Geese Singer Cameron Winter Says Hostile SNL Backlash ‘Depressed’ Him

Brooklyn indie band Geese landed a major career milestone when they performed on *Saturday Night Live* earlier this year. But for frontman Cameron Winter, taking the iconic Studio 8H stage brought an overwhelming wave of negative feedback that left him feeling completely crushed. The New York outfit made their high-profile debut on the late-night comedy showcase back in January. Hitting the stage to promote their third studio record, *Getting Killed*, the group performed live versions of their tracks "Au Pays du Cocaine" and "Trinidad." While dedicated music fans tuned in to see the rising rock act, a massive segment of casual television viewers had no idea what to make of their sound.

Following the broadcast, social media quickly filled up with negative and bewildered comments from regular viewers completely unfamiliar with the band's experimental style. In a brand-new chat with *Rolling Stone*, Winter opened up about how deeply that sharp online criticism impacted his mental state after the broadcast. The singer admitted that seeing the public's intense reaction took a heavy emotional toll. He explained that the wave of internet hatred caught him off guard and turned what should have been a triumphant moment into a depressing ordeal. He confessed that the sheer intensity of the public pushback threw him completely for a loop.

BUZZBEAT

Even the positive feedback from hardcore fans brought a strange kind of disappointment for the singer. Winter observed that many indie enthusiasts seemed to love the performance simply because it unsettled average television watchers who turned on the broadcast after finishing their workday. Winter insisted that antagonizing mainstream viewers was never the band's intention when putting together their television set. He explained that he never set out to perform loud, repetitive tracks in complex time signatures just to stick it to casual TV viewers. Instead, the musician was simply trying to showcase his art on one of television's biggest stages, even if half the audience wasn't ready for it.