Taking someone’s medical condition to task in the public eye is a dangerous game and one in which you best not miss. In this case, Q Magazine missed wide left and badly, like Blair Walsh but worse.  

Ryan Adams’ struggle with Meniere’s Disease is well-documented and publicized, but that news apparently has not reached the UK as Adams was showered with camera flashes, nearly triggering a seizure. “When she tests her flash, he freaks out,” Q wrote. “‘I have ocular migraines,’ he shrieks, ‘if you do that, I could have a seizure!’ It’s like a new twist on shooting himself in the foot–only it’s in the head, with a flashgun.” 

Ignoring the tone-deaf nature of publishing something like this for just one second, the dangers that arise from discrediting someone’s medical condition are very real and present. This story gets infinitely darker and more disturbing if Adams did in fact have a seizure while at a photoshoot with the publication. Thankfully, he didn’t, but he’s certainly letting people know about the incident on Instagram with a couple of lengthy posts, with the first coming earlier this morning. 

“Growing up in the public eye as an alcoholic was horrible,” Adams wrote. “I survived it.  I survived and have done my best to better myself for being ignorant and foolish but I am openly candid that I don’t believe my songcraft should begin with a motive to acquire money or quest for fame. After 10 years of trying to grow into a life away from madness, from the chains of addiction, from chronic Meniere’s it’s bizarre to be interviewed by some man who is polite to my face but then chooses to BLAME me for my disease.”

Adams also took the article to task on its factual inaccuracies, noting that he no longer lives in New York City and never lived in the basement of Electric Lady Studios. He then jumped over to Q‘s Instagram for another comment on their article. “Thanks for sending a journalist to be nice to my face, to pretend to be interested in my album, my life only to write a sensationalist piece of shit article. Your headline and your belittling my struggle with #MenieresDisease is horrid.”

Read below for Adams’ full thoughts.

TFW @qmagazineuk decide a person would CHOOSE to suffer through years of vertigo, nausea, occular migranes and seizures from Meineres Disease. RockandRoll is a lifestyle when you have lived your entire life making it. It’s a weird business where songs and content can be misconstrued. Growing up in the public eye as an alcoholic was horrible. I survived it. I survived and have done my best to better myself for being ignorant and foolish but I am openly candid that I don’t believe my songcraft should begin with a motive to aquire money or quest for fame. After 10 years of trying to grow into a life away from madness, from the chains of addiction, from chronic Menieres it’s bizarre to be interviewed by some man who is polite to my face but then chooses to BLAME me for my disease. To ignore any of the amazing things I have been able to achieve. I have played carneige hall 3 times, I have toured the world over fighting severe compression in my ears and played 2 hour shows to thousands of people no matter if I was sick of not. I didn’t cancel one show. I fought for myself. I’m 42 and when I am not playing guitar I am a person with friends and animals and a life. This article is horrible. What a horrible person who would have the balls to be such an asshole. I play shows when I am sick for anyone who has Menieres but can’t get up. I think about people suffering from alcoholism and who choose to rise up from that. I work hard to be better. My struggle with Menieres is NOT my choice. It’s a disease. My father has it. I talk to people who suffer and reach out to be helpful. I get up and I work. My supposed time away from music is characterized as some farce. I was sick for years. I was sober and fought hard to find treatment for constant vertigo and nausea and pain. Your journalist didn’t fact check much. I dont live in NYC. Nor did I ever in the basement of @electricladystudios I was friends with Meg White who is an awesome person. You WANT me to be something more dramatic than I am. For instance… I was never onstage with @taylorswift – you doctored a photo to make it seem like I was… I wonder how she will feel about that.
A photo posted by Ryan Adams (@misterryanadams) on Jan 17, 2017 at 3:28am PST