Amber Coffman (pictured with her Dirty Projectors bandmates at the Coachella music festival in 2010) has accused prominent music publicist Heathcliff Berru of sexual harassment, sparking a sensational fallout. Picture: Noel Vasquez
WHEN musician Amber Coffman decided to go public about the time she was sexually harassed by a powerful music executive, even she could not foresee the extraordinary chain of events her tweet would set off.
The 31-year-old singer and guitarist with Brooklyn-based band Dirty Projectors took to Twitter on Monday night, New York time, to describe how she had been sexually harassed by a prominent male music publicist a few years earlier.
Was just re-telling/re-remembering a story abt how a very popular music publicist RUBBED my ass and BIT my hair at a bar a couple years ago
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
She went on to detail how the incident made her feel, and that she was “still mad at myself as well for not punching him in the nose”.
This was someone I barely knew and had just met. He did it in front of 4 of my male friends. Still makes me so damn mad thinking about it
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Still mad at myself as well for not punching him in the nose, but I totally froze up. Weird survival instinct I guess
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Coffman also revealed the anonymous publicist was still at the top of his professional game, and was working with a number of successful musicians — including friends of hers.
Clearly still outraged by the terrible incident, about three hours after her original post, Coffman decided to name the person.
The man who harassed her, she said, was Heathcliff Berru, founder and chief executive of Life or Death PR, which counted D’Angelo, DIIV, Killer Mike, and Tyler, the Creator among its clients. It formerly represented Lost singer Frank Ocean.
It was Heathcliff Berru, at Life or Death PR and MGMT
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Coffman then called out an apparent boys’ club within the music industry.
She said Berru’s antics were widely known but ignored because “dudes overlook it and keep hiring him”.
“I’ve been told many women have had scary stories about him for years but are scared to speak up,” she tweeted.
“Tired of sketchy a** dudes and sexual predators getting a pass from their ‘bros.’ Grow a spine and hold your friends accountable.”
The tweets triggered an incredible response.
In the following hours, music industry figures, emboldened by Coffman’s admission, came forward on Twitter to reveal they too had been sexually harassed by Berru.
Music publications were updating the story by the hour as claims came thick and fast from musicians such as Deradoorian, Tearist and Chelsea Wolfe and former MTV host Shirley Braha.
Here's what's happening with the sexual misconduct allegations against Heathcliff Berru https://t.co/FR0OK4Sjgf http://pic.twitter.com/8GoDKKZhxX
— SPIN (@SPINmagazine) January 21, 2016
Music publicist Beth Martinez said Berru “repeatedly put his hand down my shirt while driving me home after I told him to stop many times” and added she was “fairly certain I’ve been roofied by him or members of his crew on more than one occasion”. Beru denied having ever drugged anyone.
She continued: “I was really afraid that if I told anyone or did anything, it would hurt my career.”
@Amber_Coffman good for you for doing this. I was too freaked out to ever say anything. Seriously he's not a good person on any level.
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) January 19, 2016
@Amber_Coffman - sadly had a similar hb experience years ago in brooklyn. sexual harassment is a serious issue, thank you for speaking up.
— christy merriner (@merriner) January 19, 2016
@dangervillage @Amber_Coffman Had an experience or two where he was uncomfortably aggressive in ways I thankfully don't usually experience
— Shirley Braha (@shirleybraha) January 19, 2016
@Amber_Coffman my stories aren't even comparatively bad to what has happened to other girls by this person
— Beth Martinez. Hero. (@dangervillage) January 19, 2016
Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino was among the first to back Coffman’s claims, congratulating her on “finally speaking the truth”.
Christy Merriner from Little Empire Music tweeted that she had a similar experience with Berru, while musician Roxy Lange recounted a horrifying experience in an explicit post of her own.
Berru, for his part, remained silent as the list of his alleged victims continued to grow.
By Tuesday, clients of Life or Death began to publicly announce they were severing ties with the company. They included D’Angelo, Wavves, DIIV, Kelela and Speedy Ortis. At the time of publication, at least nine acts represented by Life or Death PR have ditched the company.
One client, Killer Mike, said he would stay with Life or Death, saying Berru was “still his friend” but that Coffman “deserved all our support”.
. @HeathcliffB @LifeorDeathPR http://pic.twitter.com/1G0km0Liw6
— WAVVES (@wavves) January 19, 2016
After hours of this fallout, Life or Death PR released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying Berru had quit as chief executive officer in light of the claims against him.
“Life or Death has a zero-tolerance policy for the type of conduct alleged in today’s online postings. We take these allegations very seriously,” the statement read.
“The men and women who make up this company do not, and will not, condone or tolerate any conduct described in the online postings.”
It concluded: “We are grateful to Heathcliff Berru for all the work he’s done to date and his creative vision at the company. We appreciate and support his decision to step down as CEO of Life Or Death.”
Then Berru broke his silence with an extraordinary statement of his own. He apologised to “those who I have offended by my actions”, admitted he had been struggling with drug and alcohol addition, and said was headed for rehab.
But he denied drugging anyone who accused him of drugging them.
“I am deeply sorry for those who I have offended by my actions and how I have made certain women feel,” Berru wrote in the lengthy post.
“If I crossed the line of decency or respectfulness in situations when I was drunk and under the influence, there is no excuse, of course. To be clear, while my conduct may have been inappropriate, I have never drugged anyone or engaged in that type of behaviour.”
He went on to say: “I have already lost my wife, abandoned my family, and destroyed those I love as a result of my shameful, embarrassing unacceptable behaviour. I deeply apologise to them as well.”
The drama is still unfolding, but Coffman’s original tweet, published just two days ago, has sounded the death knell for Life or Death PR.
Berru’s former colleagues have abandoned their posts at the beleaguered company, and this morning, former president Nick Dierl said “there will be a new venture imminently that bears no ties to Heathcliff Berru or the Life or Death name”.
We are saddened by the circumstances under which we are departing but are grateful for the opportunity we had together.
— Nick X Dierl (@nickdierl) January 20, 2016
There will be a new venture imminently that bears no ties to Heathcliff Berru or the Life or Death name.
— Nick X Dierl (@nickdierl) January 20, 2016
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