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 Aniston as a technophobe who longed for a return to her 1998 career peak.

Of the black community’s high regard for his work, Mayer said: “Someone asked me the other day, ‘What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?’ And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a n&$%£^ pass.

“But I said, ‘I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’ ”

Suitably repentant, Mayer tweeted yesterday: “Re: using the ‘N word’ in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it’s such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. 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 added: “And while I’m using today for looking at myself under harsh light, I think it’s time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews…”

Mayer’s raw interview style is further demonstrated by his Playboy description of Simpson as “a drug… That girl is like crack cocaine to me.”

Of his relationship with Aniston, which allegedly broke up because he spent more time on Twitter than with the Friends star, he said: “The brunt of her success came before TMZ and Twitter. I think she’s still hoping it goes back to 1998. She saw my involvement in technology as courting distraction. And I always said, ‘These are the new rules.’ ”

The SF Chronicle notes Mayer is “known for his loose tongue”, and last month “gave an interview with Rolling Stone where he talked openly about his love life, including sex with other women”.

Yesterday, though, he sighed on Twitter: “I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don’t have the stomach for it.” ®

Bonknote

* You’ll note that this is a lot longer than Twitter’s 140-character limit. So great was Mayer’s remorse that he had to stretch the lament over three tweets.

Moderatrix Post-It

All commentards who show restraint in not following Messrs Mayer and Haines in employing the controversial work-filter-busting non-clever word will get a bun. A really nice bun to eat. Thanking you in advance.