Singer-songwriter John Moreland says he has no regrets after his collaboration with Zach Bryan was yanked from streaming versions of the latter superstar’s latest album, in response to Moreland having taken a shot at him on social media. In fact, Moreland is doubling and tripling down on his feelings about Bryan in a pair of video posts on Instagram, in which he describes Bryan as a “dickhead” and repeatedly says “I don’t like that person.”
“ As far as I’m concerned, getting kicked off a Zach Bryan album is way fucking cooler than being on a Zach Bryan album,” Moreland says in his Instagram video.
The track that Moreland was featured on remained missing from the version of the Bryan album “The Great American Bar Scene” available on streaming services, as of Sunday morning, after Bryan had it removed on Friday. The country-rock superstar has vowed to eventually replace it with a new version of the song, sans Moreland’s vocals.
The shorter of Moreland’s two Instagram Stories posts on Saturday night had a sarcastic tone, in response to his coming under attack from legions of Bryan fans: “Oh, guys, the Zachies are coming after me. They’re gonna ruin me. They’re gonna cancel my small-time folk-music career that I’ve had since they were in elementary school.”
In a longer clip, he said: “OK, so I’ll just say one more thing about it and I’m gonna get back to my real life and let y’all have fun on the internet. When I was asked to be on that album, I did not know that dude. Never met him. Just a really big artist from where I’m from [Tulsa, Oklahoma], asking me to be on a record. Cool. First time I met him, we recorded the song. Like, didn’t have the greatest impression, but no big deal — whatever, fine. Then we record the song. The album comes out like a month later. I had met him once at that point.
“At this point, I’ve hung out with him five, six times. I don’t like this motherfucker. Like, am I supposed to be upset?” Moreland continues by saying that “if I was asked to be on the album today, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who is a dickhead to my wife and my friends right in front of me every time I see him. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who I’ve heard tell borderline racist jokes more than once. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who brings a 19-year-old girl in the bar, and then when they tell him she can’t be in there, looks at me like I’m supposed to have his fucking back. I don’t like that person.” He repeats a second time “I don’t like that person.”
In conclusion, Moreland says: “That’s who thinks I’m an asshole? Fine. As far as I’m concerned, getting kicked off a Zach Bryan album is way fucking cooler than being on a Zach Bryan album.”
Moreland did throw the first punch, before landing these latest blows. The beef began — as far as anyone in the public knew, and apparently coming as a surprise to Bryan himself — on Wednesday, when Moreland posted the message, “$350M is a lot of money to pay for the fu–in off-brand version of me. Y’all have a great day.” The jibe was in response to Variety‘s reporting that combined deals for Bryan reupping with Warner Records and selling his publishing were being said by sources to amount to $350 million in dealmaking.
After a couple of days passed, Bryan responded on Friday with a series of Instagram posts of his own, in which he revealed he would be taking Moreland off the record — or at least streaming versions of it — in response to what he considered an unprovoked attack.
“Yooo just saw this from an artist I’ve always respected and supported. Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records. Replacing ‘Memphis the Blues.’ If it goes down for a bit just know this is the reason! No hard feelings! Confused as shit, Tulsans look out for Tulsans.”
In a subsequent post, again alongside a screenshot of Moreland’s insult, Bryan added, “Last thing i say on it! Not partial to arguing with butt hurt grown men.”
Indeed, by late Friday, the track in question had disappeared from the streaming version of the album on such services as Spotify and Tidal. But Bryan clarified that he did not mean to eliminate all traces of the song, just any version of it that includes traces of Moreland’s voice. In another message, he wrote, “Gonna re-release it btw!!! All is well!! All is well.”
Many figures in either or both of Bryan’s and Moreland’s musical communities have taken sides in the dispute, or just expressed a general dismay, bringing up their own stories about either artist’s alleged past behavior. Some have taken a bemused pleasure in Americana-style music finally getting its own hip-hop-style major beef, even if the two acoustic guitar strummers in question are wildly mismatched as far as being a comparative David and Goliath.
Moreland, an acclaimed and mercurial figure in the folk/Americana community, has released 10 albums since his debut in 2008.
Moreland representatives have previously told Variety he would have no further comment. Bryan reps could not be reached for comment.
#Glad #Kicked
