Last Friday, the day after Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention speech, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) used his set at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival in Philadelphia to lament the state of entertainment and politics. Tillman’s extensive speech, which preceded an improvised, 10-minute song illustrating his exasperation, divided attendees: Some praised its honesty while others noted its limited crowd-pleasing value. The next day, Tillman justified the “obscenely vulnerable” speech as a bulwark against entertainment’s “narcotic properties and horrifying efficiency in elevating madmen to the heights of influence.”

Among Tillman’s detractors was Strand of Oaks’ Timothy Showalter, an established local artist, who interpreted Tillman’s behavior as a slight against the festival. Tillman responded, “The future is going to have a hay day with us and our reality tv Mussolini, but at least you'll be able to say you did your best to tweet at the dissenters.” See all that, along with plenty more fan engagement from Tillman, below.

Tillman responded:

Turning his attention to WXPN, which published an article yesterday siding with Strand of Oaks, Tillman tweeted:

He added that he didn’t accept payment for the festival:

In conversation with disgruntled fans, Tillman elaborated on his stance.

Referring to XPN host Bruce Warren, Tillman replied:

As the conversation died down, Tillman approvingly quoted a fan’s interpretation of the events.