Goodbye, Banjo Boi.

Well, rabid liberal hate mob, I hope you’re happy. You cancelled Mumford’s Banjo Boi.

“Why I’m Leaving Mumford & Sons” by Winston Marshallhttps://t.co/JUraN3IDr3

— Winston Marshall (@MrWinMarshall) June 24, 2021

You feel good, huh? Feel strong? Like you accomplished something worthwhile for humanity??

Because F*CK YOU ALRIGHT

Okay. Sorry. Please excuse my outburst. Some of you (my mom) may know that Mumford & Sons has been my favorite band for the past several years, and you (my mom) may also know that I have some significant band trauma after Richie Sambora abruptly abandoned the self-proclaimed Band of Brothers called Bon Jovi in 2013, which taught teenage me a bitter, cold lesson about life and love. So I’m taking this kind of hard.

Anyway, several months ago Winston Marshall, Mumf & Bois’s (no, I don’t know why I started calling them that, all I know is that I cannot stop) official Banjo Boi, tweeted at Andy Ngo in regards to his book Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, “Congratulations @MrAndyNgo. Finally had the time to read your important book. You’re a brave man.”

The left didn’t like that someone had an opinion so they lost their f*cking minds and in response Marshall tweeted that he’d be taking time away from the band to “examine his blind spots.”

Well, he’s back in the spotlight. But not the band.

Marshall tweeted a link to a post he wrote on Medium, detailing the reasoning behind his departure from the band. I can’t exactly quote the whole thing in its entirety, but I encourage you to read it for yourself– it is important and well-written (exactly as you’d expect from a member of the band whose discography I’ve long considered writing about in a Master’s thesis).

But to pick some highlights:

Why did I apologise?

“Rub your eyes and purify your heart — and prize above all else in the world those who love you and who wish you well.” — Aleksander Solzhenitsyn once wrote. In the mania of the moment I was desperate to protect my bandmates. The hornets’ nest that I had unwittingly hit had unleashed a black-hearted swarm on them and their families. I didn’t want them to suffer for my actions, they were my priority.

Secondly, I was sincerely open to the fact that maybe I did not know something about the author or his work. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak,” Churchill once said, “courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen”. And so I listened.

I have spent much time reflecting, reading and listening. The truth is that my commenting on a book that documents the extreme Far-Left and their activities is in no way an endorsement of the equally repugnant Far-Right. The truth is that reporting on extremism at the great risk of endangering oneself is unquestionably brave. I also feel that my previous apology in a small way participates in the lie that such extremism does not exist, or worse, is a force for good.

Ugh. Stop it. STOP IT, WIN’. You’re making me relive the moments when I first listened to the album Wilder Mind and cried like Niagara freaking Falls because there is so much truth in those words.

Marshall concludes his post:

So why leave the band?

On the eve of his leaving to the West, Solzhenitsyn published an essay titled ‘Live Not By Lies’. I have read it many times now since the incident at the start of March. It still profoundly stirs me.

“And he who is not sufficiently courageous to defend his soul — don’t let him be proud of his ‘progressive’ views, and don’t let him boast that he is an academician or a people’s artist, a distinguished figure or a general. Let him say to himself: I am a part of the herd and a coward. It’s all the same to me as long as I’m fed and kept warm.”

For me to speak about what I’ve learnt to be such a controversial issue will inevitably bring my bandmates more trouble. My love, loyalty and accountability to them cannot permit that. I could remain and continue to self-censor but it will erode my sense of integrity. Gnaw my conscience. I’ve already felt that beginning.

The only way forward for me is to leave the band. I hope in distancing myself from them I am able to speak my mind without them suffering the consequences. I leave with love in my heart and I wish those three boys nothing but the best. I have no doubt that their stars will shine long into the future. I will continue my work with Hong Kong Link Up and I look forward to new creative projects as well as speaking and writing on a variety of issues, challenging as they may be.

The commitment to truth, to honesty, to exploring the depths of one’s own mind– it all reminds me of why I have so loved Mumford & Sons. I was disappointed in Marshall’s original reaction to the mob outrage when this ordeal first began, but he has made up for that and then some. I couldn’t possibly respect his position more.

I am just utterly DEVASTATED that that position has led him to leave the band– a decision, once again, borne of nothing but the noblest of intentions.

For their part, the rest of the Bois are taking it as best they can.

We wish you all the best for the future, Win, and we love you man. M, B & T. pic.twitter.com/EiXTIkxxL5

— Mumford & Sons (@MumfordAndSons) June 24, 2021

I will try to emulate their outer stoicism.

Winston Marshall, thank you for the albums you gave us. I will forever remember your excellent hair and the way you would always flash the back of your banjo with the Union Jack painted on it like it was something to be proud of. The only reason I didn’t cry the entire show when I first saw Mumford & Sons live is because I was front row and didn’t want to embarrass myself, and every time I listen to Rose of Sharon I think about how you snuck your drum track onto the actual album even though band policy was always “Anyone but Win’ on drums.” Best of luck forever.

I’m not crying. It’s fine. I’M FINE.