Yesterday, former Big Day Out promoter and co-founder Vivian Lees had some harsh words for AJ Maddah, labelling the (ex)Big Day Out Director a “major dickhead”, blaming him for the cancellation of the 2015 edition, and accusing him of deliberately running the event into the ground to benefit his own Soundwave festival.
While Maddah was given the chance to respond to Lees’ allegations on air with Triple J’s Hack, calling the former Big Day Out honcho – who walked from the business and partner Ken West in 2011 – a hypocrite who “ran for the hills the minute he thought he was going to lose any money.”
The Soundwave boss has now lashed out even further at Lees on his famously foul-mouthed Twitter feed, describing him as a “sociopath”, “a coward”, and a “real scumbag,” as well as levelling some very serious accusations at the Big Day Out co-founder.
The angry tirade was provoked by one Tom Roberts, host of the Full Metal Lockdown podcast, who interviewed Maddah last week and got him to reveal that Soundwave 2015 “has four headliners” as well as the real reason behind the Soundwave Revolution cancellation.
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Roberts tweeted Maddah following the Hack interview to ask his “thoughts on Viv,” encouraging him, “don’t hold back.” He certainly did not.
Referring to the tragic incidents surrounding Limp Bizkit’s performance at the Big Day Out 2001, which led to the tragic death of Jessica Michalik, Maddah writes: “Insults from [the] guy who boated [sic] about how much [extra] money he made saving on barrier & not paying Limp Bizkit is a compliment … & that was before the 16 year old girl whose death was a direct result of his actions or lack thereof had even been buried,” adding “a real good guy that Vivian Lees.”
A 2001 inquest into Michalik’s death was critical of Limp Bizkit’s behaviour during the set, but also suggested that Big Day Out promoters could have done more to increase security, as Billboard details. But Maddah’s accusations also include the suggestion that Lees and organisers had put profits ahead of safety.
Maddah sarcastically continued in more angry posts: “Real humanitarian. The year he made $9.4M on BDO he doneated [sic] $10K to bushfire appeal, sent out multiple press releases… & then complained about how he’d wasted the money & didn’t get enough recognition/press from donation. Real sweetheart!”
Then later declaring, “those are not his worst doings by a long shot…” and his nasty summary of Lees.
@Tom_Roberts1989 In my near 41 years on this planet I have never met anyone more sociopathic or evil. A real scumbag.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) June 26, 2014
When asked if he was ‘blindsided’ by Viv Lees’ comments in yesterday’s Hack, ambushed by host Tom Tilley mid-interview, Maddah admits “it was a surprise. Mind you it was hilarious so I wasn’t upset about it.” Asked about the opportunity of the two being able to talk directly, he adds: “that would be gold but Vivian is a coward.”
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Lees has criticised Maddah’s involvement with the Big Day Out since he first bought 50% of shares from Ken West in September, shortly after the collapse of his own Harvest festival, labelling him an “odious character” and a “gambler” with no commitment to the careers of Australian bands. “I’ve seen him in action. If he doesn’t like the way something’s going, he’ll cancel it,” said Lees in a Hack interview in February.
Yesterday, he re-iterated his negative view of Maddah with Hack once more, saying it was “pretty clear” the Big Day Out wasn’t going to return next year due to the “very dysfunctional arrangement with AJ being in the driver seat in Australia with the Americans,” causing a “schism” with producers C3 Presents, further suggesting that Maddah had deliberately bought in to Big Day Out to sabotage the iconic festival for the benefit of his own rival Soundwave event.
“He professed to love [Big Day Out] … [but] considering he is the owner of the competitive event (Soundwave), I think he wanted ever which way, which is if the BDO worked, great, if it doesn’t work then he got rid of his main competition and he’s sitting there with the only event is big and means anything to rock fans,” said Lees, “[Maddah should] stick to what he’s good at, which is the Soundwave Festival, and stop trying to be a megalomaniac.”
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Maddah refutes the suggestions as “absolutely rubbish”, telling Hack he got on board because of his love for the Big Day Out and in order to rescue it from its financial and cultural downturn. “At the point that I got involved was a complete clusterfuck … if I didn’t get involved they were going to cancel the festival and it would have been well and truly dead, which co-incidentally when it was in the same position in 2012 one if its founders, Vivian Lees, who had actually booked the disastrous line-up that brought the festival down, ran for the hills the minute he thought he was going to lose any money.”
But by drudging up Jessica Michalik’s death during Limp Bizkit’s 2001 set, Maddah has reminded everyone once more of the most damaging moment to the Big Day Out brand in its 22 year history.
