I haven’t really addressed the Swans/Michael Gira issue publicly because of my friendship with someone who’s worked with and toured with Swans, but you know, since it’s my blog and all, I figured I should put my two cents in (that’s what the internet’s for right).
First, it is possible that Larkin Grimm could not be telling the truth. It is possible. I’ve read the statements that have come from Gira’s wife, ex-wife, Gira himself, and Ms. Grimm’s former bandmates. People who seem to have a collection of knowledge about Grimm’s past behaviors, and are prepared to present some evidence to court to disprove her claim.
But, second, what is most important about all of these cases of sexual assault that come to light, is that only less than 1% are proven to be false. That leaves us with a staggering 99% of true, reported cases. That’s a lot of people, and it’s not a statistic that can be ignored.
So what does that mean? Well, in a society where we routinely deny the experiences of women ever happened, and force them to keep quiet either by threats, or paying them off; in a society where the majority of sexual assault cases go unreported because of fear, we have to fight to make sure those lost voices are heard. So yes, until it can be proven than Michael Gira did not in fact assault Larkin Grimm.. we must, as human beings–as people with the knowledge of the statistics of sexual assault cases (less than 1% come out false), take her side.. or at least, consider that her version of the events may be true.
For those who are fans of the work of Gira and Swans, and friends of Gira, I know that’s a hard pill to swallow. If it helps it go down easier, you could choose not to believe anyone, and just simply remain objective until the entire thing has been gutted, examined, and solved.
Larkin Grimm is only one woman, and she only has herself, and her memory of an experience that seemed to hurt her. The least we can do is not condemn her. The least we can do is simply listen.