| Good Music Bad People
So the dinner party had morphed into a drinking party and we started delving into the old vinyl for some dag classics and I pulled out Gary Glitter’s Greatest Hits, but before I could put on Rock And Roll Parts One and Two, someone said “Oh I can’t listen to that! He’s a disgusting child molester!” “But it’s a great track!” I responded. “Ugh he’s such a creep” was the response. “He’s done his time and out of jail.” I said. “I don’t care he’s a creep!” “The track was recorded 30 years ago, long before his recent crimes” I responded before returning it to the rack and digging out another classic.
It was an interesting interchange and got me thinking about how a musician’s non-musical behaviour can sometimes negatively affect a listener’s enjoyment of their music. Certainly Gary’s behaviour has alienated many fans and I imagine that his material would not be appearing on many “hits and memories” radio station play-lists as a result. Although in spite of the recent controversies, court cases, rumour and innuendo, Michael Jackson’s Thriller 25 album, released earlier this year sold three million copies in the first 12 weeks of its release, peaking at number one in eight countries and Europe. It reached at number two in the United States, number three in the United Kingdom and made the top ten in over thirty national charts. It has been certified gold in eleven countries, including the UK.
As a result of Pete Townshend visiting a kiddie porn site and using his credit card, for research he claimed, he was investigated by police for months but not charged but still placed on a UK register of sex offenders for five years and had to submit DNA, mug shot and fingerprints with seemingly little detriment to his or The Who’s reputation or career.
Although he was never charged, Ike Turner’s reputation and career were severely damaged by Tina Turner’s well-publicised allegations of spousal abuse and he spent several years in jail for drug offences in the nineties. His career rehabilitation was due to be boosted by The Black Keys who wrote an album’s worth of songs for Ike and intended to produce the album for him but he died before it could happen. The duo recorded the album themselves and released it as Attack and Release earlier this year.
It’s not only recent fracas that have negatively affected performers’ careers.
In 1966 John Lennon’s comment about The Beatles being “more popular than God” created a storm in a communion cup across America’s Bible-belt. I wonder if those who attended rallies and burnt their Beatle records then still boycott the Fab Four’s material? Back in 1958, when news broke that Jerry Lee Lewis’ cousin bride was supposedly 15 years old (she was actually 13), not unusual in the American south, it caused such a backlash that it irreparably damaged The Killer’s career which never fully recovered. More recently Phil Spector’s murder trial, not to mention his follicle transgressions may have permanently besmirched his legendary status in musical history.
Does heinous personal behaviour or racist (Bowie and Clapton’s outbursts resulted in Rock Against Racism’s formation in 1976), anti-Semitic, sexist or homophobic comments by musicians interfere with your ability to enjoy their music as a result? Is it retrospective? If a performer transgresses later in life does it limit your enjoyment of their music even if it was created years before?
In previous centuries little was known about the lives of artists, their work was viewed independent of its creator, as a matter of fact they were seen as irrelevant, mere conduit or receivers of God’s grace and inspiration. Of course in the age of information-overkill the public and private lives of people like musicians are on open display for good and for ill.
We would all like to not only enjoy the music made by our heroes but also would like to be able to admire the musicians making it as people. Often we can do both, but the reality is that many of them would not be people that we respected or even liked if we spent time with them. Sometimes ignorance can be bliss. Listen to the music.
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