It seems that Ariel Pink and John Maus attended yesterday’s (January 6) riots at the US Capitol building, which were led by Trump supporters protesting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory in Congress. As Clash and The Line of Best Fit report, filmmaker Alex Lee Moyer posted a picture of herself alongside the two indie artists at a nearby hotel via her Instagram, writing, “the day we almost died but instead had a great time.” Pink and Maus contributed music to Moyer’s controversial documentary TWF No GF.
Video footage of Maus outside the US Capitol has also been circulating on social media, while Ariel Pink’s subsequent tweets seem to confirm his political views. “welcome to the panoptigan,” he wrote. “they wasted no time…save yourselves friends, cancel me now and turn me in before they come for you.”
While Pink confirmed his presence at the protest in Washington D. C., he denied being a part of the mob who later stormed the Capitol building. “I was in dc to peacefully show my support for the president,” he responded to one Twitter user. “i attended the rally on the white house lawn and went back to hotel and took a nap. case closed.” Pressed on whether it was responsible for him to attend during the pandemic, Pink replied, “all the people at these events deserve whats coming to them. they took the risk knowing full well what might happen. BLM protests over the past 6 months are not informed about the pandemic?”
Last night, Demi Lovato revealed she was recording new music in response to the Washington, D.C. riots. “It makes me to sad to believe how naive I was to think this couldn’t possibly happen, and yet it did,” the pop singer wrote on Twitter. “I’m in the studio working on something special after today’s assault on democracy.”
UPDATE: In an email to Pitchfork, Moyer said she met with Pink and Maus to discuss an unrelated project and, as a documentary journalist, “felt obliged to record what was happening” in Washington.
This is a developing story.
I think the video you're referring to is linked in the next tweet. what I mean is……..are they there for sincere reasons or irony reasons? (obviously both = gross!) https://t.co/CSpA1WTG9a
— priscilla page (@BBW_BFF) January 7, 2021
welcome to the panoptigan. they wasted no time…save yourselves friends, cancel me now and turn me in before they come for you
— Ariel Pink (@arielxpink) January 7, 2021
vote for trump
— Ariel Pink (@arielxpink) January 7, 2021
My heart is broken. It makes me to sad to believe how naive I was to think this couldn’t possibly happen, and yet it did. Here we are. For everyone in my comments saying “where’s d7” or wanting me to sing instead of speaking up about what needs to change in this country… pic.twitter.com/md5XPFmj2B
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) January 7, 2021