Does an artists personal sins (etc.) have an impact on your opinion of their music?

Sinfonia

Inspired by the Gary Glitter thread, I'm now pondering the above question.

Basically, Gary Glitter = scum. I think most of us can agree to that.
However, I've never met anyone who didn't like Rock and Roll Part 2, and there are plenty who like his music.

But I can see people automatically dismissing his new music (that he apparently intends to release) on the grounds that he is a disgusting individual. (I'm not going to take the "I don't want to give him money" excuse; music can always be obtained for nothing). I assume that some people stopped buying/listening to his older music after the charges were made against him.

Personally, I'm not gonna bother with Gary Glitter's new stuff (if he releases it), was never a fan anyway.

However, I think I can safely say that if Michael Jackson had been convicted of child abuse, that would not have stopped me enjoying his music. If you liked it before, can your opinion really change based on crimes that they may have committed?


Or even, to take it down a helluvalotta notches, if you liked a band and then met them and they were all assholes, would this change your opinion on their music?

I haven't slept in a while, so excuse me if this is rambly, I honestly can't tell

Thoughts plz.

Edit:
Oh, also, crime seems to help some artists careers, example:
Fiddy: I been shot nine times, fo' sheezy mah neezy.
Innocent bystander: I must buy your album, for you have 'street cred' and thus your lyrics should be valued above those of others.

Thoughts on that too...

drunkmonkey

If we were living in a fair and just soicety Garry Glitter would have been strung upside down by his testicles until his voice broke and the only band he would have got an audition for is the Bee Gees..

No Rock & Roll crimes are allowed as long as they don't cross a certain line....he crossed it and should be pinned naked & backwards to the exit door of the George for millenia....

Micheal Jackson is a weirdo and i don't dance
to him...I don't think he's commited any crime....it's okish to be a fan i suppose....

Just to note - i'm a Doors fan since my youth, I thought it would be great idea to ask the girl I pulled on saturday night would she mind drinking each others blood while taking obscene amounts of cocaine and screaming Dante at each other........all I got was a sandwich and another whiskey:D
(if you know of any women into this sort of thing send them my way;))

My point being, people like to copy there idols, If Gary can get away with it, what kind of message does that send out.....

Sinfonia

drunkmonkey wrote: »

My point being, people like to copy there idols, If Gary can get away with it, what kind of message does that send out.....

Get away with it?
That sends out more of a negative message about the justice system to me...

The Michael Jackson thing was a personal example, so I dunno, if Robby Krieger got done for child porn or abuse or any other act that opposes your moral code, would you still be as much of a Doors fan?

niallon

Hard one this. I've found myself put off by a lot of artists due to there own personalities etc. like Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain etc. yet even though I still think Wacko Jacko has some serious issues I still think he's made some fantastic music. I guess it all depends on how good the music behind it all is!

zero19

If i enjoyed the music i'd have no issue with the artist really

drunkmonkey

Sinfonia wrote: »

Get away with it?
That sends out more of a negative message about the justice system to me...

The Michael Jackson thing was a personal example, so I dunno, if Robby Krieger got done for child porn or abuse or any other act that opposes your moral code, would you still be as much of a Doors fan?

Cheeky you bringin in Moral code!!! Music and Ethics shouldn't Mix but neither should whiskey and coke but it still happens......

Of cource I still listen to the doors....not as much as I used to but I still remember all the words and they can come in very handy......

After a few beers DrunkMonkey usually hears a little Jim in his head and it all starts to go very wrong or very right but never inbetween:pac:

Imagine what would happen if I was GG fan....

Nailz

No, it doesn't effect me at all! My favourite artists are the Happy Mondays and I think Shaun Ryder's a genius, no need to explain my opinion then .

grumpytrousers

that's a brilliant question; it doesn't just apply to gary glitter obv, but i was thinking the same thing last year when my DVD of 'The Thick of It' arrived. It's that BBC 'the office meets Yes Minister' comedy thing and the main actor, Chris Langham, has served time, since the show was made for downloading child pron. I felt in two minds watching it, cos on the one hand, he's a terrible individual and on the other hand, as an actor he does a brilliant job.

I'll wager that during the sixties and seventies, some of our more legendary artists, some of whom would still be performing today, would certainly have pulled some, er, fans that in todays terms, would have the lynchmobs out in force.

Here's an example of iffy lyrics that you wouldn't get today. Written and sang, no less, by a man who's now a knight of the realm...

http://www.keno.org/stones_lyrics/stray_cat_blues.htm

drunkmonkey

grumpytrousers wrote: »

Chris Langham, has served time, since the show was made for downloading child pron.

http://www.keno.org/stones_lyrics/stray_cat_blues.htm

one thing downloading it, starring in them like glitter is a whole different ball game....


The writing was on the wall with Gary if he had never been convicted of downloading images in the UK he might have went un noticed in Vietnam......it begs the question where's Chris Langham now?

Creature

Nailz wrote: »

No, it doesn't effect me at all! My favourite artists are the Happy Mondays and I think Shaun Ryder's a genius, no need to explain my opinion then .

By genius do you mean fat drunk and stupid?



Ah I don't really care what the musicians get up to in their personal life. When Pete Townshend had his paedophile scare a while back it didn't really deter me from liking The Who.

grumpytrousers

drunkmonkey wrote: »

one thing downloading it, starring in them like glitter is a whole different ball game...

well in fairness, the assumption would be that if you download child pron, it's probably to look at it. Langham was, presumably, as guilty as Glitter. Neither of them were 'active' paedophiles, but obviously the fact that they were downloading, or creating a demand for this material, meant they're as bad as each other.

I'm still trying to work out how Townshend got off the hook. I suspect that if he'd been more of a washed up former star, he'd have had the book chucked at him.

all the stars

i voted no, i mean - pleanty of stars have/had terraible ways of carrying on - dont stop me enjoying their art...

Creature

grumpytrousers wrote: »

I'm still trying to work out how Townshend got off the hook. I suspect that if he'd been more of a washed up former star, he'd have had the book chucked at him.

But they never actually found anything on any of his computers did they? The police let him off with a formal caution. Maybe he really was just going to write a book...

*I want to believe*

noby

grumpytrousers wrote: »

Neither of them were 'active' paedophiles,

I think some people need to read up a little on Glitter's trials. He was charged with child rape in Vietnam, but went down for the lesser charge of interfering with minors, or some such. The point being he was 'active'.

If people want to take drugs etc. then that's fine with me, I'll still listen to their music, but this is different.

meglome

Sex, drugs and rock n' roll is one thing but abusing children is something else altogether. There's many a famous musician out there who may be a complete asshole but that's still a long way off being an evil child abuser.

grumpytrousers

noby wrote: »

I think some people need to read up a little on Glitter's trials. He was charged with child rape in Vietnam, but went down for the lesser charge of interfering with minors, or some such. The point being he was 'active'.

fair enough; but in terms of what he was found guilty of in a court initially, it was the possession of kiddie pron on his PC which was brought to the attention of the authorities and led to his prosecution. After he'd served his time he went out to wherever and to be honest, he went off my 'cultural radar' at that point. I was genuinely only talking about the stuff he'd done whilst he hung around the UK and was 'done' for...i didn't mean to make out that he was inoffensive or whatever.

---

Now playing: Oasis - Married With Children
via FoxyTunes

Nailz

Creature wrote: »

By genius do you mean fat drunk and stupid?

Please don't let ignorance get the better of you. :rolleyes: And it's high, not drunk.

damonjewel

grumpytrousers wrote: »

I'm still trying to work out how Townshend got off the hook. I suspect that if he'd been more of a washed up former star, he'd have had the book chucked at him.

In his case he was cautioned for accessing a website with his credit card that had connections with Child pornography. He was never found with and downloaded images, only that he had a credit card transaction with this webhosting company.

From wiki (which I take with a very big pinch of salt) they say

A later investigator stated that he was "falsely accused".[14] After obtaining copies of the Landslide hard drives and tracing Townshend's actions, investigative journalist Duncan Campbell wrote in PC Pro Magazine, "Under pressure of the media filming of the raid, Townshend appears to have confessed to something he didn't do." Campbell states that their entire evidence against Townshend was that he accessed a single site among the Landslide offerings which was not connected with child pornography.[15]

So I don't think he was on the hook in the first place.

Sinfonia

damonjewel wrote: »

"Under pressure of the media filming of the raid, Townshend appears to have confessed to something he didn't do."

lol.

damonjewel

yeah I had to smirk at that too, but as I said Big Pinch of Salt

minidazzler

Depending on what they did really, IF I really love the Music and the artist gets caught for something it would have to be bad for me to stop listening.

(e.g. An artist Murdering/Killing an Adult would not bother me as much as a paedophile or Rapist.)

Blisterman

Actually, in the 70's, there was many a rock star, who dated underage girls, and everyone turned a blind eye.

Steven Tyler for one, although her parents bizarrly approved of it, and somehow, I'm not too sure of the specifics, signed her over to him, so it was perfectly legal.
And I personally know someone, who went out with Jimi Hendrix's bassist, when she was 14.

Not that I'm condoning it, or anything, but it's strange how people's attitudes can change in such a short time.

Can you imagine, the uproar and tabloid headlines, if that happened nowadays?

humberklog

Bertrand Cantat is lead singer with one of the finest ever french bands Noir Desir. He twacked his missus on the noggin and she died. He was senrenced in 2003 and got out in 2007 and was picked up at the gates of the prison by the drummer of the band. They are back in studio now. I'd have no qualms about buying their next album. Which i expect is gonna be of their usual top notch standard.

Council Gritter has seriously erred(especially in a more modern and enlightened society). However underage sex abuse was quite rife through musical history (perhaps even all forms of art). There's a led zep album cover that wouldn't be tolerated now. Jerry Lee lewis? Glen Hansard!? Serge Gainsbourgh (brilliant but fairly dodgy!). Perscilla was 14 when first dating Burgermoth. Celine Dion has been hanging out with her manager/husband since she was 12.Coucil Gritter had the double whammy of societal timing and crap music. Easy to thrash him and his lps to the bin of history. Not so others.

drunkmonkey

Can anyone name a female artist who's been just as bold as any of the male artists mentioned....

I think male rockstars are getting a bit of a thrashing here...we need to balance things up.....

I suspect Madonna would be partial to young buck, but i've no proof and I doubt any chap would complain to the garda, even if he did I doubt the police would believe him....:D

Come on lads Twink or Mary Black must have had a fiddle with one of ye......

Time for some Rock and Roll Scandal Irish Style;)

r3nu4l

Sinfonia wrote: »

If you liked it before, can your opinion really change based on crimes that they may have committed?

Okay I can answer this one quite easily. Yes.

I used to really like Amy Winehouse's music but can't stand it now thanks to her crack-whore antics.

Gary Glitter? I used to love the whole "Wanna be in my gang?" thing but now can't stand the song or anything he's ever written.

However...whatever about that Glitter piece-of ****, I find my response to Amy Winehouse a bit strange since I've no bother listening to metal bands that have gotten up to a hell of a lot of rowdiness but perhaps that's because I've always viewed a band as a group and not individuals? I'm not sure.

/Damn you OP, now I've got to engage my brain and question my own opinions...*shakes fist*

drunkmonkey

r3nu4l wrote: »

I really like Amy Winehouse's thanks to her crack-whore antics.

Gary Glitter? I love the whole "Wanna be in my gang bang?"


/Damn you OP, now I've got to engage my brain and question my own morals...*shakes fist*

I don't think Amy Winehouse counts, She's more of an idiot than a rock star.......

sorry op, couldn't resist using my artistic licence;)

Blisterman

I must say, while I may still like their music, if one of my favourite artists was a pedo, I don't think I'd ever buy any of their music again.
Wouldn't like to be giving money to a child molestor.

turgon

Well even though a lot of the bands from the sixties were really smothered in drugs use, I still love the music.

S.I.R

if i thought this i wouldnt like thin lizzy because apart from mr moore and downey id hate them for being druggies, as i would basically a majority of bands/artists out there.....



but gary glitter.... not my cup of tea.... unless he releases a Death metal album.... then id give that a listen

Fanny Cradock

I wonder how many Gary Glitter fans nowadays admit to being such?

To an extent, I think people can compartmentalise the person (including their crimes) from their works. It seems like negative reaction is often offset by the perceived talent of the artist.

To take a non-music based example, I thought that Chinatown by Roman Polanski was a fantastic film. After I found out that he was done for having unlawful sex with a girl under 14 I didn't think any less of the film (though it did make me reconsider the subject matter in a different light) only of the man. In similar manner, and despite the fact that I would never have considered myself a fan, I would hold MJ in high regard when it comes to music talent. My reaction to him crimes - and I'm sure they where just that - seems to be offset by his talent. However, Gary Glitter was always crap musically, and because of this I'm less reticent in my reaction to his crimes. Illogical, I know!

Amazotheamazing

It's funny, John Lennon is a hero to a lot of people, not all of them idiots, and he confessed to beating both his wives and fairly borderline abuse of his kids too. The guy was obviously an absolute dick, but loads of people still admire the music he made. The better music, the less people care about whatever else.

Course, we could also ask is it natural to not find 16 year girls attractive, per rockstars dating younger women? For most of human history, 16 years old was rapidly approaching middle-age (still is in some of the worst parts of Africa). Seems far too young to me, but I wonder if that is more to do with social conditioning and the manner in which we are raised?