SEBASTIAN BACH Says He Was Joking When He Said Internet Contributed To Demise Of His Marriage

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has released a statement clarifying a "joke" he made in the current issue of Revolver magazine, available here and on newsstands everywhere. In the issue, he blames the Internet for making it possible for anyone to say anything about who he slept with, saying that his wife read these things and became disillusioned with him, leading to his divorce. He later joked that it takes a strong woman to date a rock and roller "or at least a woman who doesn't know how to use a computer."

Q: You have recently partly blamed the Internet for the demise of your marriage. Do you think it's even harder than before to be a rock star in the Internet age because of all the rumors that get emphasized?

Bach: "I'd like to kind of clarify what I meant by that. Nobody was responsible for the demise of my marriage except me. I was the one responsible, not the Internet.

"Sometimes I say things in interviews because I'm trying to make you laugh, or trying to be funny. But some things aren't funny.

"When I said it takes a strong girl to be with a rock 'n' roller, or a girl who can't work a computer, I was trying to make a joke. But it's actually not a joke, and it's not funny.

"If I'm with a girl and she's with me, just because I'm on the road doesn't mean I have any right to do whatever I want to do.

"I would like to apologize to my ex-wife for saying that, and also to my current girlfriend for saying really stupid shit sometimes that I think is funny, and it's not. When I read it in print, it doesn't come across the same as I was saying it, out of my mouth.

"If I cheat on the one I love, it's not the Internet's fault, it's my fault. I shouldn't have said that, and I should own up to being a jerk. That's reality. I shouldn't blame others for the things I do, I should take responsibility for what I do. That's the truth."

In the September/October 2011 issue of Revolver magazine (see cover image below),Bach spoke about his recent divorce from Maria Bierk, his wife of 18 years with whom he had been coupled since before joining his former band. According to Bach, the marriage started unraveling after tales of his past dalliances began to crop up online.

"When you go on tour starting in the mid-'80s and then someone invents the Internet in, like, 1996, you're pretty much fucked," Bach said.

He added, "I mean, the shit on these web sites is the reason my three kids don't have a father right now. You can go online and there's a 'cock chart' where you can check out my rig, and find these chicks typing whatever they want to type."

In addition to online accounts, Bach pointed to a 2010 book, "The Last Living Slut: Born in Iran, Bred Backstage", penned by a self-professed groupie named Roxana Shirazi, as contributing to the breakdown of his marriage. "There's all these lies about me in there when we toured with GUNS N' ROSES in 2006," he said. "You read the book and it's like, I'm backstage with a case of dildos that I'm using on all these different women. Dude, can I tell you something? I do not travel on the road with a case of dildos. That never fucking happened. But my ex-wife doesn't give a fuck. She's in Barnes & Noble reading this and it's like what are you gonna do? I said to my lawyer, 'Should I sue?' And he said, 'All you're going to do is make the book bigger.'"

Bach was most recently linked to 26-year-old model Minnie Gupta, who appears in the videos for two songs from Bach's forthcoming album, "Kicking & Screaming", and serves as the model on the CD's cover art.

Said the singer: "You know, Dave Mustaine wrote in his autobiography something like, 'If you're gonna try and be married and have a family and then go on the road and be in a heavy-metal band, just don't.' And I get it. Because it's tough being in a relationship with a guy who plays rock and roll. It takes a strong woman to do it." He laughed. "Or at least a woman who doesn't know how to use a computer."