Assault & Culture: Jian Ghomeshi and His Impact on Canada's Electronic Music Culture

Even if you're not a radio listener, by now you have likely heard about the disturbing story of CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi, who was fired from his job at Canada's leading public broadcaster after allegations emerged of both physical and sexual assault. Ghomeshi immediately filed a $55-million lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was the victim of a smear campaign waged by jilted ex-girlfriends trying to vilify what he described an unconventional but consensual BDSM lifestyle. Since the story broke last weekend, eight women have come forward with allegations and deeply disturbing stories—including one graphic account involving a stuffed bear Ghomeshi would allegedly turn away before slapping or choking two women, saying "Big Ears Teddy shouldn't see this."

As the host of the popular arts and culture show Q, broadcast nightly across Canada and syndicated to public radio stations in the US, Ghomeshi had a considerable amount of influence on music, including Canada's vibrant electronic music scene. Ghomeshi was also a high-powered talent manager. He used to represent Martina Sorbara, of the synthpop band Dragonette, and still works with the Juno Award-winning electropop artist Valerie Anne Poxleitner, better known as Lights. In fact, Lights stood up for Ghomeshi when the news first broke, calling him a "super hero" in a Facebook post, though after further allegations came to light (and Owen Pallett posted an unequivocally damning statement on his Facebook), Lights deleted the post.

Ghomeshi frequently invited high-profile electronic acts on his show, including Canadian artists like Deadmau5, Grimes, and Austra as well as international stars Moby, Calvin Harris,The xx and many more. In 2012, Ghomeshi used an interview with Calvin Harris to discuss larger, contentious issues within the industry like drug use at EDM events and button-pushing DJs.

"I interviewed Deadmau5 not too long ago," Ghomeshi said to Harris. "He said, 'Many DJs are just button-pushers getting paid half a million. Not to say I'm not a button-pusher. I'm just pushing a lot more buttons.' Do you see any truth in his characterization of the DJ profession?"

"I guess so, yeah," replied Harris. "But he's describing himself."

Through exchanges like that one, Ghomeshi did what radio broadcasters should do: bridge the gap between a niche culture and a much broader audience by boiling down its most salient talking points into entertaining and relatable morsels. Ghomeshi's role as personable and intelligent on-air presence endeared him to his audience. It's that sense of familiarity that made it that much harder for his victims to speak up without risking public backlash, scrutiny and dismissal of their claims against a person with considerable power and influence.

In fact, three anonymous women who came forward about Ghomeshi cited the case of Carla Ciccone as the reason why they didn't file police complaints or go on the record. Last year, Ciccone wrote an article for XOJane about a creepy date she had with an unidentified Canadian radio host presumed by many to be Ghomeshi. She became the target of social media retaliation, receiving hundreds of abusive messages and threats—even though she hadn't even called out Ghomeshi by name.

A friend of Ghomeshi's, Pallet himself says everyone in the music industry heard murmurs about Ghomeshi's behavior. As blogger Melissa Martin wrote in a post on her site Nothing in Winnipeg, "Everyone had a friend with a story. A friend who was hurt or leered at. A friend who had been uncomfortable." Even Ciccone fought her instinct to flee from her harasser out of concern that "he would somehow ruin my fledging career in Canadian media forever if I bailed on him."

These systemic failures aren't the domain of the broad media landscape only; they are indemic to the perceptibly docile environment of public radio. One former CBC employee alleges that Ghomeshi once told her that he wanted to "hate fuck her." She reported the incident to a producer who then asked her what she could do to "make this a less toxic workplace" for herself. She ended up quitting her job.

In the aftermath of Ghomeshi's spectacular fall from grace, it is unclear who will step in to fill his big shoes. Despite the atrociousness of his alleged actions, it is undeniable that Canada's art and music scene has lost one of its most visible advocates. As the poster boy for the country's public broadcasting network, Ghomeshi's personal clout and reach within Canada and beyond was tangible, albeit limited. His in-depth interviews with artists like Deadmau5 and Calvin Harris gave important debates with the electronic music community an international platform. He also frequently gave shine to smaller local acts including the Ottawa-based First Nations group, A Tribe Called Red among others. Even though many credit his behind-the-scenes staff for the show's success, the fallout from Ghomeshi's purported behavior could have an impact beyond his own job. The opportunities that Q gave Canadian electronic artists are on the line as the CBC tries to rebuild the program with its current staff of talented producers, writers and researchers, but a new host.

Given Ghomeshi's prominence, it is admirable that the Canadian community of artists have almost unanimously rallied around the as-of-now-anonymous victims. Canadian actress Lucy DeCoutere, who stars in the popular TV series Trailer Park Boys, came forward with her own story of being choked and slapped by Ghomeshi. "He did not ask if I was into it. It was never a question. It was shocking to me," DeCoutere said in a video interview that highlights the importance of ongoing consent in all forms of sexual play.

Hopefully this kind of event—which resonates with the debates surrounding sexual assault on college campuses, in the NFL, as well as in and around dance music festivals throughout North America—will result in the best of all possible outcomes: more victims feeling safe enough to come forward, and the end of a culture where sweeping issues of violence against women under the rug is allowed.

Michelle Lhooq is the Features Editor of THUMP - @MichelleLhooq