E45 - The Crimes of Ian Watkins

*** CONTENT WARNING ***

This episode contains descriptions of a graphic nature that some listeners may find distressing, including references to child sexual abuse, paedophilia, and incest. Listener discretion is advised. If you are affected by any of the content featured in this episode, and feel you may need further support, please see the information for suggested numbers below.

Ian David Karslake Watkins was born on the 30th of July 1977 to loving parents. He was born and raised in Merthyr Tydfil which is a small borough that lies to the north of Cardiff in Wales. Ian was a content and happy child who loved the outdoors and his family. He was intelligent and sociable and made friends easily.

As Ian reached his middle school years he developed a passion for music. No matter the instrument Ian would figure out how to play it. His bright and inquisitive mind meant he enjoyed the thrill of learning something new and it didn’t take long for his family to realise he had a real talent for entertainment through his musical passions.

When Ian started attending Hawthorn High School and became more independent with his music tastes he was drawn to rock and metal music and began to listen to artists like Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Megadeth. It was during this time that Ian met Mike Lewis who would become a lifelong friend. The two had a mutual passion for both listening to and playing metal music. In 1991 the pair decided to form their own rock band which they called Aftermath. The genre of music they played together was known as thrash metal and the pair would spend every spare moment in Ian’s back garden writing or playing their own music. Whilst his parents didn’t understand the genre they encouraged his musical talents and supported his passions.

In 2009 he decided to branch out on his own in a side venture. He started a project he called "L'Amour La Morgue". "L'Amour La Morgue" was much more about music production than musical performance. The 17 tracks he released under this moniker were comprised of remixes of popular songs from a broad range of genres such as Beyonce, the Killers, Tears for Fears, Bring me the Horizon and Young Guns.

In 2010 the Lostprophets released yet another album, this time titled The Betrayed. Given their huge success, they were now attracting requests for collaborations from some of music’s biggest names. Yet again the album was hugely successful and the band set off on another worldwide tour. Just two years later, in 2012 they released their fifth album called Weapons.

It was whilst they were touring to promote The Betrayed album that the image Ian had been presenting to the world began to fracture...

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