Destructo performs at Randall's Island on Sept. 4, 2015 in New York City.
A week after releasing the official trailer for HARD Summer 2017, event brand boss Gary Richards, aka Destructo, has issued an apology.
The satirical trailer faces gender inequality issues head-on in an eight-minute gag where a cartoonishly disgusting booking agent decides to put fake boobs on male DJs after Richards says he wants more talented women on the HARD lineup.
The trailer was conceived of and directed by Agata Alexander, the same women who's filmed HARD trailers since 2012. She, Richards, and everyone involved hoped to spark conversation with the trailer, but a good portion of that conversation turned out to be negative. Some of the women on the HARD Summer 2017 bill were themselves offended by the joke, and on Friday (May 5), Richards extended a public apology.
Read what Richards said below:
“Here at HARD Events we are here for everyone. The HARD SUMMER trailer was created as a satirical piece to raise consciousness at a time when equality issues are of utmost importance. Our goal is to promote good music and we are trying to give women more of a platform at our festival.
My intentions here were only to help, not offend anyone, in supporting Agata’s vision and message. I understand that she does not speak for all women and how people could be upset by the trailer. There is always a risk of misinterpretation when satire is used, but we felt it was right to let her express herself and have creative control over the piece. We want to extend a sincere apology to those who were offended.
We hope the conversations started by this piece bring the change we intended and we will continue to be a champion for Women's rights within our community and world at large.”