back to article John Mayer tweets remorse over Playboy interview

US muso John Mayer has taken to Twitter to express regret over an interview in the March issue of Playboy in which he ill-advisedly used the N-word, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Mayer’s other eyebrow-raising comments included a description of former squeeze Jessica Simpson as “sexual napalm”, and ex-girlfriend Jennifer …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'd never heard of him, but ...

    I'd never heard of him, but from what you've quoted he sounds like an intelligent and thoughtful guy. Relatively speaking, anyway. He's probably an intellectual heavyweight compared with the people who jump and down just because he used a word they don't like.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: I'd never heard of him, but ...

      That's what I thought. I mean, a bit of a gobshite, and there are other dubious things he's said, but I suspect it's because he's got the sort of dry turn of phrase that sounds very bad indeed in print, not spoken aloud with requisite nuance, etc.

      Anyway, that aside "sexual napalm" = brilliant.

  2. Steve Medway
    IT Angle

    Lester Haines you are a tosser

    You are a royal tosser, your bootnote says it all - sod the buns YOU shouldn't have used the word.

    Hell you shouldn't have even written the article - where's the IT angle... twitter - bloddy tenuous link if you ask me and an excuse for you to use the word in 'in print'.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Idiot

      The It angle is that he lost La Aniston because he devoted more time to Twitter...

      And while you're at it get off your high horse. It's just a word. It's in the dictionary.

    2. No, I will not fix your computer
      Stop

      Wait......

      Steve, is this some kind of irony I'm missing here?

      John didn't call anyone a "N" word, his posting was open to interpretation to whether it was inapproriate or not, but paranoia means that you can never say the word in any context, therefore he should have expected a backlash.

      You however called Lester a Tosser, a royal one no less, Lester posted an article regarding a social networking site which has implications for making public mistakes due to the medium used, seems IT related to me, whereas you are just insulting, Lester is just reporting, don't get me wrong Lester is a tosser, but in a nice comfortable "idiot cousin" sort of way and the Register would be worse off if we didn't have him writing for it.

      I wanted to write the full word, not the "N" word but paranoia may reign and have the post moderated, surely there should be some common sense here? six letters strung together should not be taboo, but calling somebody something should be, how about the "C" word? in fact if you listen to "99 Luftballons" it sounds like she uses the "C" word (OK it's a German word), the same is true for "Rock me Amadeus", words mean nothing without a context, so the word "Tosser" means nothing but calling someone a "Tosser" isn't nice (unless you're being funny ;-)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who he?

    I don't want to sound like a High Court Judge, but sorry, who is this person?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Oh thank god

      It wasn't just me wondering if I've missed a meeting.

  4. Ralph B
    WTF?

    Never heard of him

    Started off thinking this was about the former Prime Minister, John Major, then thought it might be the PC guy from the Apple ads, but that's John Hodgman.

    Either would have been more interesting that whoever it is.

    1. Tim #3

      John Major

      I read it as him too, and was almost as surpised as I was when the Edwina affair became public- what a dark horse he was, albeit a grey one, but I guess the possibility that he's been copping onto Jennifer Aniston is just a bit much of a longshot. Mind you, who would blame him for trying.

  5. heynonnymouse coward

    Recursion

    "It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there’s no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged”

    He said, trying to intellectualise it.

  6. Rob
    Thumb Up

    I wasn't going to post

    But there was mention of a free Bun, a really nice one.... do you need my address to send it?

  7. PirateSlayer
    IT Angle

    Hum

    I would say who cares? It seems like a perfectly reasonable comment to me. What an overreaction. Someone's agent has gone into PR superdrive...maybe he's worried that hodd pass will be revoked.

  8. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

    Thought you said

    His apology took up three weeks? No... but I HAD my eyes tested...

  9. hazzamon
    Coat

    I can't be the only one...

    ...who initially read the headline as 'John Major tweets remorse over Playboy interview'. *Shudder*

  10. Pirate Dave Silver badge
    Pirate

    so

    "napalm" is a bad word now? Good to know, good to know.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: so

      Pirate Dave gets five buns.

  11. Daniel Wilkie

    Buns?

    Which word can we not use? Is it Twitter? I'm confused...

  12. Number6

    What type of bun?

    I need to sort out my spam filter to accept the correct mime type for emailed buns.

    You could always offer hot cross buns to those who do use the word.

    As with the AC at 12:43, I'd never heard of the guy until I read this article.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: What type of bun?

      Number6 gets three buns for that envelope-pusher. Excellent.

  13. freaky_seb
    Coat

    Maybe...

    Maybe he should apologise to Jesse Jackson? He is the emperor of black people after all?

  14. LPF

    as a black man may I just say...

    I stopped letting that get me angry 20 years ago, sticks and stones an all that

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: as a black man may I just say...

      Good for you, LPF.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        as a white man may I just say

        that in all the time I spent in the black bars of Stoke Newington as the only white male (loads of white females for some reason) never once did I get offended by anything I was called. And only once did I feel relieved to get out after a group rather loudly suggested playing stab the white boy.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Thumbs down

          I hope whoever gave my comment the thumbs down did so because they didn't believe the comment otherwise they are effectively conding racism against white people, in which case they should be ashamed of themselves. As for the comment, I can assure you it is 100% accurate, I've spent many an early morning drinking in small basement clubs so thick with smoke you can't see the other side of the room.

  15. Blake St. Claire
    Happy

    I get a bun?

    Delivered in person by the Moderatrix?

  16. Robert Ramsay
    FAIL

    @Anonymous Coward

    I didn't know who he was either... but I pressed a few buttons and LOOKED IT UP.

    1. Daniel Wilkie
      Thumb Down

      Looked it up?

      I didn't and still have no idea who he is.

      More to the point, I still don't care who he is. So much so that I would have felt too guilty about the lives of the poor electrons I would be sacrificing to find out the information about someone who is clearly irrelevant to my interests.

      1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

        Re: Looked it up?

        When they try you for being a big silly, Daniel, that comment will be Exhibit A.

  17. Georgees

    I thought everything he said was pretty funny..

    I don't see why people are taking such offense.

    Believe it or not a white person can use the word nigger in a joke without it being a racist joke.

    He was obviously making a joke about racism and not about black people.

    It was pretty good social commentary if you ask me.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: I thought everything he said was pretty funny..

      Well, it was kind of valid in a throwaway sort of way, but very ill-advised because it's the kind of incendiary word that explodes context, innit.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So it is true then

    He proved himself right. He obviously doesn't have a hood pass because he couldn't even say the n-word without people complaining.

    Hell, I don't care about a bun, I'll say the word "nigger" because not saying it gives it more power than it deserves. Calling someone a nigger is very bad, but banning the word itself puts it on a mystical level, especially if only people of a certain race can use it.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: So it is true then

      That's why I said you can have a bun for not using it, rather than you will get a slap if you do. It's pointless. I didn't think any of you would use it in the deliberately offensive or non-Mayer sense, anyway. You lot are generally far more evasive and craven in your offensiveness.

      Heh.

      1. blackworx
        Heart

        OUCH!

        "You lot are generally far more evasive and craven in your offensiveness."

        Again! Again! Do it again!

  19. Gerry Doyle 1

    One bun?

    Isn't that rather niggardly of you?

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: One bun?

      Gerry, you get ten buns.

      1. Gerry Doyle 1
        Coat

        Hope they don't bring Gibson's dog into it either...

        Why thank you ma'am, and it's my birthday too, which is why right now I am getting my coat and leaving.

  20. Richard Jukes
    Grenade

    Blazing Saddles

    The Sherif's a N...*BONG* *BONG*

    Classic, absolute classic.

  21. Blake St. Claire

    @Sarah Bee

    > ...because it's the kind of incendiary word that explodes context, innit.

    If you're white, yes. If you're a person of color it seems to be okay to use it.

    OTOH, it's still okay to call someone a chav, isn't it?

  22. Chris Seiter

    better words, more points

    Mayer's n-word only counts as 8 points in scrabble. At least napalm will get you double digit 14 points. I'm going with nymphos: 17 points and it clears the rack.

  23. Paul Smith
    Coat

    Who he is...

    Who is he? He is the guy that shagged Jenifer Aniston AND Jessica Simpson.

    Mines the one with 'jealous' on the back, front and both sides!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Mines the one with 'jealous' on the back, front and both sides

      Why? Do they have something other women don't have?

    2. Gene Cash Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      Don't forget...

      He shagged Jennifer Love Hewitt too, and she's a widdle hawtie too. I think Paris is about the only one he *hasn't* had.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    tim minchins last word on the matter

    Dunno if you'll like it - but the taboo word,

    comprising 2 G's, an N, an I E and R

    is covered most excellently in his song "taboo", on youtube.

    PS do take the trouble to listen more than halfway through.

    1. HFoster
      Pint

      That's RACIST!

      Red haired people deserve to live their lives in peace without being called the g-word.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'd like to see...

    ...a list of words and topics that are verbotten because I'll be buggered if I can figure out why some comments are filtered out and others allowed. Time of the month springs to mind but that'll porbably get slapped down.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: I'd like to see...

      Why would I slap that down when I could just show the internet that you are a pig?

      We don't have to justify our moderating to you. You post a comment, we may or may not allow it. I thought we'd established this by now, but then I also thought 'time of the month' jabs at women became extinct in polite society somewhere around 1976.

      Behave yourself.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Ms. Bee

        If I behaved myself the world would seem a dull place.

        1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

          Re: Ms. Bee

          Well, just try not being a junior Alf Garnett, then.

    2. Bumpy Cat
      Go

      Test it

      Well, the obvious thing is to post many of your tiresome comments on a daily basis. Then see if there's any pattern, based on monthly/weekly/daily cycles, availability of tea, price of RAM, category of the article, etc.

      I eagerly await your research!

    3. HFoster
      FAIL

      Tit... le

      You spelled "verboten" wrong.

  26. Chris 28

    Musically...

    John Mayer is brilliant. Much underrated in the UK.

  27. Chris 28

    Check out John Mayer Trio - Try!

    It's a 'classic' album with a drummer who's played for the Rolling Stones, and a bassist who played for the Who. He's also dueted with Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton. This guy is no lightweight guitarist...

  28. Master Baker
    Thumb Up

    Colour blind

    We're all pink on the inside.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sort of an orangeey-pink

      Same colour as salmon paté if rotten.com has their colour balance right.

    2. HFoster

      Er

      "Colour blindness" is as dangerous as balls-out or furtive racism. It's better (in my houghty opinion) to accept that people are all different in some ways, but shockingly similar in a lot of others.

  29. okubax
    FAIL

    At Last!

    The Reg finally has got an opportunity to use the "n-word" in the disguise of reporting. I must say I am truly proud of the feat you have achieved and I hope to see more more full mention of the "n-word" in future.

  30. Tom 7

    @master baker

    try 14 pints of guiness - that'll prove you wrong.

  31. Dave the Shoe
    WTF?

    White, Black whatever.

    As a white guy, I quite like the word "Honky" which I have to admit to not having heard in a very long time. Having to use the phrase "the 'n' word" is actually more annoying than the word itself. For example "she is sexual "the 'n' word" just doesn't roll off the tongue in quite the same way.

    Can you actually use "the 'n' word" if your dyslexic, or do you just insult an entire land locked country named after a nearby river.

    I have seem a few movies that seem to hint at "the 'n' word" being o.k. to use if you stick a letter in front of it. For example "wassup mnigger", this does not work well with the "honky" antonym though -mhonky.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: White, Black whatever.

      To be fair I think 'honky' is to 'prick' as the n-word is to the c-word. It's a relatively minor insult. But then it's all about context, always.

  32. Paul Smith

    Chris W. Re: Jealous ...

    I don't think you get it. Its not that Jenifer Aniston or Jessica Simpson have anything other women don't have, I am jealous because John Mayer has something that Jenifer Aniston AND Jessica Simpson want, and are willing to shag him to get!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Ah... Now I understand

      You're jealous because he has something you don't that two women want. Pardon my thick skull, but I'd be more inclined to be jealous if he had something I didn't that all women wanted, two's a rather limiting number.

      1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

        Re: Ah... Now I understand

        Yeah, but what women, though. Have you seen Jennifer Aniston lately? I would.

        And on that note I'm off for the day. May I just say how amazed I am at the general civility of tone and intelligence and amusingness displayed in this thread, broken only by a couple of berks. Makes a very pleasant change. And here I was prepared for a world of bad. Can you be like this more often, please? The bun supply is limitless for those deserving.

        1. Dave the Shoe
          Happy

          Ah ha, you said berk!

          Another word that is heavily under used today.

        2. Richard IV
          Coat

          Golly!

          One suspects that the buns are only redeemable at the grand opening of Biccies & Beaujolais, Macaroons & Macon or whatever the future Penrith Confectionery & Chateau-neuf Emporium is pencilled in as...

          (when the fine wine is on offer, I'll start _really_ holding back, promise ;)

        3. Magnus_Pym

          Berk? Isn't that rhyming slang

          ... as in Berkeley Hunt? Isn't that offensive to the persons indicated?

          Oh wait. You knew that and meant to be offensive. clever!

        4. Rob
          Unhappy

          The bun supply is limitless for those deserving.

          I didn't use the 'N' word and I'm still waiting for one of your buns,ok you may find my pestering annoying but where I come from you should never underestimate the use of the phrase 'free bun'.

  33. Maty

    anti-intellectual

    Odd, isn't it? The politically correct word to describe negroid people today is 'black'. (Though 'brown' is more accurate.) The Latin for 'black' is 'niger' (literally: black, dark, swarthy') , and this is where the dreaded N-word comes from.

    So it's correct to call a race by the English word, but political dynamite to use the Latin. Perhaps it's the mis-spelling that makes it so offensive?

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: anti-intellectual

      It's because it was repurposed as an insult. I suppose in theory it could happen to any word. 'Paki' is just a logical abbreviation of 'Pakistani', but it's been employed as an insult, and so that's what it has become. It's hard to roll these things back in language regardless of the mundanity of their origins.

      1. Eddy Ito

        Another step

        So if we take it to the next level and assume folks start using "n-word" as a direct replacement, e.g. "Don't listen to him, he is such an n-word". Would not "n-word" become equally insulting as the word for which it has become the surrogate for? Further, would one then need to use yet another locum for "n-word" such as 'the "n" proxy' only to have the cycle repeat ad infinitum? In short I appreciate the dilemma of context but surely using a word to indicate that word must be acceptable and perhaps even preferable if only to avoid confusion. Granted, meaning becomes more tenuous with increasing ambiguity but regardless of intent it has to be treated the same regardless of the speaker or more specifically regardless of the race of the speaker. Otherwise we wind up in a situation that is bound to cause confusion especially where mixed race people are involved. Seriously, is there a certain fraction that makes it ok? Can I say anything I please without offending anybody simply by privilege of birth? We half and quarter caste folks need to know.

        1. prathlev
          Thumb Down

          @Another step

          Even though history seems to contradict this, we humans technically have the ability to learn from our mistakes. The cycle you descibe requires us to be either malign or grossly ignorant.

          I hope very few people are actively _trying_ to find new ways of insulting groups of people. What would we as a species gain from that? Why should we not discourage behaviour like that?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Ahh

        Me and me mates use Sabee as word to describe lady's that tell us off.

        1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

          Re: Ahh

          Why don't you come here and say that, fishface?

          1. Chris Bradshaw
            Headmaster

            While we are being infantile...

            Ohh! Ms Bee used the* 'f-word'. Can I have her bun please?

            * well, OK, 'an' f-word...

  34. NogginTheNog
    Happy

    Well done!

    Can I just say I'm impressed that so far there have been no comments on the size, shape, consistency, or easy availability, of the Moderatrix's buns??!

    So may I be the first :-D

    1. Alan Ferris
      Coat

      "the Moderatrix's buns"

      Please excuse me for a minute or two

  35. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    One question

    Who is he?

    (and why should I care?)

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    RE: tim minchins last word on the matter

    a word comprising 2 G's, an N, an I E and R... so that'll be ginger then?

  37. Mike VandeVelde
    Grenade

    the debate continues

    get your fill:

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6myyy_janes-addiction-dont-call-me-nigger_music

    any bunnage for cleverly including it in a url? ;-)

  38. Sly
    Coat

    Proper use?

    I dare say, there might actually be a few people on this ball-o-mud that actually know how to speak properly when spoken to. I also dare say, nobody involved in this article or these comments are true to the language and etiquette (or spelling - thank God for spell checkers) seemingly required by those who are easily offended.

    Now I dare say that we should all just shut up.

    /mines the one with the mouth gag in the pocket

  39. Paul Crawford Silver badge
    Coat

    What?

    What exactly is a "hood pass " and should I be looking for one?

    Mine is the retired judges robe...

  40. Blake St. Claire
    WTF?

    Re: anti-intellectual

    > It's because it was repurposed as an insult.

    I call bullshit on that. Who exactly repurposed it?

    I'm old enough to remember when it was commonly used -- usually benignly. Like a lot of words, if you put the right inflection on it, it can become an insult. Kaffir, in southern Africa, is, or was, one such word. Prawns. Blacks. Pakis. Women. Men. You get the idea. Enough people of color decided it was offensive, let it be known, and the rest of us, being the sensitive, politically correct people that we are, fell in line.

    And honestly, it's been repurposed again. Now it's a backhanded term of endearment, if you can call it that, as long as it's only used between people of color. Mayer's mistake was probably in thinking that he had some cred that would let him get away with using it.

  41. b166er

    How lame

    sNigger

    I've been called far worse than that and not felt in the slightest bit offended.

    Time everyone grew thicker skins methinks.

    Just watch some Quentin Tarantino movies or a certain Mel Brooks film to see just how inoffensive the 'n' word is.

    As with all these words, context is king.

  42. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    No-talent loser?

    Is that the word?

    Honky though comes from the West African language Wolof where white Europeans were called honky nop or red ears, cos their ears turned red in the sun. It was then used as a slang for white by African Americans.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could use a contraction and add meister to it

    You Limeister, (Limey). Padmeister. Cumeister, Kraumeister, Nigmeister, Pakmesiter. There we go, world peace is restored, and only the Limeisters needed to take the hit as the example.

  44. HFoster
    Thumb Up

    Hmmm...

    Could Mr Mayer have earned his Hood Pass by appearing on Chappelle's Show a few years ago?

    He's a good guitarist - certainly spanks the arse of most axe-torturers we've had to endure since 1990 (I'm looking at you, Noel Gallagher) - but not being American, I have no idea about his popularity (or lack thereof) among my US brethren. That's right, we all know what "niggardly" means, but I can say it without discomfort.

    Speaking of the dreaded n-word and Dave Chappelle, remember the sketch he did about the white family called Niggar? I might watch that tonight and laugh myself hoarse.

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