Diagnosis: Matty Healy Is Rich and Out of Touch
The 1975 frontman made a "joke" about the coronavirus that he probably shouldn't have made.
Not to insinuate that anyone's life is easy, but especially in times like these, it must be nice to be Matty Healy.
The 1975 frontman is in an incredibly privileged position. His band is so popular that they can afford to be extremely picky with which festivals they perform at, though they've already headlined many. They've landed a No. 1 album. Their list of awards and nominations warrants its own Wikipedia page. Healy's net worth is most often estimated to be somewhere around $15 million.
But despite a status that most rock hopefuls can only dream of, Healy is still a sentient human being who has opinions about the coronavirus, and he hails from a country whose leader is almost as hopeless as Trump in handling the pandemic. And, like many human beings, he voices those opinions on Twitter. In light of the coronavirus quite literally putting people out of work and wreaking havoc on the indie music industry, Healy had this to say: "Stop telling people to support you we don't want your EP and zine bundle right now Laura we're going to die."
Who is this Laura? Unclear. But it doesn't matter—it was a joke! A joke, guys! A joke about people's livelihoods! Even if buying EP and zine bundles is the one thing keeping folks afloat! And it's OK to joke about it, Healy assures us, because he runs an indie record label. He's totally in tune with struggling musicians just scraping by for a living.
No, Healy shouldn't be "canceled" over this haughty take, but it's not a cute look. With just about every festival, event, and concert tour on the chopping block, musicians—especially lesser-known independent ones—are taking a massive hit in funds that's going to set them back possibly devastating degrees. These artists don't have the safety net that Healy does; with this joke, he's punching down.
Yes, many people have died of coronavirus and will continue to die until everyone masters the art of social distancing, but Healy probably won't die over it. He has a condition called being rich, which impacts those affected by providing access coveted COVID-19 tests mysteriously quickly. Idris Elba also has the condition of being rich; he tested positive for coronavirus despite showing no symptoms. On the other hand, this peasant VICE writer was told she didn't qualify for a coronavirus screening test, despite exhibiting multiple known symptoms, being a social smoker, and working in the same building as someone who potentially came into contact with COVID-19. Strange!
Our diagnosis? Healy is very wealthy and out of touch.