Greta Van Fleet Drummer Defends Self After Fans Discover He Liked Racist Tweets

Danny Wagner, the drummer for Best New Artist Grammy nominee Greta Van Fleet, apologized on Instagram after fans learned he liked racist tweets in the past.

“Addressing the recent comments on Twitter….I had an account for somewhere around five years, and to be honest, I don’t remember every photo ‘liked’ or why I liked it,” Wagner wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of himself giving the “peace” sign, on Jan. 30. “What I do know is that I would never support anything that’s hurtful to a person, race, or religion. We all have different opinions and don’t always agree with each other, so it is important that we try to understand other’s perspectives and not jump to conclusion. We should lift each other up, not tear people down.”

Wagner continued, “As an individual and as a member of Greta Van Fleet, the values I believe in are ‘peace, love and unity.’ By respecting our differences and our similarities, we can be a peaceful people, love one another, and that can unite us all.”

As Greta Van Fleet’s profile began to rose, Wagner deleted his Twitter account. However, fans took screenshots that included photos of the racist tweets Wagner liked. Some tweets included Islamophobic memes. One tweet he liked included President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Before Wagner issued his apology late last month, the group’s official Twitter page was met with fans calling on Wagner to apologize.

“APOLOGIZE!!! ITS NOT THAT HARD!! IT COST $0 TO BE A DECENT PERSON, DANIEL,” one fan wrote.

One fan called on people to stop making assumptions about Wagner.

Greta Van Fleet was nominated for Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance for “Highway Tune,” Best Rock Song for “Black Smoke Rising” and Best Rock Album for From The Fires at the Grammy Awards. They reached their widest audience yet on Jan. 19 when they performed on Saturday Night Live.

The group is made up of Wagner on drums, singer Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and bassist Sam Kiszka, and was formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Josh and Jake are twin brothers, and Sam is their younger brother. Their sound has been compared to classic rock musicians of the 1970s, particularly Led Zeppelin.

“When we started this whole thing, it was definitely not on our radars because we grew up in this small town with radio as our source of music,” Wagner said of the comparisons in a Paste Magazine interview. “There was a lot of classic rock on the radio and a lot of old music and a lot of different types of music. I think it just comes down to the songwriting. We all kind of share that in common. I think we all have a lot of similar influences going back even further than the ’70s and the ’60s.”

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