Mark Kozelek's career died today of natural causes.

Now, dear reader, please forgive the obscure reference, as only the most devoted fan of indie-folk shoegazers Sun Kil Moon would recognize the name of the band's caustic frontman.

But Mark Kozelek has certainly heard of you, Ottawa, and he recently claimed our nation's capital is the "worst Canadian city of all" in a rant that made minor ripples in the blogosphere when it surfaced last week.

He thinks even less, apparently, of Mark Monahan and his Bluesfest and CityFolk -- where Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon recently pulled a no-show -- and he reserves a fair share of venom for yours truly.

A song he wrote, titled The Ottawa Bluesfest is Run by Inbreds, is the latest in a downward spiral of online "diss tracks" that have, sadly, now come to define the once-decent career of the musical mind behind such gems as Katy Song, Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes and I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love -- a curious title, that last one, considering the trash Kozelek has now talked about my own dear mother (but more on that later.)

The convoluted reasons behind his beef -- with its roots stretching back more than a year -- require some context.

A couple weeks ago, as local media were touring the site of soon-to-launch CityFolk, Kozelek took the opportunity to publicly flog the festival and executive director Monahan, saying Sun Kil Moon had cancelled their appearance due to "unorganized promoters."

Monahan shared a different version, saying Kozelek -- who is not represented by a manager or an agent in his dealings with concert promoters -- fired off an angry tirade at CityFolk staffers who had emailed Kozelek to make transportation, catering and onstage arrangements for his performance.

"It can be challenging dealing directly with artists," said Monahan, eyes rolling.

Kozelek launched a profanity-laced tirade, cancelled his show, then issued an ultimatum demanding to be reinstated, Monahan said. That didn't happen, and Kozelek then posted old news items about the Bluesfest stage collapse of 2011, the ensuing lawsuit launched by Cheap Trick, and the noise complaints from last year's Folkfest.

(It should be noted that Kozelek was among the most vocal complainers last year, taking issue with headliner The War on Drugs, which inspired the first of his foul-mouthed diss tracks. It was also the last time an Ottawa newspaper bothered to spill any ink on Kozelek or his band.)

After reaching out for Kozelek's side of the contentious cancelled gig, The Sun received this response:

"Mark says to look forward to his version of Dream Police by Cheap Trick at Sun Kil Moon's show in Toronto on September 21 and that he wishes Cityfolk and their many, many, many, many, many, many, many staff members the best! He was looking forward to maple donuts with Mark Monahan at Tim Hortons and seeing Van Morrison sing Oh The Warm Feeling to thousands of people in yellow raincoats but it will have to wait for another time."

Kozelek did indeed follow through at Toronto's Opera House, firing insults at Monahan and his festivals, calling Ottawa "the worst" Canadian city, before calling out this reporter as the Ottawa Sun's "best little whore."

Now, I didn't so much mind the notoriety -- I've been called worse by much bigger people, and if I've found myself on Mark Kozelek's bad side, I'm in mighty good company -- but the pot shots he took at my mother were well below the belt.

(You can practically hear the sound of a hundred simultaneous face-palms on a recording of the song circulated through uber-cool webzine Stereogum.)

Others have taken the high road when it comes to Kozelek -- like War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel, Mark Monahan, and two female journalists who similarly found themselves in Kozelek's crosshairs, with the sullen singer reportedly calling one "a spoiled b**** rich kid blogger" and claiming another "totally wants to f*** me" while advising her to "get in line, b****."

Yes, it seems after decades of middling success, Kozelek has finally discovered the truth behind the adage, "Bad press is still press." Unfortunately these days, it's about his only press.

Luckily, we here at the Sun aren't above taking the low road every now and again, and with that spirit in mind, we decided to fire back with a little ditty of our own. You can take a listen above, but the lyrics are here.

Hopefully Kozelek is taking notes.

Sun Kill, Sun Kil Moon

Sun Kil Moon, no one cares what you said,

You used to be good but then it went to your head.

There's gotta be a better way for you to make money,

Cuz no one wants to pay to see you try to be funny.

Oh Sun Kil Moon, yer starting to depress me, oh no!

Well now Mark threw a fit and cancelled his show,

But no one woulda noticed if he just kept his mouth closed.

But that's not like him, he just likes to complain,

I guess all those emails really did drive him insane.

Oh Sun Kil Moon, yer starting to depress me, oh no!

We all heard Mark complaining at the old Folkfest

Whining about the noise and making everyone depressed.

I guess he just had something to get off his chest,

Or maybe he finally figured out how to get himself some press.

Oh Sun Kil Moon, yer starting to depress me, oh no!

Well then I heard Mark at the Opera House,

He's still talking trash, he's still running his mouth.

I just feel bad for all those fans who had to pay the cover,

To hear some sad old man taking shots at my mother,

Oh Sun Kil Moon, yer starting to depress me, oh no!

Oh there's gotta be a better way for you to make money,

Cuz no one wants to pay to hear you try to be funny,

You won't be missed, we won't remember your name,

Cuz you and Sun Kil Moon won't ever play here again.

Hits and Disses: A Mark Kozelek Companion

“War on Drugs, S*** My C***”

The one that started it all at the 2014 Ottawa Folkfest,, as a sour-faced Kozelek spent half his set pacing around the stage and ranting about the noise bleed from neighbouring stages.

First, he bitterly complained about The Claytones, deriding the fine local act as a “hillbilly band.”

The following night, he took on The War on Drugs, with Kozelek penning a foul-mouthed song about the band, labelling their music “beer commercial rock.”

Strange, considering Kozelek’s only other significant brush with success came from a song he sold out to a video game.

“Honestly, I just look at the zeros on the end of offers and decide from there,” Kozelek said in an interview posted on his website. He shouldn’t have any trouble counting the zeros on future offers from Ottawa festival promoters... presuming he can count to one.

“Adam Granofsky Blues”

War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel (born Granofsky) first took the high road, but finally relented, calling Kozelek "such a douche" in an interview with Stereogum.

Kozelek responded by taking every word of Granduciel’s interview and recording himself in a deadpan drawl, laughing maniacally in between every sentence. At least one person thought it was funny.

"Get in Line, B***"

According to Uncut critic John Mulvey, Kozelek let his misogynistic side run wild at a gig in London, where he made up a spontaneous song about a female Uncut journalist, saying the writer “totally wants to f*** me” and advising her to “get in line, b****.”

"The Ottawa Bluesfest is Run by Inbreds"

Apparently upset with emails from CityFolk staff “driving me insane,” Kozelek sounds off on Bluesfest and CityFolk, taking all sorts of shots at Mark Monahan to the tune of Cheap Trick’s Dream Police. He then calls out this Ottawa Sun reporter because “he persecutes me in his tabloid reports, He’s the Ottawa Sun’s best little whore.”