Danger Danger frontman Ted Poley ignited a firestorm on social media when he posted a scathing critique of Sebastian Bach following an encounter at the Monsters of Rock Cruise. He later deleted the inflammatory remarks and issued a complete reversal of his position.
In his initial Facebook post, Poley didn’t hold back. He described Bach as a “washed up drunk” and recounted a disturbing interaction. “I watched him start fights. I watched him being a douche bag, and I simply said hello to him and he almost kicked the sh*t out of me,” Poley wrote. “He’s so much worse than that. He embarrassed his family. I’ve lost all respect for him.”
The post continued with a direct message to Bach: “Sebastian, if you’re reading this, f*ck you! You don’t deserve what you got. I respected you right up until I met you.”
However, Poley’s anger was short-lived. Within hours, he deleted the post and published a follow-up statement. This revised message painted an entirely different picture. Poley praised Bach’s vocal abilities and expressed regret over the encounter. “I have always loved and respected Sebastian’s voice. He’s one of my favorite singers! I’m a fan just like you guys!” he wrote.
Poley attributed the negative interaction to poor timing. He suggested he may have approached Bach at an inopportune moment. “I’m gonna chalk up my personal experience to possibly having chosen the wrong time to simply say hello and show some respect to someone who is actually one of my heroes,” he explained. He concluded by expressing hope for a future reconciliation, stating: “Maybe we can have a chance in the future to shake hands and I can tell him how much I think he is.”
The incident occurred during the Monsters of Rock Cruise, an annual event that brings together classic rock and metal artists for performances at sea. The cruise has become a popular destination for fans of 1980s and 1990s rock music. Its lineups span multiple generations of the genre. Poley’s initial enthusiasm about the cruise experience was evident in his posts, where he praised it as “the greatest Cruise in the whole world.” His sudden criticism of Bach made his earlier praise all the more striking to observers.
The cruise setting adds another layer to the controversy. Such events typically involve close quarters and frequent interactions between artists and fans. The confined environment of a cruise ship may have contributed to the tension between Poley and Bach, particularly if both artists were navigating the same social spaces throughout the voyage.
Poley’s dramatic reversal reflects a broader trend in the rock and metal community. Public disputes between musicians are often followed by attempts at reconciliation. The music industry has seen numerous instances of artists making inflammatory statements on social media. These statements are often walked back when cooler heads prevail. This pattern underscores the challenges of managing emotions in the age of instant social media communication. Words posted in anger can quickly spread across the internet before being deleted.
