MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis singer Sean Tillmann, whose provocative Har Mar Superstar stage persona earned him celebrity friends and a star outside First Avenue, issued a public apology Thursday acknowledging "conduct that was harmful, abusive, and selfish" after several women accused him of sexual misconduct.
But Tillmann denied the allegation of a 2017 sexual assault in 2017 that one woman posted earlier this month, causing others to step forward with their own stories about the singer, who admitted to misbehavior "fueled by a toxic mixture of alcohol, drugs, and cavalier sexuality."
"I want to provide my deepest apology and my public commitment to be accountable, to listen, and to do what I can to allow for healing and growth, not only for those women who have come forward, but for our community — and in particular our musical community — as a whole," Tillmann said in the statement, issued on his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Three women gave detailed accounts to the Star Tribune of assault or harassment incidents from 2014 to 2017, saying Tillmann aggressively propositioned them for sex and grabbed or inappropriately touched them — accounts that were corroborated by text messages and conversations with friends at the time of the alleged incidents.
Widely circulated on social media over the past two weeks, the women's stories prompted First Avenue to halt sales to an upcoming concert featuring Tillmann, while public radio station 89.3 the Current has quietly stopping playing his music as the Twin Cities music scene wrestles with issues of #MeToo accountability.
"Once we became aware of the allegations, we felt it was the best decision to take the show down until there is accountability," First Avenue said in a statement, referring to the planned concert by Heart Bones, one of Tillmann's bands. "First Avenue takes all accusations of harassment and assault seriously."
Tillmann responded directly to only one of the stories — the alleged 2017 incident. "I categorically deny the version of events that has been presented within her post," he wrote. "It just didn't happen that way, and the recent account includes awful, untrue details that have been added."
That woman, whose name is being withheld to respect her privacy, told the Star Tribune she was a friend who trusted Tillmann "completely" until after a gathering one night at his house in Minneapolis, when she said he unbuckled his pants and stuck his penis in her face.
Three mutual acquaintances of both the woman and Tillmann told the Star Tribune she shared her story with them soon after it happened, and they believe her.
Another woman who came forward was an acquaintance who was shocked when, one night at Grumpy's Bar in northeast Minneapolis, he suddenly slid his hand down her pants, she said.
A third woman described being at a recording studio with Tillmann, who drunkenly propositioned her. She turned him down and went down to the basement bathroom. "All of a sudden, Sean comes busting in the stall," she said. "I remember him trying to kiss me and touch me."
Referring to all the other accusations, Tillmann said in his statement, "I take these claims extremely seriously."
"I am deeply sorry to anyone who feels I've hurt them; what matters here is not my feelings or perspective but to take these statements seriously and respectfully. I want to provide my deepest apology and my public commitment to be accountable, to listen, and to do what I can to allow for healing and growth, not only for those women who have come forward, but for our community — and in particular our musical community— as a whole.
"I want those who have been brave enough to speak up to know that I have heard you, I am ready to listen, and that I am committed to doing what I can to be accountable and, frankly, to just be a better human."
Tillmann has been a fixture in the Twin Cities music scene since the late 1990s, first with his punk band Calvin Krime and then under the Har Mar Superstar persona, named after the mall he frequented in Roseville.
As Har Mar in the 2000s, he gained notoriety and national recording deals from innuendo-laden R&B songs and genuine soul-man vocal power — and wild stage shows that often culminated with him stripping to his underwear. He became something of a B-list international celebrity, winding up on screen in a dance-off with Ben Stiller in the "Starsky & Hutch" movie, and on gossip sites making out with model Kate Moss or partying with such pals as the Strokes and actor Macaulay Culkin.
Earlier this month, he released a new album "Roseville," telling the story of how, after years of partying, he got sober and started therapy. With ample radio play and media attention — including a Forbes magazine article — it seemed like he was entering a new career phase, despite the pandemic forcing him to take a job as a postal carrier.
All that attention, however, sparked the public backlash from the women who say he assaulted them.
One of Tillmann's longtime bandmates and close friends, drummer Ryan Mach, issued a statement on Facebook this week urging the singer to acknowledge the stories.
"I believe the women who've accused Sean Tillmann of sexual harassment and abuse," Mach wrote. "I've been listening and I'm still in shock. I hope my friend takes accountability for his actions and continues to better himself."
