Taking Back Sunday Singer Blasts Emo Night Inspired By His Band: “Those Motherfuckers Owe Me Some Money”

Duane Prokop/Getty Images

Taking Back Sunday Singer Blasts Emo Night Inspired By His Band: “Those Motherfuckers Owe Me Some Money”

Duane Prokop/Getty Images

Lately, emo has been enjoying a resurgence in respect and popularity, thanks in part to popular regular dance nights like the Los Angeles event Taking Back Tuesday. That night, of course, takes its name from Taking Back Sunday, the Long Island emo band who were enormously popular in the mid-’00s. But it turns out that the actual members of Taking Back Sunday are not at all happy about the event, perhaps because people who make emo still don’t like being called emo.

Taking Back Sunday frontman Adam Lazarra recently spoke with Billboard about the club night that tweaks his band’s name, and here’s what he had to say about it:

Those motherfuckers owe me some money. They’re using our name, they didn’t ask. It’s flattering, I get it. But also, I don’t want to become a parody of something I take real seriously. That’s the line that those people are walking. They need to understand that they’ve got to take care with that shit. You don’t make shirts that say, ‘Sad as fuck.’ Like you’re making a fucking joke out of it? Fuck you.

Meanwhile, the organizers of Taking Back Tuesday, who say they’ve had a “rather unpleasant run-in” with Lazarra, gave their own statement to Billboard:

When we started this night in December 2014, it came from a place of love and admiration for the genre that saved our lives and made us who we are. This was never to be seen as a joke, and the response from our event attendees and the artists who have been involved has been incredibly positive…

It is unfortunate that Adam feels so much animosity towards a night created to celebrate and support the genre of music that continues to embrace his band. Our events have brought together like-minded people who have become a family that support each other. In regards to the financial compensation, what began as Taking Back Tuesday (We never once used the name “Taking Back Sunday”) turned into Emo Nite in a full rebrand in 2016…

We have always respected and been fans of this genre and will continue to support it. If Adam ever wants to come experience the event for himself, we’re positive he’d have a different opinion and we’d welcome him with open arms. And, at the end of the day, the night was meant for everyone to just have a great time.

“Emo Nite” just isn’t that great of a replacement name, though. So in the comments section, please leave your best emo band-name pun that could work as the name of a club night.

UPDATE: Lazarra posted a statement to his Twitter account yesterday saying that his words were taken out of context and were part of a much longer conversation about the band’s upcoming new album. “I said I was flattered, we all are,” it reads. “What worries me is that with such an eye on the nostalgic quality of these nights it runs the risk of pushing something that is very dear to me into that of a parody.” Read his full explanation below.

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