clamoring gimmick just to raise record sales and push personal agendas.
As much as he crusades for the detoxification of the Christian mind, his polarizing views and words that cast so much attention on himself seem to have an a similarly distracting effect away from what is actually important.
David,
You’re totally right. It is a marketing stunt. I do wonder to what extent, though. Was there any controversy or was it all just made up?
I’ve posted an updated blog entry with all the clues and info that have been discovered so far. Including a brand new song from Derek.
Judging from the new song, the album should be brilliant!
Kat,
I really enjoy your blog!
So stoked to check out the new song! Thanks for keeping us up to date.
On the picture after you type in kickdrum there is a hidden url under his right eye. Go to it and there is another password thing.
I saw that.
Have you downloaded the free song?
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/What_Matters_More/22994349
You can listen to the controversial song, in its entirety, by clicking the link above. It is not downloaded to your computer, you just listen to it online.
Jess, thanks for the link. What do you think? I’m digging it
matthew,
I am a Derek Webb fan and find his words challenging and convicting. but perhaps you’re right in the sense that his clever language leaves you thinking more about him than the issues that matter. however, i think we may be able to say the same things about the prophets in the O.T. much of their writings were very poetic. perhaps people said the same thing about them, that their “lyrics” drew too much attention to themselves. it seems to me that if you want to speak the truth in love to a group of people, be it christians or not, and you have the gift of catching peoples’ attention with your rhetoric, you should probably use it. i think his own lyrics may serve to keep him in check. just a thought.
Somebody objective at the record company, decided that the message of the song wasn’t worth the controversy of the language. Good tune but not his best work…
But the controversy has helped spread his work and message to folks who otherwise wouldn’t know about it. Everything works to the good…
Mitch,
I fully agree. Got to say it was genius marketing!