Chrissie Hynde tells people 'don't buy the f*****g book' while promoting her new book

The Pretenders frontwoman is sick of critics after her comments on sexual assault went viral

Chris Mandle
Wednesday 07 October 2015 13:44 BST
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Chrissie Hynde has advised people not to buy her new book - during a promotional tour in aid of her new book - complaining of a “lynch mob” mentality that has pursued her since she first revealed her controversial thoughts on women and sexual assault.

Hynde caused controversy earlier this year in an interview with The Sunday Times, saying: "if you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear high heels so you can’t run from him. If you’re wearing something that says ‘Come and f*** me’, you’d better be good on your feet".

She was condemned for victim-blaming, and the comments she made were brought up again in an interview with NPR as part of Hynde's promotion of her memior Reckless: My Time As A Pretender.

“You know what, I don’t care what a lot of people want. You know? I’d rather say, just don’t buy the f*****g book, then, if I’ve offended someone," she said.

In the book in, Hynde details an incident following a gig in which she attended a party with a group of bikers. The encounter turned violent, with one man allegedly hitting her across the back of the head as she took off her clothes for them.

In the memoir, she writes that “technically speaking” it was her decision to go with them and “no one dragged me into the park in the middle of the night with a gun at my head.”

Despite the public outcry earlier this year, Hynde said she wouldn’t apologise or retract her comments, saying she has never positioned herself as a role model.

“I’m only telling you my story, I'm not here trying to advise anyone or tell anyone what to do or tell anyone what to think," she said.

“It’s almost like a lynch mob”.

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