Rob Thomas Has Attempted To Clarify That Racist Joke He Made At A Melbourne Concert

Not so “Smooth”.

Rob Thomas, the Matchbox 20 frontman you probably hadn’t thought about for a solid eleven years, jutted back into our lives over the weekend in as unpleasant a manner as you could imagine.

During a gig in Melbourne, Thomas attempted some patter that went, ooh, what’s a worse adjective than career-endingly?

The singer claimed to have drunk so much on our shores he thought he was “a black Australian”, inciting boos at Rod Laver Arena.

The clip made its way to TMZ, inspiring much criticism online and beyond.

Thomas swiftly apologised on social media for the joke, saying that he "cried" when he realised how his gag would be interpreted. He has since added some further context for what initially seemed to be a randomly cruel bit.

“First, please understand that I did not intend to make a joke ABOUT race,” he said on Facebook.

“I have seen people comment that after coming here for so long I should know that there is a connection between the indigenous peoples of Australia and a stereotype involving drinking. Embarrassingly, I truly didn’t. “I said I drank until I thought I was Australian. Then I drank so much that I thought I was a black Australian and then I drank so much I thought I was a little Australian girl. These were 3 things I chose at random to represent 3 things I’m not. I’m not Australian. I’m not black and I’m not a little girl. Again, if I had any idea of the stereotype I would have chosen another example. There was absolutely no malice even in jest.”

Over the weekend, Aboriginal photojournalist Barbara McGrady criticised Thomas for his “hurtful, ignorant and derogatory comments”.

Thomas later reached out to McGrady over Twitter and arranged a meeting for the two of them.

He also went on to thank Siv Parker for a “history lesson” based on her blog entry breaking down the “outrage”.

Undeniably, Thomas’ joke was enraging and wildly inappropriate. However, it does look like he’s eager to learn from his mistakes and make amends.

In the age of internet outrage and online shaming, it’s easy to pile on and seek our own personal pound of flesh – often, it’s even deserved.

Rob Thomas undeniably has some work ahead of him to make up for his misguided stab at comedy. Thankfully, he seems to be taking real steps towards understanding, with the help of McGrady and Parker.

Whether or not it's legitimate, we don't yet know. Still, forty-eight hours after an incident, we have something resembling a peaceful resolution. If that’s not a sign of progress on the Internet, I don’t know what is.

Photo: Rob Thomas' Official Website.