Shirley Manson apologises for historic “reckless and cruel” Spice Girl comments
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson has issued an apology for her previous comments about the Spice Girls, whom she branded “abhorrent” in a 2016 interview.
The singer slammed the British girl-group in a chat with Vice published almost a decade ago, in which she claimed that the Girl Power of the 1990s was a “sham”.
Manson said at the time, “I always hated the term Girl Power; At the time, I found the Spice Girls abhorrent”. She had even previously expressed a desire for their “complete and utter destruction”.
The outlandish comments were referenced in a recent interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, which saw musician Mel C respond to the criticism with a laugh and a gasp.
“You’ve got to love the 90s, hey?” Mel C shared amicably, before adding, “We were probably everything they hated as we were the most commercial band ever.”
In the comments of an Instagram post which shared the clip from the podcast, Manson apologised for her past comments, taking to Instagram to write, “My name is Shirley Manson, and I feel terrible about what I said.”
The Garbage singer added, “I believed that the band was entirely manufactured which in so many ways they were but I totally misjudged exactly what the Spice Girls did for an entire generation of very young girls.”
The comment continued, “I realise now that my words were reckless and cruel and I wish I could take them back but I can’t. That’s life I suppose.”
Manson concluded, “I learned an invaluable lesson which I have never forgotten. Empowerment comes in many forms. I was an idiot. And history has her last laugh at my expense.”
She also wished Mel C “much love” and added that she believed the performer is “a class act”, in an attempt to rewrite her previous criticism.
At the end of last year, Manson also issued another apology after she blasted a fan in the audience of her Brisbane show for treating the band like “circus performers” as he threw a ball around during the set.
In light of the online backlash her on-stage outburst received, she released a statement which said, in part, “If I upset you about your blessed beach balls, I humbly apologise. However, I would really like it if the governments of the day apologised for what the fuck is happening in Palestine.”
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