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Adding local short description: "American noise rock band", overriding Wikidata description "American musical group; noise rock band" (Shortdesc helper) |
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The band's name was controversial. In an interview, Albini reported that "''[[The Rapeman|Rapeman]]'' is ... the title character in a [[Japan]]ese [[comic book]] that I had come across through a friend of mine. The comic book is just a total mind-bender. There's a whole genre of [[manga|comics in Japan]], [[rape]] stories where women are raped in really graphic detail for whatever reason".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petdance.com/actionpark/bigblack/press/rocknames.php|title=Steve discusses the naming of Big Black and Rapeman|author=Interview with [[Steve Albini]]|publisher=Action Park, quoting Rock Names by Adam Dolgins|date=May 6, 1994|access-date=May 21, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505005923/http://www.petdance.com/actionpark/bigblack/press/rocknames.php|archive-date=May 5, 2007}}</ref> Albini and Washam became "sort of obsessed" with the comic, and named their new group after the titular satirical anti-hero.
Rapeman's performances would often be the target of protesters who felt that the band was mocking, or even encouraging, rape and violence against women.{{fact}}
Rapeman's performances would often be the target of protesters who felt that the band was mocking, or even encouraging, rape and violence against women. Albini rejected such criticisms, arguing that [[punk ideology]] is generally very sympathetic to [[feminism]], and stated that he feels that "[i]t is imperative for an artist to be honest, to respect the creative impulse, wherever that may go. Anything less is just decoration or inconsequential humming. Sometimes the resulting art is repugnant, but I believe the world is better for it, that it is made richer by having those thoughts explored".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.listenlistenlisten.org/stevealbini/|title=Steve Albini talks to LISTEN: "I try to be an ally in feminism"|website=LISTEN |access-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref>▼
In a ''Kreative Kontrol'' podcast in 2014, Sims discussed always having issues with the name, saying it was "the biggest musical regret" of his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vishkhanna.com/2014/04/18/ep-92-the-jesus-lizard-week-with-david-wm-sims/ |title=Ep. #92: The Jesus Lizard Week with David Wm. Sims |website=Kreative Kontrol (vishkhanna.com) |date=April 18, 2014 |access-date=November 24, 2019}}</ref>
In 2016, Albini engaged in a lengthly interview about the challenging lyrics and subject matter of some of his songs, including recorded by Rapeman. In part he responded,
{{Blockquote
|text=I want to make a distinction between not tolerating sexism in person and allowing sexist language and behaviour in characters and protagonists in song. The perspective of a song, it barely needs to be said (although apparently it needs to be said) doesn’t represent the mental state of the musician, and inhabiting it while conscious of the difference is important. I’m not deflecting such criticism by saying they’re “just stories,” I’m saying that every facet of humanity, even the worst, is present to a degree in all of us, and any of us can inhabit that perspective either willingly or be driven to it. It is important that we deal with it on a cultural level because sure as shit it will appear in real life.
}}
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In an April 2020 interview on the ''Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal'' podcast, Albini expressed regret for the name of the band, saying that he did not feel he had been "held to account for being in a band called Rapeman". He added that "it was a flippant choice", calling it unconscionable and indefensible. He later likened it to getting a bad tattoo.<ref>{{ cite web | title=Ep150: Steve Albini (Shellac, Big Black, Rapeman) | url=https://www.radioneutron.com/2020/04/03/ep150-steve-albini-shellac-big-black-rapeman/ |website=Radioneutron.com |access-date=7 May 2020 }}</ref>
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