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Josh Homme: Queens of the Stone Age frontman apologises after kicking female photographer: 'I was a total d**k'

Photographer Chelsea Lauren says she intends to press charges

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Monday 11 December 2017 09:14 GMT
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Queen of the Stone Age's Josh Homme appears to kick female photographer in the face

Josh Homme has issued a second apology to a photographer who says she spent the night in ER after he kicked her camera at a concert in LA.

Video footage from the show at The Forum in Los Angeles shows Homme performing onstage, stopping as he passes Chelsea Lauren in the photographers' pit before kicking her camera. It appears to strike her in the face.

Lauren posted a clip of the incident on Instagram and wrote: "I now get to spend my night in the ER. Seriously, WHO DOES THAT?"

During the gig, Homme also allegedly cut his face with a knife on purpose during the set, called the audience "retards", and said "f**k Muse". Muse were the headline act for the KROQ Acoutistic Christmas event where QOTSA had been performing.

Speaking to Variety, Lauren said the incident was "very obviously intentional" and that she intended to file a police report.

"I saw him coming over and I was shooting away," she said. "He looked straight at me, swung his leg back pretty hard and full-blown kicked me in the face."

Posting a photo of Homme, apparently just before he kicked her, she added on Instagram: "My neck is sore, my eyebrow is bruised and I'm a bit nauseous. The doctor released me early in the morning.

"Here are three images. Two of them as Josh looked at me, smiled and then kicked me. The other one is later after he cut his own face with a knife. I was in the pit in tears and he just stared at me smiling.

"Assault in any form is not okay, no matter what the reasoning. Alcohol and drugs are no excuse. I was where I was allowed to be, I was not breaking any rules. I was simply trying to do my job."

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Homme initially shared an apology via the Queens of the Stone Age Twitter account but was criticised for blaming it on being "lost in performance" and claiming he would "never intentionally cause harm to anyone working at or attending our shows."

Homme's friend, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, branded his apology as "weak". Brandon Flowers, who also performed with The Killers at the same event, later brought another photographer onstage in reference to the incident, saying: "You're welcome here. At any Killers concert you're safe and respected... they make us look good, we need to take care of these people."

The frontman later released a video apology where he admitted he was a "total d**k".

"Last night at a Queens of the Stone Age performance, I kicked the camera of a photographer and that camera hit the photographer in the face. The photographer's name was Chelsea Lauren," he said.

"I'd just like to apologise to Chelsea Lauren. I don't have any excuse or reason to justify what I did. I was a total d**k and I'm sorry and I hope you're OK.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and last night was definitely one of them. I apologise for that, and to you. I want to be a good man, but I think last night I definitely failed at that. This means I failed my friends and family as well. I don't want them to ever be ashamed or embarrassed about being around me or knowing so. So I apologise also to my bandmates and my mum and dad. My wife, my brother and kids.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to figure out some stuff I think. Because rock and roll's a wonderful thing, but it's supposed to save and help people, not mess them up. So, Chelsea Lauren, I hope you're ok and I'm truly sorry and I understand that you have to do whatever you have to do, I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

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