What's worse than a hangnail? How about sitting in handcuffs in the back of a police car, while officers play Nickelback's entire "Silver Side Up" album as they drive you to jail?
That's the threat issued by a police department in P.E.I., in hopes that Islanders will never again drink and drive. The Kensington Police Department promised on Facebook to play the oft-maligned band's album, just for those individuals caught intoxicated behind the wheel.
"We figure if you are foolish enough to get behind the wheel after drinking then a little Chad Kroeger and the boys is the perfect gift for you," police said in the post from Nov. 26.
Kensington police say they hope they don't have to open the copy of the album that their money bought, so they're asking drivers not to "ruin" the packaging by drinking and driving. Because that would be too bad.
For anyone who woke up this morning with no knowledge of Nickelback, the well-known Canadian band has toured internationally, lent its music to various Hollywood films and sold millions of albums, despite its divisive reputation. The band often sparks mixed responses, with some cheering while others ask, "Where do I hide?" when their music comes on.
Reactions to the police post were similarly divided on Facebook, with some cheering the joke and others condemning it as mean-spirited. "Doesn't torture go against the Geneva Convention?" one user wrote. "I wish my local police had the same sense of humour as you do!" wrote another. "May I suggest some Celine Dion next year?"
Others wondered where the good times (have) gone, now that police are openly mocking bands on social media.
One Nickelback supporter said it's "not fair to bash a Canadian band." Others suggested police should target Kanye West or Justin Bieber. "Jealous of their success?" one person asked.
Police addressed many critics' comments with friendly humour.
"We get to do things a bit outside the box," they wrote in one comment. In another, they acknowledged a woman who called their post offensive. "We are hoping that the tongue in cheek feeling of this post was evident but we apologize if it was not. At no time do we actually feel that Nickelback or any band should be used as a punishment."
It's not the first time law enforcement has mocked Nickelback. Police in Australia issued a tongue-in-cheek statement about Nickelback in May, saying they were wanted for "crimes against music."
Nickelback's "Silver Side Up" album was released on Sept. 11, 2001, and included the following "crimes against music":
- Never Again
- How You Remind Me
- Woke Up This Morning
- Too Bad
- Just For
- Hollywood
- Money Bought
- Where Do I Hide
- Hangnail
- Good Times Gone
Those songs add up to nearly 40 minutes of music for anyone caught driving intoxicated in P.E.I.
As Nickelback might say, "This is how you remind me not to drink and drive."
