John Mayer Chokes Up at Show Over Playboy Scandal

By Marc Schneider Posted Feb 11th 2010 07:48AM

His Twitter mea culpa behind him, John Mayer asked a crowd of actual people on Wednesday to forgive him for those race-tinged, hyper-sexual and wholly inappropriate comments made in a newly published Playboy interview. The blues-rock singer teared up as he spoke to fans in Nashville about descending into a "wormhole of selfishness" with his "quest to be clever" in the media. He said he's "done" acting foolish and just wants to "play my guitar."

Mayer's interview went awry in so many ways, including a casual use of the N-word, graphic thoughts on his sex life with ex-girlfriend Jessica Simpson and, perhaps most bizarrely, that his sexual member was a "white supremacist" and prevents him from having intimate relationships with black women.

At the concert Wednesday night, Mayer said he had lost sight of what's important to him: "the people that I love and the people that love me."

"I went as I've begun to do, into a wormhole of selfishness and greed and arrogance," he said, adding he'd begun "thinking that if I just continued to be witty and pull together the most fast phrases that I could, that I could be clever enough to buy myself another day without thinking that anybody had finally pinned me down and said, 'you're a creep.'"

Mayer said he "feels absolutely terrible" for hurting people with his comments. "It feels worse than any headline I thought I could get my way out of."

He then changed the focus of his speech to his band, which includes many African-American musicians and singers, in an apparent attempt to defuse the scandal boiled up by his N-word use. His voice wavering with emotion, he said:

"I think it's important to know that everybody on this stage is here not because they condone what I say in any given interview -- and certainly not the interview that's arisen today. They're on this stage because they support myself as a possible future grown-up.

Maybe they see something that I haven't looked at in a while. So maybe I need to take a break from trying to be clever and just spend a little time looking at what they see. Because they've done an unbelievable thing tonight just being on the stage."

Mayer then made clear his game plan going forward: "I quit the media game. I'm out. I'm done," he said. "I just want to play my guitar to whoever's around."

The "game" as he calls it is one he plays often, both on Twitter and in numerous interviews that tend to teeter on ridiculousness.

Just last week, the singer was quoted by the New York Post as saying, "When I get married that's gonna be my vows, 'Do you, John Mayer, take this woman to have and to hold, to wear her ass like headgear?' Yes, I do -- you're the one whose ass I wanna wear like a hat for the rest of my life."

In an interview with Rolling Stone in January, Mayer introduced his views on the kind of woman he'd settle down with. "You need to have them be able to go toe-to-toe with you intellectually. But don't they also have to have a vagina you could pitch a tent on and just camp out on for, like, a weekend? The Joshua Tree of vaginas?"

Comments

(183)

Thursday 11 February

By bajasmoke

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What a dumbass.....get over yourself loser!!!!!!

By Nancy

I know! The only reason he's doing this now is he recognizes that he has- in an instant- lost thousands upon thousands of fans. I don't think I can remember an artist being so bold-faced arrogant, rude and obnoxious. He thinks he's God's gift to women. And half the stuff he says doesnt even make sense! What Jennifer Aniston and the others see in him is beyond me!

By Jim

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"They're on this stage because they support myself as a possible future grown-up." "They support myself"??? "They support MYSELF"????

By Elisa

This guy is such an arrogent LOSER!!!!! What the heck did these woman see in him? He's marginally attractive at best. And his personality is down right UGLY!!! He really needs to get a life.

By Bailey0404

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You call him a loser.. Okay, lets see.. He's famous, rich, has millions of adoring fans, has been with absolutely beautiful woman and is a very talented musician and song writer.. If that's a loser how do I sign up... and I, by the way, love his sense of humor.. I don't feel he owed anyone any appoligies..

Friday 12 February

By webb57

Bailey--if you dont see how John Mayer is a loser despite having "millions of adoring fans", etc., then YOU'RE the real loser. I pity you--and John Mayer.

By yiprockheresey

Shut up and play your guitar!!!

By eda

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LOL, COULDNT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF

By bstill

All the right words - With no real remorse! "F" him!

By .

i thought he teared up a bit.

By Andie

As a black woman I am so unimpressed with the apology.
Of course he's apologizing.His publicist,lawyers and label probably insisted he do so.He'll probably jump on the rehab band wagon next to try to salvage his career.I am totally embarassed for Jessica Simpson.

By Michael

What a WORM this guy is! Everytime I hear something about him, it
reinforces what I think about him and why I really don't care for him at all ... and why I can't even listen to his music. If I was this guy's manager I would advise him to S.T.F.U.F. ("shut the f**K up forever")

By grace

I think this is an example of fame and fortune taking over a person and John really became an obnoxious "celebrity." Maybe he's sincere in his speech and will turn the corner. I'm not a big fan of his but I hope he straightens himself out. I also think he's a big of a doper.

By Wish Belkin

Fame and fortune don't change a person, it amplifies what he's always been.

By dan

just like a cracker

By Dawn

His ego has suffocated his talent. Not a fan.

By csmithcoll

As an African-American woman and fan on Mayer, he has truly lost me as a fan. In no way have I ever thought of him as being attractive instead I thought of him as a talented musician. The unfortunate thing is he is showing his true colors through what he thinks is humor. The apology is too late. His racist remarks have turned me off and I will have a hard time listening to him again.

By Jessica

As another black woman I whole-heartedly agree. I used to like his music. However, the more he talks and insults women (not just black women) he just makes himself seem more of a jerk and unworthy of the money spent on him. I also have trouble seeing how any woman finds him attractive in the first place. He has a weird face.

By joshua

Wah! Im black and he said something so i dont like him no more.. boo hoo... how bout get over being black and just be a person. Im sure there is always some rap music you can listen to.

By girldaryl

Yeah...pretty much lost me as a fan with this one.

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