AskingAlexandria2011

Exclusive: Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria) on the band's "offensive" merch

Last week we opened up discussion on the benefits and drawbacks of “offensive” band merch. There was a lot of great discussion among our readers, and we began reaching out to bands known for their provocative merch for comments on the issue.

Here's the first, from Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria (second from left):

“Offensive merch? Something is only offensive if you take offense to it. I don't find swearing offensive and don't really consider our merch offensive per se, rather, risqué. But basically the whole thought process behind it began with stemmed from two words, “Train Wreck.” People love shock, they love what they aren't supposed to, or at least what they are told they are not supposed to, so we said fuck it, we'll be a band that does what we aren't supposed to do, because, well, why not? If you see a car crash on the side of the road, you look, it's human nature, something in your brain tells you that you want to see what's happened or what's going on, and when we were a younger band and starting out, that's what we were to people, a car crash, a train wreck. We weren't afraid to go off the rails a bit and speak our minds, we just did what we wanted to do, we are a voice for the people who want to stand out, who want to rebel, who don't necessarily fit in to society just because they have been told certain things are right and wrong.”

We'll continue to post these as they roll in. What do you think of AA's stance? Let us know in the comments.