FIRST
TAKE
Let's Get It Together
By
Mark "The Drifter"
Desloges
Ed.’s note: I’ve been wrestling with how
to tackle this timely and important sub-
ject for weeks, and when I was close to
throwing my hands in the air, my good
friend Mark reached out ask ing if I’d be
interesting in publishing something like
what you’re about to read. Mark has
spent his entire adult life either touring
or working with touring productions as
an audio, lighting, and rigging techni-
cian. Mark now owns Drifter Rigging
and has toured with a who’s who of
Canadian and international stars. He’s
currently out as a lighting technician
with Christie Lites on Imagine Dragons’
Evolve World Tour and I’m proud to call
him a friend. – Andrew
T
he other shoe had to
drop…
Over the past year,
there have been some
shock ing revelations
about sexual miscon-
duct, abuse, and much
worse in the film industry – crushing tales
of people abusing their power in various
capacities and asserting themselves over
others.
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M
I have been sitting on the sidelines
waiting for the moment that our industry
would be forced to face its own demons.
I would love to think that, as an industry,
we were better than our Hollywood coun-
terparts. I would love to be able to tell you
that musicians, road crew, and managers
were better than this. But we’re not.
A shadow has been hanging over our
heads, and I have been waiting to see
when we’d collectively look up. Last week,
it finally happened.
In a perhaps not-so-shocking series
of events, music fans across Canada have
been sharing their stories of sexual mis-
conduct and abuse – tales of band rooms,
tour busses, after parties, and underage or
unconsenting people being put in situa-
tions they shouldn’t be. Again, I want to
tell you that as an industry we are above
this; however, it’s clearer than ever that we
are not.
But we can be.
The time has come for us in the music
industry to face our demons. It’s time to
abandon the clichéd crutch of “sex, drugs,
and rock and roll” and trade it for some-
thing with more meaning – something
that isn’t potentially degrading and hurt-
ful to us or those who have supported our
entire existence: our fans.
When these scandals broke in the film
industry, there was a swift backlash. Pro-
ducers were sued, actors were fired, and
projects were cancelled. While I firmly be-
lieve that those who cause harm should be
held accountable for their actions, I am not
advocating for an open witchhunt. That is
not why I am taking a break from my cur-
rent tour to write this from my hotel room.
I am writing with the hope that we,
united as an industry, can get our shit to-
gether. We need to atone for our actions
and our blind eyes, and we need to build
an environment in which we and our fans
can engage with each other free of fear.
We are complicit. Collectively, we
have not done enough to weed out this
behaviour. We have not spoken loud
enough about what we’ve seen. We have
not properly educated ourselves, or the
people coming up behind us.
This doesn’t necessarily need anger or
shame, though they may be appropriate
in some cases. Largely, this requires love,
compassion, and understanding – for
those suffering now, and to prevent others
from having to suffer in the future.
2018 will be a year in which those who
have grabbed asses, made lewd comments,
or flat-out abused others will be called out,
but it should also be a year in which art-
ists, the professionals surrounding them,
and their patrons educate themselves and
each other on what it truly means to love
and respect one another as human beings.
If I can leave you with one last thing to
think about, let it be this: as humans, we
live in moments, and it’s vital to remem-
ber that while moments pass quickly, they
have the power to change and shape lives.
Something said or done in a moment can
affect a life forever.
So I want all of us to reflect. Our choices
may seem to pass in an instant to us, but
because of the status and perception
that comes with working in this highly-
visible and sometimes enviable industry,
our words and actions, even in a fleeting
moment, can wield a lot of power and in-
fluence.
I know that as a father of a one-year-
old daughter, my promise to her, to myself,
and to you, is that I will do my part in ad-
vocating a shift in attitudes. I will spread
love and understanding, and I will do my
best to educate as a means to a safer and
universally enjoyable end.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN • 9