No one can accuse Robin Thicke of being a shrinking violet.

The Canadian singer is equally famous (perhaps infamous) for his risqué Blurred Lines video, penchant for Beetlejuice outfits and twerking with Miley Cyrus.

Now Thicke is in the thick of it again after a recent Twitter fiasco.

#AskThicke

Now it's not breaking news that hosting a Q&A session on Twitter can be a risky affair (especially if you're a musician who's faced allegations of misogyny). However this didn't deter Thicke or his media handlers.

And so it was the singer recently took part in a Twitter Q&A session with music channel VH1, under the hashtag #AskThicke.

Thicke-skinned

Retrospect is a wonderful thing, but you wouldn't have to be Nostradamus to predict what happened next. Twitter went nuts.

Soon the questions, insults and insinuations were slinging thick, fast and intense – even by Twitter standards.

Here's a sample:

“Is your next 'hit' just a lyric sheet, with a Rohypnol Sellotaped to it? #AskThicke ” by @dawneywawney.

“#AskThicke Did you really write a rape anthem as a love song for your wife and are you still wondering why she left you?” from @MariaJPrice. 

“What form of sexual or emotional abuse will you be normalising in your next jaunty hit?  #AskThicke” asked @Scriblit. 

Lessons learned?

Thicke has never been one to shy away from controversy. Aside from recently being named “Sexist of the Year”, he also revealed the following in an interview with GQ magazine.

“People say, 'Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?' I'm like, 'Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I've never gotten to do that before'.”

It's conceivable that Thicke believed the Twitter session would boost sales of his latest song Get Her Back. Even though the timing is awkward considering Thicke's wife recently left him.

While the old adage “there's no such thing as bad publicity” still holds water, it's hard to believe even Thicke would revel in the amount of action he's now attracting on Twitter.

If you enjoyed this article then subscribe FREE to the twice weekly SMK Digital Bulletin, click here now or visit www.smk.net.au/subscribe.

Also, click here download a FREE SMK Insghts Program. This FREE programs features 131 must-know social stats covering Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Keep on top of the latest social facts and figures relating to usage rates, demographics, spending trends, content performance and best practice benchmarks. A MUST for every marketer!