The New Pornographers‘ A.C. Newman has spoken out about discovering ex-drummer Joseph Seiders’ child porn arrest, comparing it to a “horror movie”.
Seiders, who joined the Canadian indie band in 2014, was charged with possession of child pornography, annoying/molesting a child, invasion of privacy, and attempted invasion of privacy in April.
In a statement at the time, the group wrote: “Everyone in the band is absolutely shocked, horrified and devastated by the news of the charges against Joe Seiders – and we have immediately severed all ties with him. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions.”
Seiders pleaded guilty in June and was sentenced to three years in state prison in September.
Now, singer/guitarist A.C. Newman – who founded The New Pornographers in 1997 – has spoken to Rolling Stone about the ordeal, the fallout and plans to continue without Seiders.
Newman (aka Carl Newman) told the outlet that he had found out about his former bandmate’s April 9 arrest “probably the next day”, when he received a text message from Seiders’ brother.
“He texted me and our manager, and said there’s some bad stuff coming down, some bad charges,” Newman remembered. “[He sent] a link to the charges and it was kind of vague. It was charges that had [criminal code] numbers. My wife, who’s just that kind of person, immediately went, ‘I’m gonna go through all these and figure out what they are’.
“Then it started getting bizarre. Like, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ And it kept getting worse.”
He went on to describe this time as “dark, weird and confusing”, adding: “And it was terrifying, because there’s three of us [in the band] that have kids. We all felt afraid. We were all like, ‘When was our child with him?’ Everybody’s going through their heads, ‘Were our kids ever alone with him?’ Which was terrifying, like a horror movie where you can’t see the monster.”
Newman explained that he and his bandmates “didn’t know what was going on”, but began to “piece things together” in the coming days: “[We said,] ‘Well, this is gonna explode’. And we were just waiting.
“When I got word that it was public, I don’t even remember… There wasn’t even a sinking feeling in my stomach. It was just a feeling of like, ‘Well, here it is. Don’t go on the internet for a week’.”
Newman recalled “calling everybody” after first learning of Seiders’ arrest, saying that the situation was “bizarre”. He said: “Trying to prep somebody for this, saying, ‘First off, nobody’s died, but you’re going to be so shocked. What you are imagining in your brain right now is not as bad as reality’.”
The vocalist and guitarist then elaborated on the “next weird step” of the news becoming public: “His now ex-wife, I’m talking to her and she’s saying, ‘Can you get news out to people that we are going along with the police, that we were blindsided by this, that we have nothing to do with this?’
“You realise, all of a sudden, there’s these kids and this mother who need to be protected from the world. Because the world is coming after them. And then the guilt we felt as a band, because the band’s name turned it from a private matter to a public matter. And then the realisation that, ‘Oh, this is entertainment’.”
He shared: “What he did, and the fact that we’re called The New Pornographers, it was – for lack of a better word – just too cute. It made it news that was going to go everywhere.”
Newman explained that he was more concerned for Seiders’ ex-wife and two children than the band, saying: “[It’s] not our tragedy… We just got hit by some shrapnel. You just try to have some perspective about it.
“People were, like, doxxing [Seiders’ ex-wife and children] and looking them up online. There wasn’t much positive about it.”
The singer was asked whether he had noticed any “red flags” from Seiders. He responded: “Hindsight is always 20/20, but he kept up an act that was very convincing. He had been with his now ex-wife since high school, they had two kids.
“When he joined the band, I liked that he was such a normal guy. I just wanted a normal person who was good at their job and was not going to cause a lot of shit. And of course that backfired horribly.”
Newman confirmed that the band’s next album – the follow-up to 2023’s ‘Continue As A Guest’ will be announced early next year. New drummer Charley Drayton (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) has recorded new parts to replace Seiders’ contributions to the forthcoming LP, which had already been recorded.
“Charley’s just one of the best drummers in the world, and I’m lucky that I knew him,” he said. “His longtime girlfriend and my wife are really good friends.”
Newman continued: “I think a couple of days after it all happened [with Seiders’ arrest], he said to my wife, ‘Tell Carl to call me. I’ll do it’. And he’s such a big deal that I think I needed that. I would have felt weird cold-calling him and saying, ‘Hey, I know you’ve played with Dylan and the Stones and Neil Young and everyone else, but would you lower yourself?’”
He explained that the “new drums changed the vibe a bit” on The New Pornographers’ upcoming album. But the vocalist confirmed that Drayton would not be joining the band full-time, and is unlikely to head out with them on their North American tour next spring.
Tickets for the trek go on general sale at 10am local time this Friday (November 21) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. See the full list of dates in the post above.
Upon Seiders’ arrest, the Palm Desert Station Investigations Bureau served search warrants for Seiders’ residence, vehicle and mobile phone.
“Evidence was located implicating him in the two reported incidents, along with additional crimes, including possessing child pornography,” read a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.
