Ian Watkins, the lead singer of Lostprophets, a band I really dig was sentenced to 35 years for some seriously heinous crimes, but as much as I am shocked and disgusted by his actions, I cannot and will not fault the rest of the band for his crimes.

What Ian did, he did as an individual and not as a band.

Personally, I will still listen to the Lostprophet albums. Except for thefakesoundofprogress, god that album was painful to listen to in my opinion.

I had a debate with a friend about this and they were adamant on getting rid of everything they had by the band. How could I listen to a band that includes a pedophile they asked but could not give a valid reason why it was okay for them to chant along to “Rock n Roll Part 2” by Gary Glitter (also a pedophile) at any sports game. It’s their opinion and I acknowledged it. Their choice to stop listening to Lostprophets is their own.

My choice to continue to listen to Lostprophets is my own.

For me, the music was a gift to the world from the entire band and though Ian’s actions may mar the hard work of the band to others, I will not let words that inspired and music that moved me be lost.

Lostprophets wasn’t just one person. It was a band. It was 6 guys. Lee, Mike, Stuart, Jamie, and Luke were co-creators of music that touched and inspired the lives people.

I don’t condone anything Ian did, but I certainly cannot write off the rest of the band or their music because he was a monster.