Johnny Depp Joins Instagram to Address Coronavirus—and Plug a New Song
Depp addressed the “miserable tragedies” unfolding around the world—and teased a new song he recorded with Jeff Beck. He also thanked fans for their “unwavering support.”
Reuters
Friends, countrymen, it is with a heavy heart that I must deliver some bad news. (As if we didn’t have enough of that right now.) It would appear that Johnny Depp has joined Instagram.
For years, Depp has been locked in a legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse. Depp has denied physically abusing Heard, and last year said that it was Heard who abused him.
On Thursday, Depp posted a photo followed by an eight-minute long video—in which he addressed the novel coronavirus pandemic, thanked his fans for their “unwavering support,” presumably amid his war with Heard, and... plugged a song he’d recorded with British guitarist Jeff Beck.
“Hello to whomever might be out there in ether-land receiving this transmission,” Depp said at the top of his video. “This is my first experience within the world of social media. I’ve never done any of this before. I don't think I’ve ever really felt any particular reason to until now.”
“Now is the time to open up a dialogue as the thread of this invisible enemy has already caused miserable tragedies and enormous damage to people’s lives,” Depp continued. “People are ill and without care. People are getting sick and fighting for breath. People are dying at frighteningly high rates. Many are unable to provide for their children and their families as a result of this hideous global pandemic.”
“I know for the moment it feels like both of our hands are tied behind our backs. And to some degree they are,” Depp said. “But our minds are unbound and our hearts are not chained, and we can care. And through caring, we will help each other and we will prevail.”
Eventually, Depp got around to mentioning that he and British guitarist Jeff Beck happened to record an album last year—and teased their cover of John Lennon’s “sublime” song “Isolation.”
“Lennon’s prophetic words are pure poetry,” Depp said. “The profundity of his lyrics seemed to Jeff and me especially fitting for what’s happening right now. The song’s about isolation, fear, and the existential risks to our world.”
Before signing off, he offered his fans a vague thank-you that seemed to address his ongoing legal battle with Heard. “Thank you all for your kindness, your unwavering support, and your strength over these years,” he said. “I am touched beyond words.”
Depp posted his and Beck’s cover of “Isolation” Friday morning.