[RockyRaccoon]

POINT OF DISCUSSION

This is Point of Discussion, a thread for people to discuss issues and topics related to music in a thoughtful and productive way. The goal of this is to make you think, to make you take a look at what you believe, why you believe it, and what others believe. Good discussion is the key to any society, and this is a place where, hopefully, that can be fostered.

All of that being said, there are a few guidelines.

The Guidelines:

1. Don't be a dick - it's fairly simple, just be civil. Say what you want, believe what you want to believe, that's fine, just don't be a dick about it.
2. All opinions are welcome - no matter how unpopular you may think your opinion is (or how unpopular it eventually proves to be), post it. It's welcome. Just be prepared to defend that opinion if it's challenged.
3. There are no wrong opinions - like, it's literally impossible. These are opinions, so no matter how strongly you feel about it, it's neither right nor wrong, it's just an opinion, so keep that in mind.
4. The conversation can go anywhere - even if the discussion goes off of the original topic, that's fine. All kinds of tangents are possible, just try to keep it semi-relevant.

The Topic:

It's been a year and a half since I first posted this topic, so I thought we'd bring it up again since we have some new users (and it's a forever-talked about topic).

When listening to music, or experiencing any art at all, should one attempt to separate the art from the artist? Is that even possible? For example, many people don't like Kanye's music because he's a dick of a person. Is that relevant? Or should his music be viewed for what it is, outside of his personality?

Also, is the artist's intentions in making their work of art relevant to the piece itself? Is that something one should be aware of before experiencing/viewing/listening to that work?
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Progressive Rock

Early Psychedelic Rock

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[Applerill]

I'm way too tired to talk about the main topic coherently, but it always irks me when people talk about Kanye in this topic. So many of the people who make that argument love Eric Clapton, even though so many of the things he's said at concerts are literal hate speech against minorities. But for some reason, if a super-hard-working black man has any confidence in his opinions, he's taken as a monster by those same people.
(Oh, and Eric Clapton's music almost uniformly sucks, too)

[Allabaster]

I do not think it is appropriate to force an artist to separate from their work. Our leisure should not take priority over the rights of others, even if there is a very great amount of hype.

[RockyRaccoon]

[Applerill]

[Tap]

Last year I was really digging this Charles Cohen album, but then he got busted for soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a 14 year old on craigslist. I know those stings are a complicated issue, but still, I don't think a 14 year old can consent to sex, and so it's just really clearly a wrong thing to do. I'm still able to listen to separate the art from the artist just fine with people from the past, but there's something about experiencing the betrayal of my own values after getting into something that just completely kills the art for me, and I can't enjoy the experience of listening to that Cohen album anymore.

[AAL2014]

To sum up the original question.. I believe music in it's purest form is and should be a reflection of the artist so we have to take the art with the artist as is or at very least attempt to.

Taking Kanye for example.. I always do my best to separate Kanye the great artist/rapper/producer and Kanye the airhead but I'm starting to accept the fact that Kanye would not be making the same art if one molecule was out of place. Again, music, or any type of art at it's purest form should be a reflection of the artist. So why I should I try to convince someone that they might like Kanye's music when it's HIM making it? I think Kanye believes he is making art and being an artist 24/7. Any time you see him in the news saying something outlandish or on...*shudders* Keeping Up with the Kardashians, there's no off switch, he's attempting to expand his artistry all the time. I may not like everything he does (both personally or musically) but I have to respect him for living his art.
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Attention all planets of the solar federation: We have assumed control.

[dihansse]

In Europe there is now a major discussion about Jesse Hughes, the singer of the Eagles of Death Metal who so nearly escaped real death in the Paris music club Bataclan. Because of a number of redneck outings (in different interviews he said that the French had only themselves to blame because of their liberal opinions and their ban on weapons) and his band is now banned from a number of French festivals.
Reasons quotes in his favour are:
- he has suffered so much in the Bataclan he is entitled to air some strong opinions
- he has grown up in redneck country so he can't help himself

But this nothing to do with his music. There are so many artists which have doen something wrong (Jerry Lee Lewis for marrying his minor niece, Bertrand Cantat of Noir Desir for murder, Michael Jackson for nearly everything, aso and there are many more examples in all kinds of arts) and I do agree that it does play a role (For me it's impossible to hear Helter Slelter withouten thinking about Charles Manson) but it shouldn't.

[meccalecca]

I think part of it is how much of the artist's personal life and personality inhabit their art. Since he's been brought up, it's especially hard to separate the artist from the art in relation to Kanye since the line is so blurred. His enormous ego is all throughout his work. I'd say Woody Allen's a similar situation. It's hard to separate his lust for underage women from his films, since his sexual frustration is such a major aspect of his films.

On the other hand, Polanski's sexual abuse of a minor is easier to separate from his filmography since that part of his personality doesn't so directly inhabit his films.
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http://jonnyleather.com

[RockyRaccoon]